When it comes to Lake Worth, the City Manager is holding all information as if it were glued to her chest...nothing is transparent and the communication is like hitting your head against a brick wall. The balance of power is gone. Last night's Finance Advisory Board met with the City Commission and City Manager to discuss its frustrations. The secrecy at City Hall was evident. It honestly will be done "my way or the highway" so thinks Susan Stanton.
There is not much you can do with an appointed Board but give them the run around--no announcement of Board meetings in the Post, no audio of the meetings for the public, 95% total lack of data requests fulfilled, no access to staff, no nothing but the chance to meet with recommendations falling on deaf ears.
So, thinking that you have a chance to be heard and your message understood and that this is open government, is nothing but an illusion. The balance of power is gone. A majority of the communications to your commissioner is passed on to the city manager to "make the call" before it is answered and to bring that commissioner back into her fold. The City Manager says, "I like transparency, but..."
The C.M.'s weekly meetings with the City Commission after 21 months has caused commissioners to fall into her line. Cara Jennings gave her argument on many occasions to no avail. Commissioner Scott Maxwell has not taken up her offer for weekly meetings but meets occasionally with her after hours. Stanton said that she was going to bring him around too.
I talked about Jim Jones the other day. This, to me, is along those lines. The Commission is all drinking the Kool-Aid. After last night's joint meeting, the first in 9 months, the Commission did make an attempt to smooth down the ruffled feathers. There will be another meeting in one month's time. The Finance Advisory Board will bring its ideas as to what it wants to pursue; the Commission will do the same. Future meetings will be determined.
Everyone on the Finance Advisory Board needs to put on his/her dancing shoes because this will be "business as usual, waltzing around the room." No transparency and little communication from City Hall.
Glad to read that you have seen the light...err darkness.
ReplyDeleteThis is very sad to hear, but nothing new, she really has been like this from day one. Four months into her job, she came to walk around and inspect the deplorable conditions west of city hall in that downtown area, it has now been over a year and 4 months since she came and not one thing has improved in this area, she said check with me in 6-months, but then never follows through or gets back with you, the city continues to hire CM's that do not listen to citizens or keep this city clean and to code. We have not had one CM in the past 15 years that has been here to show progress and improvements, most do not want to hear from the citizens or do anything, ineffective government continues, either the elected officials need to replace the CM, it might be time, or we need new and better elected officials.
ReplyDeleteWho was the local blogger that just 2 short months ago during the elections stated that keeping the "execellant" city manager was a top priority of the 2 winning candidates? The "best commission ever" manipulated into submission? baa-baa-baa-baa
ReplyDeleteOk--the "I told you so's" are going to start. Stanton has done a lot of things well. Open government is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteStanton is not stupid. She knows that there are a small group of active citizens in this city that attend meetings and stay on top of events. This group needs information to be affective. Stanton needs to control the flow of information so that she can maintain control of the commission and the city. At this point she is the captain of the Titanic. There are some big icebergs out there and she thinks that she knows how to guide the ship. The rest of us better look for a life boat or start reading Mutiny on the Bounty.
ReplyDeleteWhat has she done well? 80% of the city still looks disgraceful. This must be her and the commission's top priority. Until they at least take a serious step towards fixing this mess they are all failures.
ReplyDeleteJohn, that cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a big portion of our city looks like hell. The western neighborhoods have been crying for code enforcement for years with illegals living 15 or more to a house. Past commissions have done nothing except raise utility rates and fees making this city's property values fall faster than any other town in the county. I have not heard anyone on the commission come up with any idea or plan to help bring our neighborhoods back. So now we have a city where the cars on the street are worth more than some of the houses they are parked in front of. Do you see the iceberg yet?
ReplyDeleteOur Commission has to stop meeting one on one with Stanton.The Commission serves the PEOPLE of Lake Worth,not Susan Stanton. Not the unions. Stanton was fired from Largo NOT because of a gender change,but because OF A POWER GRAB BY STANTON TO CONTROL AND MICRO MANAGE EVERYTHING! Sound familiar?Stanton cares nothing for the people,our quality of life or the history of Lake Worth.We need to get a new city manager.We need better than this control freak we have now.
ReplyDeleteAmen Katy McG or kkss21------you are right on, I agree with you. I am sure before the end of 2011, we will be looking for a new CM if she keeps this control up, she doesn't care about us, that is very evident, let's hope so Katy that she goes-----
ReplyDeletekkss21 said...
Our Commission has to stop meeting one on one with Stanton.The Commission serves the PEOPLE of Lake Worth,not Susan Stanton. Not the unions. Stanton was fired from Largo NOT because of a gender change,but because OF A POWER GRAB BY STANTON TO CONTROL AND MICRO MANAGE EVERYTHING! Sound familiar?Stanton cares nothing for the people,our quality of life or the history of Lake Worth.We need to get a new city manager.We need better than this control freak we have now
Your friend Katie (sp?) says it as well as anyone. You need a new City Manager......one without narcissistic tendency's.
ReplyDeleteThe ironic thing is, the CM removed the doors into the area of her office implying an open door policy. It just shows that what you see is not always what you get. The citizens are stupid and a pain; the commission is stupid and a pain; the FAB is a pain--don't ask for any data so that you can actually do your job so, "let's figure out how to quiet them all is the goal. Perhaps I am reading this wrong; set me straight.
ReplyDelete