Report calls for big changes to U.S. Consulate General's office

The US State Department’s Office of Inspector General has made some sweeping recommendations in a rare internal report on the Consulate General’s Office in Devonshire.

However it’s unclear when, or even if, most of the measures will be implemented.

The boldest recommendation calls for the office on Crown Hill just outside Hamilton to reduce its staff of officers 50 percent — from four to two.

The current officers are: Consul General Gregory Slayton (pictured above), Consul Margaret Pride, Vice Consul Carla Nadeau, and Deputy Principal Officer Matthew Johnson.

Two of those positions were only recently filled which lowers the possibility that this change is on the immediate horizon.

Beyond the senior staff, the office manages about 40 employees, according to its website.

They help American citizens in Bermuda with public services like tax forms and passports and with emergencies like hospital stays and arrests.

They also are responsible for the Border agents at the Bermuda International Airport and field a wide variety of questions from Bermudians who are travelling to the United States.

The office has been instrumental of late, ushering people through new passport requirements and with visa applications.

It’s not clear which of these services might be in jeopardy if the staff reduction takes hold.

The Inspector General’s report was compiled during a site visit to the Bermuda Consulate Office from June 5 to June 9, 2005.

And only a summary of that report was made public in August, the full report is classified by the United States Government.

It further recommends that immigrant visa processing be moved from the Bermuda bureau to the Consulate General in Montreal.

That, according to the report, “would permit elimination of one consular position”.

But the move could be cumbersome for Bermudians who might have to contact American officials in Canada when they need help with the often complicated visa process administered by the US Department of Homeland Security.

The Bermuda office processes about 33,000 visas each year, as well as services for Bermudians looking to have their personal travel restrictions lifted so they can legally go to United States.

The final recommendation involves a change which may have already taken place.

“... the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should take over responsibility for Consulate General Hamilton from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs,” the report states.

On the State Department’s website, Bermuda is already listed under the umbrella of the Western Hemisphere Office as opposed to the European Office which is in London.

Consul General Gregory Slayton was off the island Monday and not available for comment.

In the past 11 years this is only the second such inspection of the US interest in Bermuda. These reports are typically complied about every four years.

This time the report may be especially critical as the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice repositions her staff around the globe — especially in East Asia and Africa to reflect her country’s War on Terror.

That is likely the driving force behind reducing staff where the political climate is docile, like Bermuda, to a place where things are more politically turbulent, like Africa.

Along with the recommendations, the report was congratulatory to Mr. Slayton and his efforts in Bermuda.

He is an appointee of President George W. Bush.

“[The Office] has an active, successful public diplomacy program that is energetically led by a consul general who has invigorated the bilateral government relationship and strengthened the positive image of the United States in Bermuda,” announced the first paragraph of the report summary.

The investigators also said Mr. Slayton had done well “restructuring the internal administrative operations” and was providing a “reasonable level of service”.

On the other hand, the Office of Inspector General was critical of how the diplomats here handle the “procurement and management” of property.

Call for US Consulate General’s Office changes.

Courtesy of Royal Gazette reporter Glenn Jones