PREMATURELY PRESSING 'SEND'

Seems James L. Stone, deputy administrator of the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Administration, has been working hard to rein in one of his
program chiefs, Beverly Watts Davis, director of the Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention.

Stone, a New York mental health official, and Davis, who headed a San
Antonio anti-drug effort, were appointed to their jobs in May 2003.

Davis, Stone explained in two e-mail memos to SAMHSA chief Charles Curie,
tended to "go off the reservation" and show up late for meetings.

"Fundamentally," Stone said, "she is a 'lone ranger' and that role is not
appropriate, or functional, in a large bureaucracy." What's more, Stone
wrote: "she needs to improve her ability to communicate in a meaningful way
with her managers (Working with a small group of supporters until 9:00
every night leaves others out and does not indicate an interest in creating
a 'team.')" Of course, working until 9 p.m. might be seen as commendable?

Davis, who heads a staff of about 120, is "an excellent speaker" and
"widely admired in the [drug] prevention community," Stone acknowledged,
and is "very intelligent, has an excellent grasp of the issues."

"My biggest concern is that Beverly is not a team player," Stone said. "She
wants to look good and is willing to lie or dissemble in order to maintain
a positive image . . . [and] she will not take responsibility for her
decisions," noting also that he's admonished her about "abuse of her
government credit card."

"Beverly and I need to learn to work together," he concluded. No kidding.

Stone's secretary then inadvertently attached the memos and sent them off
on Dec. 30 at 4:37 p.m., not just to Curie, however, but to all 540 or so
agency employees and to outsiders.

The customary follow-up e-mail arrived less than 90 minutes later. "Many of
you received an e-mail from me earlier this evening that was intended to
distribute" other documents, Stone began. "Unfortunately, the e-mail
included the wrong attachments. . . . I offer my sincere apologies to
Beverly Watts Davis and other colleagues who may feel let down and upset."

Asked whether we could talk to Davis, SAMSHA spokesman Mark Weber said:
"She's not going to have anything to say to you. You can talk to me."

SAMSHA administrator Curie's Jan. 3 e-mail said "there was an accidental
distribution of two private draft memoranda. . . . I am taking this as a
very serious matter and a full inquiry is now underway."

"I want to state clearly and unequivocally," said Curie, who's said to be
looking to move up in the Department of Health and Human Services, that he
"fully supports" CSAP and that Davis and her staff "have my support to
pursue our mission."

In his e-mail Curie asked everyone who opened Stone's errant e-mail to
delete it, and "if you forwarded this e-mail to anyone else, please contact
them immediately and ask them to delete it. Finally . . . I am asking that
you exercise professional conduct and do not discuss this matter with anyone."

Okay.