The City Manager has evaluated her own performance for year 2010. In it, she lists her 10 disappointments for last year along with her achievements. She beats up on herself way too much. In fact, if I had been she, I never would have listed disappointments. However, it was her way of explaining, head-on, the negatives that will come on Wednesday. In many of the points, there is nothing she could have done differently or could have done to change the outcome. There are just too many important issues in the City.
First of all, I am basically against a performance review of our City Manager in a public forum. I stated that last year and nothing has changed my mind. We have never evaluated a city manager this way in the past until Ms. Stanton came on board. Because of politics, somehow the yarn was spun that this would be a great idea...humiliate our city manager so the world could hear. Instead of Joan of Ark at the stake, it is Susan Stanton at a public hanging.
No CEO of a corporation is evaluated in front of its stock-holders and why should our city manager have to endure the public political hanging? The City Manager meets once a week, all year long, with all the city commissioners. During that meeting, they should be letting her know where she has fallen or what she might possibly have to do to improve. The evaluation should be all year long not done for public display. No city commissioner should be able to use this forum to politically grandstand at the expense of our city manager.
To even direct our CM to get out in the community more and mingle with the folks was a ridiculous request by last year's commission. The city manager has much more important things to do than to try and win a popularity contest with the public or staff. Getting our city solvent and programs moved forward is her only priority. Also one of her disappointments was that she did not have a good rapport with "some" on the commission. Specifically the "some" is Scott Maxwell and occasionally the Mayor. You have to know that you can't win them all particularly when politics is in the way. This is not a failure but Stanton is still trying in that regard.
Certain employees were terminated and needed to go. A few that were hired have since left for personal reasons or could not handle an assertive CM. Stanton has hired excellent staff which is one of her top achievements and an indicator of a good leader. Inept city managers in the past have gotten us into financial trouble. Stanton has taken the lead and is doing everything within her power to change the status quo. She is not rolling over for the Unions or for anyone else. She puts Lake Worth taxpayers first.
After all is said and done, Susan Stanton will be rehired for another year.
This first part in quotes is in Stanton's own words ,from her review of herself. "In Lake Worth, there are no unimportant community issues; and residents frequently appear to be an active member in one of the many “political camps” preparing for the next campaign. Since my first day as City Manager, I have been reminded weekly, and sometimes daily, that I would surely be fired in November if a certain candidate was successful in their November election. This constant speculation regarding my own future and that of the professional staff I have recruited into the Administration, makes managing the City far more difficult than in most communities. Most cities try to insulate their City Manager from city politics and encourage them to plant roots in the community. In Lake Worth, real estate brokers have usually tried to give me friendly advice not to purchase property or sign long term rental agreements".
ReplyDeleteI find Stanton s opinion of the residents of Lake Worth highly offensive.Apparently, we citizens do not have important issues to our well being and those of our families,we are just political puppets running around with no other thought but the next election on our minds. HOW INSULTING !!Stanton appears to be really ticked off that she has not been insulated from all of the dirty little Lake Worth Citizens. Now I fully understand what is behind her FRENZY to remodel city hall!. No doubt Stanton's ideal would be something like the wizard in the wizard of Oz. The power behind the curtain that no one has access to ! We are members of "political camps"? Really? That's all we citizens are? What we ARE ,are Stanton's frigging bosses. We are the REASON that any frigging city employee has a JOB!!! I cannot believe that citizens have been put into the category of enemy combatants who do nothing but threaten Stanton and her precious staff's jobs! I find this piece of trash (what she wrote)HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL!!
Katie Mcgiveron
Thank You Katie!!!!
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