Just as soon as the new commission took power and the majority changed, Mayor Triolo met with the city manager. Some of the important considerations that I assume were discussed were those concerns of the public that were mentioned at city hall meetings:
- get the audio turned on in the hallway
- go back to having an open door policy
- get the history back on the walls of city hall
- get the frosted glass off the chamber door
They gave a highly qualified woman no chance to show them what else she could do. They took no time to get to know her and how smart she really is. Instead, they listened to the complainers who were telling them that we can't trust her no matter what. And they call the rest of us "negative" when we don't agree with them. The proof was in the pudding on the very next day after they took the oath of office. It's always been up to the commission to provide the leadership and the direction they want the city manager to take. Triolo got it done. So did Susan Stanton.
Perhaps some day we will hear about this new "vision" and the new direction this commission wants to take. But I am willing to give them much more time than 3 weeks to let us know.
Excellent, I think that covers it.
ReplyDeleteLYNN, RIGHT AGAIN! Why couldn't they wait to see if the Stanton would follow their collective wishes for their vision? Because it was personal distain by Maxwell and no need to wait - that ain't gonna’ change. I am surprised Mayor Triolo followed his lead; after all, SHE is the mayor, not Maxwell. Good thing there are name & title signs in front of their chairs. Without the signs, it is hard to tell who is in charge of the dais.
ReplyDeleteThat vision thingy that you are whining about happens to be, in part, getting Lake Worth out of the hands of radical environmentalists and allowing reasonable growth, heights, property appreciation and business development.
ReplyDeleteThe recent majority was at least perceived to be anti-business, anti-development and anti-American.
They were pro-environment, pro-illegal immigrant, pro-poor people and pro-showing the rest of the county, state and country how "inclusive" and "progressive" by being the first to hire a open tranny.
As far as I know, when we (registered American citizens and Lake Worth residents) voted for a charter change that set building heights, that trumps what Cara and a few of her followers consider "what the public wants".
Reality is a bitch. Too bad you had to listen to whining for the last two years.
I have confidence our new majority will get to the bottom of the morass that is our electric utility, maybe by hiring an auditor that answers only to them.
Remember it was SS who did not advise the BCE that the Charter REQUIRED an Internal Auditor. "You are not required to fund the position" was her stance. Well, by that logic, we don't now have to fund the City Manager's position.
How idiotic is that?
Thank you for your well written post and keeping within the spirit of this blog.
ReplyDeleteA difference of opinion is always welcomed here as long as it is done thoughtfully and intelligently. Yours was. The last paragraph is where I disagree and of course your "smart" reference to "whining."
The Charter simply states:
The appointive officers shall be the city manager, city attorney, internal auditor, city clerk, police chief, fire chief, and such other officers as may be provided for by ordinance. Any of the above officers which are, or may become, under civil service shall be subject to civil service regulations. All of the appointive officers under the charter, except the city manager, city attorney, and internal auditor shall be appointed by the city manager and all appointive officers shall hold office subject to provisions of law.
No where does it say that this position MUST be appointed or MUST be funded. If it does, then I certainly will be the first to apologize.
REALITY IS WHAT IT IS. Hopefully no one will have to listen to the constant whining from you or your group from now on. The "other side" didn't go there. What say you?
September 2, 2008 the Lake Worth City Commission voted 3-2 in favor of approving a lease with The Mentoring Center, Inc. to operate a 'Resource Center' in order to clear the streets of job seekers. Typically, about 80% are illegal aliens. Voting For, was Mayor Clemens and Commissioners Jennings and Golden. Voting Against was Commissioners Lowe and Vespo.
ReplyDeleteAgain, Stanton took direction from the City Commission majority in power at that time.
We don't have to hire a city manager.
ReplyDeleteThey could vote to hire her back.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no.... we do have to hire (appoint)one, the charter does not specifically say that we have to fund the position. You figure that one out.
ReplyDelete"No where does it say that this position MUST be appointed or MUST be funded. If it does, then I certainly will be the first to apologize."
OK, you got me there. The word must is not there. The word "SHALL" is. Usually confused with the word "MAY". Shall and must are similar. Both mean pretty much the same thing.
So if the Commission SHALL appoint an Internal Auditor, how can they think they MAY or MAY NOT fund it?
And I do understand that she was following the demands of the commission by a 3-2 vote. But then you can't say she can take credit for shutting it down either.
80%... right.
What was done without any approval or consent was to shut down the shuffle part. You didn't particularly care for that as I recall.
Well, it also says it shall appoint a police chief and fire chief.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I was definitely against taking out the shuffleboard courts. Again, the commission was going along with that. They could have told the CM "no."
Do you really stand by the argument that the charter issues relating to the police chief (now Capt. Silva)and Fire Chief are the same as having NO Internal Auditor?
ReplyDeleteIs not the former a housekeeping issue (Changing the description of the position) and the latter a blatant violation of the charter?
Apology accepted... :-)
If we accept the "shall" means "must" then you are absolutely 100% correct. I apologize and stand corrected. We still don't have to fund it!!?? :)
ReplyDeleteI can't figure out why they fired her like that. Is there some reason?
ReplyDeleteHow many times did you ask for the audio to be turned back on during public comment? How about the public's request including yours for the history to go back up on the walls. I believe you had a pictorial on the fight hand side of your blog at one time about turning the audio back on. Did the City Manager ever listen to your requests on these issues as a resident and taxpayer of Lake Worth?
ReplyDeleteI know she was finally asked about the audio by the previous commission after many requests from the public. We were told that it had been turned on and was working. Nothing was mentioned about the CM having the speakers in the hallway removed.
The changes were clearly made in an attempt to appear cooperative, but the requests had been going on for months and fell on deaf ears.
Again, Stu, and I can't make this any more clear than all my previous attempts--
ReplyDeleteThe city manager responds to the commission's directives, not the public. It was up to the commission to tell her.
Finally she listened to a new mayor that asked her to comply.
Lynn you have told us over and over since Tuesday how great a city manager Stanton was. What you don't know is the true financial state of this city. Stanton kept the real numbers hidden as she cleaned out our reserves and spents hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees. Now that she is gone staff will no longer be afraid to speak the truth of what went on behind the locked doors and frosted glass. Remember, none of us really knows what Stanton did not want us to know. She ran a tight ship and any employee that talked was fired or let go. Before condeming the new commission on this decision stop and wait to see what comes out of City Hall. I expect that we will be learning how bad things are and what Susan failed to disclose to the commission. So chill and give the new kids a chance.
ReplyDeleteI said that she was smart. I said that she was brilliant. I said that she was doing what she believed was the right course to take for this city. I also said that it was the commission's fault here, not hers.
ReplyDeleteSo, it is too bad that the new commission did not give us one concrete reason to fire her. If she committed any misfeasance, etc. then she should have been terminated for cause. There was no cause, just Maxwell's intense obsession.
So, yes, I am willing to give them a chance here.