Well, this is a new twist on the old “Friday Newsdump,” the storied tradition of minimizing the impact of bad news by pushing it out on a Friday afternoon or early evening. I guess we can call this a “Monday morning newsdump.”

I’m referring to the sudden announcement, with absolutely no explanation given, that Nicholas Deml is resigning as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections, effective less than three weeks from now.

The announcement came in the form of a press release from Gov. Phil Scott’s office, which included the naming of Deml’s replacement: Fformer Burlington police chief Jon Murad will step into the roleon August 15, the day Deml officially departs. No reason for Deml’s resignation was offered.

And apparently, there was little effort to find out by the Grey Gardens of our Fourth Estate. The stories posted by VTDigger and Seven Days essentially barfed up Scott’s press release with no indication of much additional effort. Not even a line saying “Deml was not immediately available for comment.” Vermont Public‘s story did include one line from am emailed statement in which Deml wrote of launching “an advisory practice to continue the work I care about most.” That’s the only hint I could find, anywhere, of a reason for leaving or plans for the future.

Other media outlets, including the comatose Burlington Free Press and WCAX and WFFF/WVNY, led their stories with Murad’s appointment. Deml’s resignation didn’t even warrant headline placement.

That’s awfully thin coverage for a significant departure, likely thanks to the weekly rhythms of the newsroom. Monday is for gearing up to full operations after a weekend of little to no activity. You’re trying to get some news out there ASAP, and often starting from scratch. Which means that Monday morning isn’t quite as good a time to bury news as Friday afternoon, but it’s not a bad second choice. The administration got the kind of minimal, incurious coverage it probably hoped for.

Nick Deml was an outlier in Scott’s customary pattern of hiring from within and appointing deputies to top-level vacancies. Or shuffling people around, á la Wanda Minoli, who moved from the DMV to Buildings and General Services because hey, you run one bureaucracy you can run ’em all, amirite?

Deml came from outside Vermont. He promised a fresh effort to implement the long-promised “culture change” at the perpetually troubled DOC. People who know more than I give him high marks for effort and creativity. He was rowing against very strong tides of internal dysfunction, decaying infrastructure, and underfunding by successive administrations. He’s leaving after five years, which is plenty of time to hold such a challenging post, but it seems that his work is far from done.

Now, I don’t know about you or any of our fine reporters or editors, but I am extremely interested in why Deml is leaving on short notice. Is he moving away or staying in Vermont? No idea. Family reasons? No indication. What’s the nature of his new consultancy? No clue, but it sounds like Deml left a steady (if highly demanding) job with no immediate prospects of a regular paycheck. On little more than two weeks’ notice.

Occam’s Razor draws a line between Deml’s exit and the recent VTDigger scoop about Corrections’ ongoing troubles in dealing with federal border and immigration authorities, which are treating Vermont’s prisons as one more way station in a secretive network of detentions and detainee shuffling. The governor has become decidedly risk-averse when it comes to the Trump administration, and he has staunchly defended the use of state prisons to house federal detainees.

Was Deml making waves behind the scenes? Did he get tired of putting up with the feds’ bullshit on top of an already difficult job? Was he perhaps even shoved out the door by Team Scott because he was causing trouble with Trump’s goon squads?

I don’t know.

We don’t know. Because nobody in the press corps has seen fit to dig beneath the surface. There’s still time for a thorough follow-up, but my hopes are not high. Our greatly diminished press corps has little capacity for pursuing a story that’s already kinda-sorta been told.

Murad, meanwhile, has compiled a lengthy resumé in law enforcement, which is tangentially related to Corrections in a Wanda Minoli sort of way. Still, we’ve taken a guy who finished out of the running for police chief in South Burlington and elevated him to one of the most demanding positions in state government. Of course, he will enjoy the advantage of his boss not caring much whether he succeeds or simply muddles along. And he’s probably entered what might be called the Moulton Class — after Patricia Moulton, who seems to float effortlessly from one top governmental position to another. Murad likely enters a future of steady employment in public service, regardless of accomplishment.

But hey, what do I know. Murad might be the perfect choice for DOC chief. But the Scott administration, faced with a sudden vacancy in one of its most challenging positions, has chosen to pluck someone off the unemployment line. His most appealing qualification might have been his availability. We’ll seer how it goes. Hopes are not high.