Grounds maintenance Supervisor, Chris Kibben and the city's horticulturist, David McGrew, who reports to Kibben, were just suspended for cutting down the 80 year old Fiscus tree that was at the Cultural Plaza. Kibben, the boss, got 5 days and McGrew got 3 days without pay. They were told by the city manager not to cut down the tree. What did they do? They cut it down anyway.
Now we all, from time to time, believe that we know better than the boss but we do what he says or find another job. In Lake Worth it doesn't matter much.
Now just suppose you are working in the private sector and your boss tells you NOT to do something and you go ahead and do it anyway? What would happen to you? Unless he was asking you to commit an illegal act, do you think he would slap you on the wrist and suspend you for 3 or 5 days and then welcome you back with open arms to continue as if nothing had happened? What if what you did caused irreversible harm? What if it had caused thousands and thousands of dollars? Would your boss say, "Sorry Kibben old buddy, I will have to suspend you without pay for 5 days and then you are welcome back to develop a plan so this might not happen again?"
Only in government is this allowed to happen. When you're dealing with the Unions, a city manager is not a boss; the unions are--they run this city and the employees.
How much is an 80 year old Ficus tree worth?
2 comments:
They were lucky. It looks dreadful there.
-Yolanda - Although it is sad that such an old tree was cut close to the centennial. I think there could be a replanting ceremony on the day of our Tree Festival, or on our centennial. I'ts just a thought.
I thought it was another tree HONESTLY,I heard ficus, I even wrote to Bornstein, but It seems it was a very large tree! Obviously, ? THE POST said "someone"said it's bark was diseased. It's gone for Bad or good.
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