City Manager Candidates: Heads Up

With a new City Manager on the horizon, everyone is anxiously holding their breath, curbing their zeal and biding their time. Everyone includes the members of the Council, the senior staff, the worker bee staff, and the residents who are involved and interested in City operations; including me.

With that said, just what is the new Manager facing besides a Council badly split on all things important to our continued viability as a community. While the City web site, Connection and other activities of the public relations department keep pushing the “we are wonderful and responsive to you” campaign, the quality of our municipal services continue to deteriorate and millions of dollars are wasted on plans, plans, plans and dreams.

To give the new Manager a heads up as to what he will find upon reporting to work, I’ll rehash some problems and reveal some new. I’m sure readers will have there own lists or maybe even feel that some of the following statements are exaggerations. Just remember, I obtain my facts from public records requests, in accordance with State law, and supplement it with information from those in the know. I then give you the facts and information; with an obvious attitude.

First, the Council is composed of individuals that have serious personal difficulties with each other on a daily basis. The Council has members that believe if you do not agree with me 100% of the time; you are my enemy. It has a majority that believes the Council should speak with one voice; mine. The major division on the Council is between those that sincerely believe that the staff is, and is the only one, that has all the right answers, and those who will question and challenge the staff when recommendations are inconsistent, incomplete or inadequate. The vast majority of the Council is a sucker for a classy, well presented report or presentation. If it looks and sounds good; it must be a good recommendation.

Second, the new Manager is going to love the following information. Under the guise of not interfering with the day to day operations of the City, the current and past Councils have abdicated their responsibilities under the Charter. The budget is so very broad that he can ignore it. Budgeted projects are just that; budgeted, so what? There are no detailed rules concerning personnel, purchasing or even the sale of City property. He can modify, create or abolish positions at will regardless of the budget. The Councils have even dodged adopting Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity policies. What a deal.

Third, thanks to the prior Manager’s staff cleansing, the new Manager must deal with and initially rely on a senior staff composed mostly of losers: One condescending expert who spends more time selling their business than serving the city, two designer examples of the Peter Principle, one who makes decisions based on sexual preference, and three others, so bad that I will not describe them in print. On the positive side there are two professionals who have the qualifications, experience and attitude for their positions.

Fourth, the new Manager unfortunately will not be able to rely on the majority of persons surrounding or close to the senior staff for a variety of reasons. They were hired or promoted by the senior staff for either their aggressive and arrogant nature, who they knew, who they were related to or their sleeping habits; qualifications notwithstanding.

Fifth, the new Manager is going to be expected to turn a lemon into lemonade when it comes to the land the Council has purchased north of City Hall. The City alone has diverted $7.4 million from the General Fund in quest of a new retail center. NURA spent another $2.25 million. Meanwhile municipal services have suffered. In streets alone, the Auditor noted that they needed $2.4 million in maintenance and improvements to meet required standards as of the end of 2005. Now the Council is considering scrapping City Hall and the Recreation Center in favor of a new facility south of the North Metro office building at 120th and Grant. He should realize that the proposed retail area is an obsession that is more important than all other governmental responsibilities together.

Sixth, the new Manager should be prepared for the following influences on his and the City’s future. There will be an election next year and some members of the Council will be actively campaigning to defeat their fellow members. There are many more residents besides me that want major changes in the City and its use of our sales and property taxes; and we will have an impact. He has until February 2008 to demonstrate that he is worthy of the challenge. His actions must prove to the entire Council that he works for all them no matter how much danger he places himself in to accomplish it. The residents deserve a competent, qualified, professional and polite staff. The sooner he makes the necessary changes the better.

Finally, I will give him the benefit of doubt as long as does what is necessary and places the community and its residents ahead of his resume.