The Way I See It!

Cudahy Doesn't Need A City Administrator or City Manager!!

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Feb. 22, 2012 | 15 comments

Cudahy, Hiring, Lara Fritts, Mary Jo Lange, McCue, Mayor, Tony Day

Let’s get some background information so we are all on the same page.  We will then go over why we don’t need them and then some brutally honest questions and comments.

The concept of the council-manager form of government developed in the late 19th Century.

Progressive reformers wanted to rid city halls and county courthouses of political machines and spoils systems that resulted in cronies and political supporters getting government jobs.

So they proposed a form of government with an elected council to legislate and set policies and a strong, non-political executive office to run the government and implement policies.

Sounds so good!  In fact too good to be true!

Now what is the City Administrator vs. City Manager?

With a City Administrator - transfer control of the city's day-to-day operations from a full-time mayor to a professional city administrator.  The Mayor’s position would become just another council seat that can break a tie.

With a City Manager - Under the manager form, the mayor and council focus on setting policy while the manager administers the city.

Sounds so good!  In fact too good to be true!

Let’s look at the talking points as how they were attempted to be sold to me by a city personnel.

With either a City Administrator or City Manager we could establish qualifications for the job just like any company that hires does.  Say a certain number years’ experience of being in charge of something comparable?  No criminal record!  A degree in something that applies to the job!  Something other than besides "I want the job and can convince people to vote for me”!  And Randy they wouldn’t be appointed like you falsely point out, they would be hired and fired from the Common Council!  They are the true power anyways!

Okay, appointed/hired I have used the term together because there truly is little difference with the process of getting the person in. 

Qualifications – Like the ones former Mayor McCue who now is a City Administrator for the City of Wautoma.  So he was qualified partly because he ran a city as Mayor.  Circular argument!

A degree – So would Liberal Arts count?  Or would a degree in Journalism?

No criminal record – Like a felon who could not vote or someone busted like with THC (Marijuana)?  No one who shows up on CCAP?  What about second chances and forgiveness?  Discrimination laws anyone???

Just ask the Alderman or Mayor Day and they will give you all of the Pros of switching governing styles.  So where do we find the cons?  There has to be some right?

Well of course there are:

City Administrator or City Manager creates a continuity that goes away when you have elected Aldermen and the Mayor every 3 years.  So should we just do away with elections?  Just appoint them all!  Sorry…Hire them all???

A City Admin/Manager may leave a city when offered a higher salary and greater responsibility in another city.  There is NO guarantee they will stick around.  Many will use Cudahy as a resume booster to pad it (think of Cudahy's Director of Economic Development Lara Fritts). 

Look at this - City manager turnover taking a toll in Sunnyside

When Mark Gervasi walks away from City Hall on April 6, he will leave unfinished projects, a stressed staff and another expensive search for a city manager.

While it's nothing the turnover-riddled city of Sunnyside hasn't lived through before, officials admit the latest installment of rapid comings-and-goings of senior administrators can't help but set back the city of 15,000.

"It kinds of puts the skids on it a little bit," said Mayor Mike Farmer.

Despite praise for his performance from council members, Gervasi announced his resignation last week, becoming the third manager here to last two years or fewer.

There is NO guarantee and with contract clauses we the taxpayers on the hook.  The proof of a contract is always in its breach.  Who made the call to pull the plug on Lara Fritts when she didn’t produce?  No hook pulled there.  The Council had the same power there and sat on their arses!  You want to trust basically the same bunch of people to do the right thing and fire the City Admin/Manager when they couldn’t do something like it before?  Please!!!!

What if they will not leave?

Look at this - Despite no-confidence vote, Rainier city manager to stay on the job

A Professional (lol) Admin/Manager chosen from outside the city may not know the community and is too far from the voters.

The process can almost be exclusively surmised as "guessing' and "trial and error”!  For every Diamond we find, we find more pieces of coal!

For every Cudahy Police Chief Thomas D Poellot we find, you will get the likes of Cudahy Director of Public Works/City Engineer Mary Jo Lange or Cudahy's Director of Economic Development Lara Fritts.

The position of Mayor and Aldermen is Nonpolitical yet it is.  Ideology trumps all.  Given time, the City Admin/Manager would show their colors and the people couldn’t do anything about it.  Political clicks form and happen!

Councils may leave too much decision making to the manager, who is not directly accountable to the public.  That the person who holds the job is not elected by the people!  Things will be NO longer, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people!  Our, the People’s, voice is removed!

City Admin/Managers cost too much, local people could handle the job for less cost.

Paying a City Admin/Manager will cost more!  Don’t just look at the base pay cost, but benefits!  Health and pension!  Is the Mayor going to give up his?  What about the redundant positions that the City Admin/Manage would do?  Will there be a chair waiting for you at your job when the music stops?  Are they going to fire those people?  And the cost to the taxpayers?

Without an elected chief executive, the community lacks political leadership.

Adding a City Admin/Manager simply adds bureaucracy.  We need less bureaucracy and less government, not more!  Then again if you are a big government career politician you are happy with this!

Bureaucracy is nonpartisan!

I cannot think of a better example than failed school district superintendents to NOT switch to a City Admin/Manager.  Nothing is more inefficient than an appointed gov't bureaucrat.

The council-manager form gives too much power to one person-the city manager.

The council-manager form is too much like a business corporation which is not suitable for managing community needs.

Mayor and council members, you are in charge of all the money in the city already and we don’t need to accrue the cost to switch us to this style of Government.  We have elderly citizens with limited finances.  We can't afford adjustments in city taxes to take on this cost because you are lazy and don’t want to do your jobs!

Citizens may be confused about who is in charge.  People may expect the mayor to respond to their problems, however, the mayor has no direct control over the delivery of services and can only change policy through the city council.

The Common Council wants it because they think they will have power over the person!  What they really are saying is, Mayor Day is a flop!  And so is Mayor Day in his push for it!  Mayor Day is telling the people of Cudahy he cannot do the duties of the Mayor and someone else needs to come in and pinch hit!

A final look back!

There is NO guarantee with a Mayor and none with a City Admin/Manager either.  Pad resume, high turnover.  And much more can and will happen!

Would the Common Council have voted McCue off or fired him.  Look at the fact the City already contacted McCue about the position!  Speaks volumes!!!!  He is the sort of Professional they are looking at.  So we would end up with two do nothings people in power!!!  When you double zero as we all know from MATH it is still zero!!!!

These Aldermen are trying to take the control from the hands of the Mayor and place it in their hands.  Why because the Mayor’s job is a hot potato and one Mayor Day isn’t capable of doing which is why he is willing to give up certain aspects of it.  Leaving him to PLAY Mayor!

Guess who would hire the City Admin/Manager?  Yep you guessed it, the Alderman, Not the voters!!!!

A Mayor has to answer to the voters and a City Administrator or Manager would only answer to the aldermen.  Or NOT answer to them!!!!

Stinks to high Heaven…

Given the speed being pushed for this, the time of the meetings and the refusal to allow the voters to decide via the referendum sounds like this is a back room deal.  And the Taxpayer’s always get screwed in those!

And they wonder why the public have nothing but contempt for our politicians...The mind boggles!

If you want to get as many people as possible to attend a gathering….

Hold the gathering when people are most likely to attend….

The only foreseeable fly in the ointment, they say, is the voter which is why they don’t want it to go to referendum.

If hiring someone was the answer maybe we should apply it to the presidential election!  Does that sound good to you?  Yes let Congress hire the President and let Congress try to fire them!

What does this get us and what is this saying about Mayor Day and his job performance?

Our Aldermen don’t have the stones to stand up now, what is the likely hood they will when it matters?  Remember that zero comment from above?  These are the same Aldermen who are afraid to blog, comment, or email in public with their own names!

We’ve elected these people to speak for us…what a shame on us!

Look at the damage we have done and we can correct that every three years, just think of the damage they will all do and we cannot do anything!!!

Between the chances of slim and none that the voters will get things right vs. the City, I would rather take slim with the voters then none with the City!

We the voters have the power and “we” for the sake of the City will keep it!  Move past this false issue to fix the City with an Admin/Manager and just start doing your jobs and the rest will fix itself!

I have said the issue with Democracy is that everyone needs to know their job and position and perform them.

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No City Administrator

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 09:14 |  Dave Drewes

Whereas the city of La Crosse has now had three straight years of no tax increases under the leadership of Mayor Harter, who at the same time was dealing with a recalcitrant city council;

And whereas the local Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) group is convinced a city administrator, at great cost to the city, could do no better;

And whereas the Common Council noted with great emphasis that they cut everywhere possible, (which would suppose that would leave absolutely no room for ANY amount of expense for consideration of a city administrator), in overriding the Mayor’s veto of the budget;

And whereas CRG believes that the city is already top heavy with supervisory personnel and burdened with the accompanying administrative costs in salary and fringe benefits;

And whereas a city administrator adds an additional layer of government that is not directly responsible to the voter further buffering his actions and those of city employees and the city council;

And whereas the city has failed to substantiate that any other system of government would run any more efficiently or openly;

We therefore oppose the proposed creation of the position of a city administrator by a unanimous vote taken on November 16, 2011 and will devote all our energy to see that this action to employ an administrator is defeated.

http://www.couleeconservatives.com/government-waste/no-city-administrator