Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Chain of Command - Lake Worth

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We all know that we have been in trouble for a very long time. We hired Susan Stanton to fix it all. We expected her to be a miracle worker. In some respects she has done very well. She works her "azz" off. She is our CEO in all of this turmoil to lead us out of the hole, however, the confusion and agitation seem to be rolling down hill like a snowball to hell. There is no doubt in my mind that she is highly capable, highly qualified. But--have we expected too much in the 29 months she has been here?

She has terminated employees whose contributions were not up to her expectations. I found out a few weeks ago that Gina Baker took a "voluntary lay-off." She recently "terminated" our IT guy who has been with us forever and has terminated others who were well thought of. Stanton has re-organized and has hired some good people but those who want to hang on have to play in her ball field with her rules. She has decreased departmental budgets. She has negotiated contracts with the PBSO and the IBEW. She has managed to get us into new law suits, numbers in the 3 digits I have been told.

Are our employees allowed to be thinking people? Are they the types to say "No, city manager, doing it this way would be better...perhaps Johnny Longboats is not the best for our Casino." Maybe the residents do not want the beach to stay opened well into the morning hours causing noise, more expense in public safety, turtle lighting for $2 million. Instead of those under the chain of command finding ways to justify what the CM wants, are there better choices and decisions for our city that they are afraid to mention? I worry about that.

When money is spent, the City Commission rarely asks questions. We sit and listen to the lip service right out of that weekly private one-on-one. During the Finance Advisory Board meeting last week we found out that the city paid for Compass' air conditioning to the tune of $250,000. Did that ever come before the Commission? What was the justification other than the city manager's belief that we should pay for any and all costs relative to our property.

Cara Jennings stated on April 7, 2009 that, "I liked my interview with Ms. Stanton and that she was willing to build a team...that she had a horizontal style of management instead of a chain of command." I have no idea what that means. I was there for the interview and was highly impressed. Stanton has built a team of managers who know who the boss is. I worry about independent thinking--Is it being suppressed? Do we have a bunch of "yes" men? I am sure that they all have on their kid gloves when expressing their ideas. However, the chain of command is evident and Stanton is at the top of that chain. Nothing happens without her knowledge. We have seen what has occurred when she allowed a few managers to do their own thing--Bryant Park parking lot disasters and Union deals. William Waters, the new Community Development Director, will have leeway as new departments are organized, with 6 new departments and 4 new employees. Perhaps he will be a special exception, probably not.

Right now the CM is increasing taxes and special assessments on all of us in order to have a cushion going forward to make up for all the missing millions and to meet these expenditures that have been allocated in her budget. Millions have been spent over the past few years and no one can tell us where. Was it on all the law suits? Was it the black hole at the utility? Ask one Commissioner where the Cash reserves went and see what they tell you. With more public meetings under this city manager than any in the history of Lake Worth, it just seems that the City is less transparent and that the public is out of the loop. No one really knows what's going on.

Our public commentary has been reduced to 2 minutes and what we say is no longer recorded in the Minutes. Does that tell you anything about this management style? Because of the way the citizenry has been treated, it is now an easy thing to do to be curt from those who speak from the dais to actually throwing one of us out of the chamber. We are talked down to. They go over and over their propaganda like we are total jerks. It is a constant Dog and Pony Show and the only ones falling for it are the commissioners. I thought that we were the bosses.

On Tuesday we had 2 minutes to tell the City just what we thought about them grabbing our cash for what the city tells us is for a pension that is out of control--a one way trip to the moon.

We all know that since the line item for pension costs was eliminated that this money just gets thrown into the pot. Why hasn't the commission insisted that the city manager have a line item and pay this expense just like the city always did in the past prior to Stanton? Commissioner Maxwell brought it up for this special assessment. There is nothing "special about it other than it is a con on the taxpayers. Why haven't they insisted that we stay within a reasonable budget and reduce the spending...delay some capital improvement projects? They did not listen nor did they care. This is no way to run a "business."

26 comments:

  1. Good article. But.....sooner or later you are going to be forced to admit that the CM and the Commission require replacement if the city is to actually find its footing and move forward.

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  2. We no longer have a city hall-we have Stanton's house. Stanton has refused to put up the pictures of past Commissions. She has closed our museum.She has closed our pool. I think that she is a control freak that really gets her rocks off(oops sorry,no more rocks there) by punishing the people of lake Worth.Stanton detests the people that live here.Maybe it all goes back to when she was homeless and living in John Prince Park. Maybe she vowed to punish the people of Lake Worth then.She fired our auditor. She fired our golf pro-which she had recommended that we hire in the first place!She cusses out staff. She has turned" her house" into a gated fortress.Thousands to decorate Stanton Mansion and a new generator to boot.(probably for holding out in a seige situation where us peons finally try to cut power to city hall and storm the walls)! Frosted glass in the city Commission chamber and NO FRIGGIN AUDIO out in the halls says it all. Stanton does not want anyone to be able to stand out in the hallway and listen to the meeting. Mary,her secretary, lied to me several weeks ago when I called city hall to complain about the audio problem. Stanton has one on one brainwashing sessions with the Commissioners who no longer represent the people of Lake Worth. They represent Stanton. And THE MOST NONTRASPARENT CITY STAFF in the history of Lake Worth!!!! In a nutshell, when it comes to Stanton ,I think that the hamster has fallen off the wheel.God help us all. Or the November elections. Whichever come first.

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  3. LYNN...This post should be sent to EVERY newspaper, TV station, radio station, magazine, etc. etc. etc. in the state of Florida! It captures the downfall of a city! THANK GOD FOR BLOGS!

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  4. Stanton has to go!!!!!!!

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  5. Is there no one on the City Commission who is intelligent enough to total all of the new taxes and assessments, and to then begin subtracting unneeded items from the budget to come to a reasonable amount of taxation and budget cuts? I suppose that this would simply be asking too much of our elected officials.

    Maxwell gives voice to this but I have seen absolutely no follow-up from that man. The remainder of the commissions may as well be lap dogs, as there is not an independent thought amongst them.

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  6. Is it legal to loan a non profit money that we've given a 99 year lease to? Why is this city obligated for their air conditioning? Benny's On The Beach pays us rent, do we contribute to repairs inside their building and on all other city owned property. Compass should have installed their own air conditioning instead of foolishly squandering money on interior decoration. STANTON, STOP STEALING OUR MONEY1

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  7. Wow. Another Extremist.
    Stanton 'detests' LW and took the job just to punish the people of the city?
    Seriously?
    I hope there aren't too many of you out there....
    We have enough serious issues based on fact to reckon with now - radical hatred combined with nonsense is useless and in no way helpful.

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  8. So based on all of this then Lynn, do you think it is best that we have Stanton replaced as the city manager? Is that what I am hearing here? It is not sounding good for our city or people. No one seems to be listening to the citizens.

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  9. Although highly qualified, we don't elect the CM. The CM gets direction from the Commission. Therefore, I hold the commission responsible for everything that happens in our city.

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  10. To answer the poster who declared someone's post as "extremism," perhaps it is and perhaps it is not. What it is though, is a viewpoint from someone out here in the community and that makes it valid and worth thinking about.

    Right now we have 4 on the dais who believe that the CM is going in the right direction. I happen to strongly disagree on the tax and special assessment issue and am highly frustrated that no one on the dais is challenging it.

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  11. We have 3 on the dias who are scared of the CM remember this is the only income that they have......

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  12. This is not going to be a popular thought, but isn't it kind of self evident at this point, that LW simply does not have the citizenry that is capable of handling even small town governing?
    Of course there are bright business minds in LW (right?), but none are willing to run for office, and why should they when it's so apparent that the pre-existing mind set on the Commission has been anything but the goal to have LW thrive and prosper financially.
    The two very distinct factions in our city have shown that they only know how to battle each other to extremes.
    And that's just one hurdle for starters.
    It's a very sad situation in my book.
    This town could be so great.

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  13. I don't believe that bit about the pre-existing mindset on the commission and it being against Lake Worth becoming prosperous, etc. That is another mis-conception.

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  14. Anon @3:04 - You just hit the nail on the head. There are bright people here, but they are either too smart to run for office in this "politically toxic" city or they get falsely trashed by the Cabal.

    To Lynn: At worst, they do have the pre-existing mindset he/she described. At best, they have the pre-existing mindset to do whatever they are told to do - just like P&Z is now. You may not believe it, but that doesn't make it untrue. We are all wrong once in a while. It is so obvious to those of us who can believe it.

    Lake Worth could be so much more than a starter house and rental community. We have all the pieces of the puzzle for a great city, just too bad those in power won't allow us to put those pieces together. There are 2 seats ready for a new bodies.

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  15. There is no cabal here in LW. Get over it. No one has been falsely trashed unless it was the Ramiccio campaign in the last election who did the big dirty or perhaps a few that perpetuate the myth of a "cabal." That was and still is a stupid description of those who differ from you. We do need people to run for ALL the right reasons, however--not for ego certainly. The P&Z is NOT political but what happened the other night clearly shows that the CRA is. I am all for taking back the CRA and moving the downtown out of it.

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  16. No Cabal, then why are we going to become the most affordable city in Florida??????????????????????

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  17. And you did a wonderful job of trashing Ramiccio in the last campaign did you not?

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  18. Telling the truth and trashing are two different things.
    Thanks for noticing that I did a good job telling the fact about Ramiccio.

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  19. And you think Waterman is doing a better job than he could have? At least he could think for himself, he did not need Cara to do it for him..

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  20. Are you asking me that question?

    Cara Jennings has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Waterman campaign. How many times and in how many different ways do I have to say that?

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  21. You can say it any ways you want to, and as many times as you want. And maybe you will start to believe it, but the people know better..

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  22. the people know better about what? That the city is being taxed to death and the CM won't stop spending? What?

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  23. Lynn, thanks for your opinion about Cara, but it is your opinion...not necessarily fact - but as you are fond of saying, please show us the facts to back it up and we'll gladly be open to them.
    How do you explain appointing Panagiotti Tsolkas (sp?) on a city board?
    That single act to me, is proof that an agenda exists that is not toward the goal of having the city thrive and prosper - at least not my definition.
    He is very open about his anarchism and anti-capitalist beliefs..Anti government, anti police force, anti business....
    He believes in communal living and has a socialist agenda.
    His ideology is not suited for the betterment of LW in the opinion of most people.

    How does that instill any confidence in our leadership?
    How does that not signify an alternate agenda?

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  24. Sorry--I thought you were talking about Waterman. Incidentally, she wan't even there for the appointments.

    The appointment of Panagioti was just plain wrong and just another reason to chalk it up to stupidity and poltiical quid pro quo.

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  25. Re: Lynn @12:54
    No, all we asked for were your facts proving that Cara had zero to do with Rachel's campaign.
    re: Panagiotti
    What quid pro quo are you be referring to?(please answer)
    So you chalk up his appt to stupidity, or the above.

    Do you think there's a chance Lynn, that there might be an alternate agenda?
    Do you really think that sheer stupidity is responsible?
    If so, doesn't that scare you more than anything else?

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  26. You are the one insisting that Cara DOES have something to do with her campaign so I ask YOU to prove it. All I know is from what very close people to the campaign have told me--no Cara.

    I have no idea if there is an alternate agenda. They have enough to worry about without worrying about socialism, as an example. I do not believe that there is some hidden agenda. And yes, stupidity is scary. I was not happy about the CRB outcome. I thought it downright STUPID to do what they did and it will come back to haunt them, if they even care. I would like to see that Board disbanded along with many others actually.

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