Why the Delay in City Manager Search?
Readers know that our previous City Manager has resigned but is still receiving over $9,000 per month pay until May. More about that part later. In the meantime, our former mayor, Brad Hulsey, has been filling in as "Interim" City Manager.
Background:
The City Manager position is very important in our form of Manager-Mayor-Council form of Government. He/she is responsible for the everyday running of the City (see my first article). This form of operating is the most popular in ours and many other states.
For it to work the elected officials are the policy makers, just like the Board of Directors for a company except that the City can make law and charge taxes. They must let the Manager do their jobs with the least amount of interference.
That does not mean that he/she does not report to them. Ideally they should report at least once per month and certainly keep them abreast of anything pertaining to the well being of the City.
It is no secret that our town has not dealt well with this issue. During the past 10 years we have had four different managers. Then we had long periods (eighteen months) where the Mayor served a dual role of mayor and manager.
This will not go down well when finding a new City Manager of quality. Prospective candidates will pass on us just on that issue by itself. This is one reason that I have long proposed that we have a search committee made up of professional managers to suggest three candidates to the Mayor/Council.
You can find that in my previous columns and I told the Mayor/Council about my idea long before I left. So far, it does not seem that the powers that be are taking me up on this. In fact they have not even posted the position on the City Hall bulletin board! So I guess they have not advertised the job in the many magazines and websites available to folks looking for City Managers jobs.
Now, it is reported elsewhere, that the mayor claims they are reviewing the qualifications so they can put together a job description. Why so? They already have them ready and left over from before.
They might need a small amount of "tweaking" but this should not take five weeks, which is the time Rick Eckert resigned until now. Why the delay? This needs to be answered. As the bankers always say "time is of the essence".
Regarding the over $9,000 per month paid to Eckert. He said that he would be available as a "consultant". Fine. Let him work his next six weeks getting that $90,000 out of the clutches of a non-existent committee, DAPS (Development Authority of Powder Springs) and into a line item in the budget for an Economic Developer as suggested in the Georgia Power paid for Fanning Institute report just announced at the City Wide meeting.
Where there is a will there is a way...
I plan to follow this issue carefully and fully until we have a competent new Manager especially one who has no current ties to the city or especially to any City Official.
Correction:
I suggested in a previous report that sources in City Hall said that the Mayor has somehow told City Attorney Richard Calhoun to write an answer to one of my columns. I also wondered if he had charged the City for his time.
Not so says another reliable source. It appears that he was answering the column because it cast some doubt on his law firm of which he is a partner. The City did not pay him.
I have stated from day one that I wanted to make sure that what I write about is accurate and anyone who thinks, with good reason, that there needs to be a correction shall have it.
It would be helpful if the City would try to make sure that reports are made public without citizens having to go through the process of filing open records requests.
Certainly if you are simply asking for some flyer that was handed out at a meeting should be available at no or very minimal cost to the citizens. For records that go back some time the Open Records Act gives Cities the ability to charge what are supposed to be reasonable charges. I will be writing about this at some later date.
Thanks for reading,
Tom Bevirt
Jim Arnold
11:23 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Mr. Bevirt, is any of the information provided in your column any different than what has been going on in city government all along. No surprise to me.
Worked with the guy Too long
11:49 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Mr. Bevirt, I am a former employee that does not live in the City. While I was employed by the City, I was assigned the task of observing council meetings. On many occasions you were not awake during these meetings. When you were awake and made a comment, you rambled on making no sense what so ever. I am sure there are many citizens that are happy to have new representation in the City.
James
2:02 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Welcome back. Long time no wrrite.
Ole Pete
12:27 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tom, after reading the numerous articles you’ve written, I am left wondering if all these awful things were going on while you were on the council or if you are just being vindictive. In either case, I will never vote for you again.
Chris Wizner
1:17 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
As my Grandmother used to say, “It’s easy to taunt the bull when you are on the other side of the fence.” You mentioned the City has gone through 4 different City Managers in the past 10 years. Were YOU not on the City Council at that time? Didn’t you approve the hiring of those managers? As our current situation- Brad Hulsey is doing a terrific job as interim City Manager. We are in the middle of planning the Budget for next year and it would not be wise to hire someone new and unfamiliar with the City at this instant and the City is currently in good hands with Mr. Hulsey. Also, so you can rest well at night, Mr. Eckert is working on three special projects for the City at this time. We are reviewing the City Manager job description because we want to find the right person for the job and the job will be publicized.
Vorant1
9:03 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Can you say "Lap Dog"?
Former CM
2:22 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Perhaps the citizens need to do an open records request for the numerous emails you sent to the City manager and the demands that you made of them. As a council member, you were constantly on the City Manager about who needed to be discharged from their duties…
Mr. Bevirt, perhaps you need to step back and let the elected representatives run the City.
James
2:30 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Councilman/Doctor/Good Man,
I have and will continue to support you because of your work ethics, but please don't get into these shouting or writing matches. I think if we as citizens knew things, like those you mentioned, it would go alot further. I It would have been alot more effective if it were not a counter response to Mr. Bivert. Doctor? Please donot take this in a negative way, but I hope you weren't fueled by comments from the mayor or any other Council members as though you are suppose to rebut what Bivert says because you were his election opponent. You beat him fair and square and certainly that speaks for itself.
Chris Wizner
2:35 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thanks for your comments James. Not looking for a fight or any resentment to Mr Bevirt. Social media is here to stay, people can post just about anything. I just feel the Citizens need to be informed correctly. As I said in my campaign- I'll tell you the truth, although at times you may not like my answer.
Vorant1
8:46 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
@ Chris Wizner
"Truth is universal. Perception of truth is not."
ANONYMOUS
James
2:39 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
No doubt about you and your ethics what so ever. Thanks for your reply. I wish others would respond as quickly as you.
Oldtimer
3:28 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I appreciate the fact that the council is taking their time and trying to do it correctly this time. The current departmnet heads can run their departments professionally and the interm manager can oversee.
Vorant1
8:45 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Its obvious that Mr. Bevirt is trying to initiate dialog on how the city has done business in the past and there are those who would like things to remain off the citizenry's radar and maintain the status quo. Furthermore some of these postings seem "too personal" which makes me wonder about the "real" source. What is clearly evident is when a new city manager is hired it would serve the city well if he/she were allowed to do the job without interference which I believe has led to the high turn over rate. I concur with Mr. Bevirt that turning the selection process over to some other (non city related) group to prevent meddling is a great idea and would keep the issue above board and honest.
Chris Wizner
2:07 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I speak for myself and no one else. Unlike others I write under my name and therefore stand behind my comments. I respect Mr. Bevirt, but if I disagree with him I will express my views, as he may if he ever disagrees with me. Mr. Bevirt served this City honorably and I have no problem with him expressing his opinions. Others use pen names and choose to remain anonymous. That is fine, but they then can say anything without taking responsibility. We have many openings on City committees and boards, if you want to contribute to the City I encourage you to volunteer and help make a change or just sit in the shadows of social media and complain- the choice is yours.
Vorant1
7:25 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
@Chris Wizner
Using pseudonyms or pen names is a long establish practice, for example; Samuel Clemens= Mark Twain, Eric Arthur Blair=George Orwell, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson=Lewis Carroll. Even our beloved Benjamin Franklin used several like, Silence Dogood, Alice Addertongue, Timothy Turnstone or Richard Saunders to name but a few. Now I don't intend to place myself in the league of those literary greats but the example I use is a sound one. So consider this a little refresher course for you in what it means to use a name other than your own, which in your case might have been wiser. I find it rather sad that its necessary to make you aware of this but then again a Medical Education doesn't "focus on literature" or other forms of media now does it...
Chris Wizner
7:20 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
I guess I hit a nerve. Yes, I concede many people in history have used pen names as authors for some past great literary works or to avoid persecution from religion and government. I researched your pen name- Vorant: In heraldry, devouring or swallowing: noting a serpent or other creature of prey. The epithet is followed by the name of the object which is being swallowed: as, the arms of Visconti of Milan were a serpent vorant a child. (Source: wordnik.com) Interesting connotation, but not the pseudonym I would have chosen for myself. I find it rather sad that it’s necessary to write this reply. You seem to be fairly well educated, yet you so quickly resort to name calling and personal character attacks rather than intelligently discussing the topics at hand. Again, I encourage you to get more involved in the City- volunteer on a committee or board, attend Council meetings and publically express your opinions, be an involved citizen rather than an anonymous pen name on a social website.
Vorant1
3:12 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
I find it interesting you should choose to use that particular depiction / example and believe it or not there are others not so inflammatory but then again maybe that's your idea. Yes, I'm not using my real name so as to to prevent retaliation by the powers that be, since our family owns properties inside the city limits. I don't need jackboot code enforcement citing me for a blade of grass one inch too high, believe me I'm not alone in that concern. My main gripe is the squandering of tax dollars regardless of its origin, on projects that haven't given a REAL return to the citizenry e.g., City hall purchase / renovations, new police station or streetscape projects. I realize every administration wants to leave a "visible" mark on the city, because who wants to be known as the mayor who fixed the infrastructure problem (sarcasm). This city has very real issues and all these "superficial" projects are nothing more than a "new" bandage on a festering sore. The only good project that has had a REAL impact on this city has been Sailors Parkway( the jury is still out on the Lewis road project) But I digress, the new city manager needs to be given marching orders to layout a plan to address these issues without interference or micromanagement by the mayor. As I posted before, the new city manager doesn't need to be hired based on who he knows (cronyism) but on accepted professional standards for city managers. Dumbing down the position just makes the city look foolish...
Chris Wizner
5:31 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
Was not meant to be inflammatory, just the definition I found online. I agree with you on the infrastructure issue and since in office I am learning things I did not know before. For example many projects have been paid for by SPLOST funds, Bonds, Grants and Impact fees which are very restrictive on which type projects they can be used on. For example you can build a road but you cannot pay to fix existing roads with some funds. Crazy I agree, but the State or Federal government makes the rules.
POV.
11:00 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
@As I said in my campaign- I'll tell you the truth, although at times you may not like my answer.
This is exactly what Mr. Bevirt is doing. And this is what other citizens have been doing as well. Unlike some currently on City Council, he no longer needs to feed the beast with status quo thinking. He is, finally, a free man. Welcome to the OWS crowd, Tom. My disappoint in all of this is that Tom did not doing anything about it during his tenure. One thing Vaughn does not anticipate when she has people removed from office or jobs within the city, is for them to punch back.
The best those defending the status quo can only cite "bitterness" as to why someone would question the way things are done. Marvelous!
And James, for the record, it's not Bivert. It's Bevirt.
Brad Hulsey
5:19 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
It is my pleasure and a humbling experience to have the opportunity to serve the Mayor and City Council, as well as the fine citizens of Powder Springs. I take the duties and responsiblities of Interim City Manager very seriously, and I will continue to do my utmost best to perform in a responsible, professional and ethical manner.
Under my direction, our former City Manager and now Consultant to the City, Rick Eckert, is currently working on two projects that will serve the City well. The first is the creation of an Emergency Management Plan for City staff, as well as the Mayor and Council. This plan will prepare the City for our reaction to keeping the City operational and functional in the event of a natural disaster or some other devastating occurrence. Mr. Eckert has begun compiling information for this plan, and he and I have had meetings regarding the plan. I expect this to be completed by May 2012.
The second project Mr. Eckert is involved with is identifying funding resources beyond the norm (property taxes, fines and forfeitures, etc.) for the City's General Fund. Mr. Eckert will begin the discovery phase of this project in the near future, also with a due date of May 2012.
It is my desire to have Mr. Eckert assist me with an Economic Development Strategy for the City during his tenure as Consultant. I am currently devising a plan for his consideration to help accomplish this task in a timely manner.
Thank you, and have a pleasant weekend.
James
5:51 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012
This is transparency at its best. Keep it coming.