Well I was wrong again.
In Thank you Dr. Noe! I closed with “This is better”.
It was not.
After posting this item “Discussion of recent contract changes that were completed prior to the departure of former City Manager Joyce Wilson” on the Thursday before this week’s city council meeting, the doctor publicly told us that he wanted to withdraw the item. He indicated that after discussing the issue with various city officials he had the answers he wanted.
What about us?
After meeting in executive session for a rather lengthy session council came back into open session and announced that the agenda item would be deleted and that the city would be furnishing a copy of the amended contract relating to the deputy city manager that has been sent home but that will still be paid through next year.
His original agenda item included other contracts that were changed in the last days and hours of our former city manager.
Nothing is being said about those contracts if there were any.
We don’t know.
But why would the agenda item have been deleted and one contract change produced with no comment about other changes?
What would the harm have been in continuing with the agenda item? Some personnel actions are not subject to public disclosure but all contracts are. Were contracts with vendors modified at the last minute? If no other contracts were modified we could have learned that in open session.
Instead the city published a single contract and we are left to wonder if there were others.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Obviously politics over good medical judgment..and you are surprized?
LikeLike
Only the shadow knows. Shadow government, that is.
LikeLike
Yes, Dr. Noe’s retreat was a disappointment. Possibly the city told him they would release information, so he backed off. But the city did not release enough information. Unfortunately, the City Charter authorizes the city manager to make all decisions on employees and personnel contracts under her/his authority. Until that is changed, abuses can continue without council having any say.
LikeLike
Speaking hypothetically, I doubt that any city administrator’s contract could be interpreted as an authorization to manipulate a pension system to enable departing employees to receive taxpayer-funded benefits that were not truly earned. For a city executive to game a city’s pension system borders on fraud. For a city executive to intentionally negotiate severance more for the benefit of an employee than for the city is a violation of that executive’s fiduciary responsibility and it is potentially honest services fraud. For a city’s mayor and council representatives to not pursue action against a city administrator who possibly committed fraud would be negligence and a violation of trust. Since our city council hasn’t ever expressed concern, I assume nothing like that has ever happened here in El Paso.
LikeLike
“Retreat” put it nicely. A better word might be “collusion” with the others present to continue to hide important and relevant information from the public. It’s a shame how the picture he tried to paint of seeking transparency, openness,and getting to the truth and breadth of the issue all fizzled out to a statement of being “satisfied” and not having additional questions. I understand that Rep. Holguin pressed the issue a little further by stating he still had questions, but even even his inquisitivenes was all show. We seem to be in an “executive session” mode since Leeser took the helm and everybody else, the general public, the voters who elected these people are nobodies. Wilson, Shang, the CFO …er Deputy CM and others at City Hall have all disgraced themselves, and the powers of the city manager need to be curtailed or else we will continue to witness how absolute power corrupts absolutely!
LikeLike
Totally agree. Everyone should ask the city representatives and the mayor for answers. If they don’t have answers they need to find them. Otherwise what can be done? Change the City Charter? Campaign to drop the City Manager form of government? Making noise and complaining are therapeutic but strategic action is what is needed.
LikeLike
While City Council was in executive session last Tuesday the City Human Resources Department probably mentioned that Jane Shang was a lawyer. Everyone then decided to bow to the powers of Shang’s legal background in fear of a lawsuit.
If Shang messed something up that deserves being placed on administrative leave with pay, get the ball rolling and separate her from the City. Who cares if she files suit, at least some truths will come to light and the cost to the City in the long run could be cheaper.
But, I could be wrong, if that’s the case…….never mind.
LikeLike
Some current city council reps and the former city manager are scared s—less about the idea of being deposed during litigation because a lot of questions would be asked about the ballpark and other dealings.
LikeLike
Yup. There’s the real answer.
LikeLike
Clearly we will never know what really happened with Ms. Shang. It would be interesting to review the activities of the city departments under her authority. I’m wondering, for example, just what is the claimed benefit of the Brio bus system, the construction of which on Mesa is way behind schedule, and hugely expensive – some $27 million (the full system will cost $141 million, according to the Sun Metro site, although it’s easy to guess that this is an underestimate – and more than half comes from El Paso taxpayers). Other cities have articulated buses without the need to build new platforms and bus stops. How many new riders does the city project will use this system? Is it intended just to make it easier for people to get to the ball park? Meantime, the works on Mesa continue to disrupt traffic. (And of course Ms.Shang doesn’t have to consider using the Brio, she has a $350 monthly automobile allowance.)
LikeLike