Chapter 2334: New Cadre Assessment System

At the end of March, Wu Zhengjing received a transfer order, assigning him as manager of the Chenshui City Metal Company, while Zhao Siqi—who had just been appointed director of the Chongjin County Government Office earlier this year—took over his position as director of the Chongjin County Party Committee Office.

The Chenshui City Metal Company was a subordinate unit of the Chenshui City Materials Bureau, originally a Level-County Director unit, but Wu Zhengjing's transfer order noted an additional provision: he would enjoy Deputy Department-Level benefits, which at least granted him the corresponding rank; yet, as a corporate entity, could the Metal Company possibly be compared to the authority of a County Party Committee Standing Committee member?

Moreover, the Metal Company had grown increasingly unprofitable in recent years, its performance so poor it could barely pay salaries; now that Wu Zhengjing was being sent there, he'd be left floundering—forget about squeezing out any graft, he'd have to clean up a complete mess.

Everyone knew this was Su Xinghui's doing—he disliked Wu Zhengjing and had driven him out; how could Wu himself not know? But knowing didn't help—he was utterly helpless, and could only roll up his bedding and head alone to Chenshui City in disgrace.

Ordinarily, officials of Wu's rank transferred out would bring their families; moving to the city, if the whole family relocated, many would be delighted—but Wu knew his own situation: he had no connections in the city, and even those few acquaintances who once knew him now ignored him now that he was down on his luck.

His wife currently worked at the Chongjin County Caizheng Bureau, a relatively comfortable unit with good benefits; if he moved her to the city, who knew what unit she'd end up in? What if she got dumped right alongside him at the Metal Company? Then he'd be truly stranded—no one to call on, no help to be found.

Besides, he was originally from Chongjin County, and so was his entire family; now that Chongjin County was thriving so well, it was no worse than Chenshui City—and with the Changjiangdaqiao under construction, Chongjin County surpassing Chenshui City was merely a matter of time; Wu Zhengjing had enough vision to see this, so he kept his family in Chongjin County and went alone to assume his new post.

Transferring Zhao Siqi to the County Party Committee Office was also the result of Su Xinghui's careful consideration, because Zhao Siqi had always been the person Su Xinghui had eyed for the Office Director position; circumstances had changed—he suddenly became County Party Secretary—so appointing Zhao Siqi as County Party Committee Office Director now was perfectly natural.

Moreover, Nie Xin was County Magistrate, and Zhao Siqi had not been personally selected by Nie Xin to serve as Director of the County Government Office; therefore, by moving Zhao Siqi to the County Party Committee Office and letting Nie Xin choose his own County Government Office Director, Su Xinghui was showing respect toward Nie Xin.

Thus, Zhao Siqi had been promoted twice within three months, and now became a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee.

Of course, Zhao Siqi had originally been a Level-County Director; advancing to County Party Committee Standing Committee member was understandable, yet the County Party Committee Office Director's position as a Standing Committee member differed from ordinary ones—in many places, the Office Director wielded less power than vice-mayors who weren't on the Standing Committee.

In many places, County Party Committee Office Directors seeking promotion had to first serve one or two years as vice-mayor before entering the Standing Committee, then proceed along the normal path of advancement.

In short, the promotion path for a County Party Committee Office Director was quite circuitous, so it wasn't necessarily more advantageous than a vice-mayor on the Standing Committee—though of course, opinions varied.

In any case, Comrade Zhao Siqi had now become a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee.

During his three months as County Government Office Director, Zhao Siqi performed flawlessly—he was meticulous, skilled in writing, and handled interpersonal relations with great professionalism; he was fully capable of the role and worked well with Su Xinghui, so Su Xinghui had full confidence in transferring him to the County Party Committee Office.

After Zhao Siqi's transfer, whenever Su Xinghui saw Wu Zhengjing, that prickling discomfort vanished—he no longer felt the constant irritation of having a morally despicable sycophant trailing behind him.

That day, Su Xinghui summoned County Magistrate Nie Xin, Deputy Party Secretary Liu Yanqi, and Organization Minister Chen Shiqun to his office to discuss implementing a new cadre assessment system in Chongjin County.

The previous system for evaluating cadre performance in Chongjin County had grown outdated, consisting mostly of Organization Department investigations and unit-wide democratic evaluations, but crucially lacked any quantifiable standards, leaving evaluations heavily dependent on leadership discretion.

In plain terms, it meant: if you say someone is capable, they're capable—even if they're not; if you say they're not, they're not—even if they are; ultimately, it was all up to the leader.

Especially before Su Xinghui arrived, whenever Yuan Yifu wanted to promote someone, he'd declare the comrade performed well—who dared say otherwise? But there was no quantifiable standard for "good" or "bad."

If you pointed out the comrade's flaw—that he was overly conservative—you could just as easily rephrase it as cautious, steady, and capable of handling major responsibilities.

If you said the comrade was impulsive, you could just as easily reframe it as ambitious and ready to lead the charge.

After all, the Chinese language is vast and profound—two lips, endless ways to spin words; these leaders all mastered the art of rhetoric.

Since Su Xinghui came to Chongjin County, Yuan Yifu had become much more restrained; the cadres promoted during this period were mostly competent and performed well—but this couldn't be a lasting solution.

Su Xinghui knew this situation existed entirely because he was here—it was all dependent on his personal authority; once he left, Chongjin County would likely revert to its old ways.

To change this, a good system with quantifiable standards was essential—strictly enforcing it would ensure Chongjin County continued on a virtuous path even after he was gone.

Therefore, today he summoned the two deputy secretaries and the Organization Minister to his office, holding a Party Secretary's working meeting to discuss this matter.

Deputy Party Secretary Liu Yanqi was a low-key man; he had once been fairly close to Yuan Yifu, but only because Yuan held power—he was never truly Yuan's man.

Overall, Liu Yanqi was a typical bureaucrat, adept at reading the wind; as long as his own interests were secured, he wouldn't directly oppose the County Party Secretary—even though this secretary was over twenty years his junior, he treated Su Xinghui with deep respect, truly regarding him as his superior.

Organization Minister Chen Shiqun, however, was a longtime subordinate personally promoted by Yuan Yifu; yet even if he was Yuan's old protégé, now that Yuan himself had retired, Chen could no longer stir up any major trouble.

Unlike Wu Zhengjing, Chen Shiqun was also low-key; he had spent many years in organizational work, possessed considerable experience, and knew the county's cadres well, so Su Xinghui retained him.

Although he was County Party Secretary, replacing a County Party Committee Standing Committee member wasn't simple—it required approval from the Municipal Party Committee; if he arrived and immediately purged Yuan Yifu's entire old team, the Municipal Party Committee would surely take notice.