This came in from Helen Marshall yesterday:
The Times reports today that the city election candidates’ financial reports earlier said to be filed late were in fact filed on time electronically; BUT only four of them went on the city clerk’s website on Friday, the day they were supposed to be viewed by the public. BECAUSE – wait for it – the city clerk’s office is closed on Friday! And of course, no one could be assigned to come in to work to perform an important electoral function. One candidate used a committee to raise funds and the city has no way for that committee to file a report electronically – gee, they only had two months to figure that out – and so when the committee went to the clerk’s office on Friday with its paper report to file, they found a closed office. OK, let’s say they should have realized that no duty would get in the way of Friday closing. The Deputy City Clerk said that “even though committee reports cannot be submitted electronically at this time, and the city clerk’s office was closed on Friday,technically the committee’s report is still considered late.” Translation – whoever is to blame for this, it is not the City Clerk’s office, we aren’t giving up our Fridays for anything, get that?
Brutus
elpasospeak 
It’s already been a year since they demolished city hall, that “energy waster” that was the #1 reason that the entire city government went to a M-Th schedule with Fridays free! Yet, there was enough money to pay for the demolition and the revamping of three to five additional buildings to move into, and let’s not mention the SWUBP! I wonder how much energy we’re saving now. Isn’t it more wasteful to operate and maintain all these extra faciities that we have no inkling of their “energy efficiency rating?” I think we citizens are paying the energy pricetag with all the running back and forth between buildings just trying to find the right office or the right staff person to do our business. How many of us really want to go play hide and seek with these people at those early or later hours? We see that Friday’s off trumps important city deadlines. How about let’s pay an out of town efficiency expert a bundle to come to a study on this. “Out of towner?” “Pay a bundle?” “Expert consultant?” This may be an idea CC will gladly go for.
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The four day city work week is an insult to taxpayers and, like generous benefits and pay, another competitive fail to attract private business that does not have taxpayers to milk for these.
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The city says. . . . That building permits are down.
That would include permits for remodeling also.
Maybe being CLOSED on Friday and open 4 days a week
and the confusion of finding city offices scattered around downtown might deter some from even WANTING to get a permit.
Having a 4 day workweek also forces the 5th day customers to pile into the other 4 days, which means, 1/5 th more people trying to find parking downtown.
1/5th more people shuffeled into 4 days looking for parking.
That would also cause a “traffic jam” at parking lots and that would deter people from ever coming downtown again.
Maybe that leaves Friday’s with more parking available for baseball? Is that the plan?
Freeing up parking for baseball?
Wonder what the electric bills are for the several buildings the city uses -vs- what the old city hall used.
Simple math.
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For God’s sake, folks. It’s only an election.
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Bloggers Work 7 days a week…
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Brutus also does a super job of keeping overhead and staff costs down.
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Talk to your city representative. Tell them you want access to City Hall 5 days a week. Send a message and cc it to the city manager. If they hear it enough, it will become a priority.
Really folks, I complain too but there comes a time when you need to talk to elected officials rather than griping with the other blog trolls. That accomplishes nothing.
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FYI, I don’t post about something without also writing in some form to at least my rep – but she’s leaving now, so will have to wait for the newbie. I have written to the mayor several times, never received a reply or action response. Maybe if I said I’d like to buy a car?
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It sounds like you’re in a district where there will probably be a runoff for the council seat. I would go to every meeting where those in the run off speak and ask them directly if they would work to change City Hall back to a 5-day work week. If they support it, hold them to their pledge.
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Thanks, that’s worth pursuing. But of course the key factor is the City Manager, sitting behind the “I work for Council” rule; the 4-day work week was not his creation but he does not seem inclined to change it. Probably not part of the 6 Sigma scheme!
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That neither he nor his office has responded to you is totally irresponsible, negligent, and disrespectful of his constituents. I and a nonprofit I work with have had the same experience. We were hopeful for good access when a friend of ours (named Taylor) got the executive assistant job, but even past friendships didn’t help. Don’t know if Taylor is still with him or not. These acts of arrogance of our elected officials are unacceptable and in need of consequences.
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I gather that it is almost impossible to meet with him, even if you are part of an official advisory board, and the best you’ll get is Ms Bartlett. As we said in an earlier post, What a Pair.
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Leave a messaage for Gonzalez and Bartlett saying that you want to discuss hiring them to make a speech or do some consulting. Or leave a message for Gonzalez that you have some free tickets to a sports event.
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