Last minute promotion?

July 10, 2014

We learned recently that the chief financial officer of the city has tendered her resignation.  She evidently has a job in the private sector.  Hopefully it does not include formulating budgets.

We did not learn where she is going.  There are not a lot of local possibilities in the private sector if she is not going to take a pay cut.  Then again she may not know what the private sector is or where it is for that matter.

Included in the news was mention of the fact that she is now a deputy city manager.  The Times reported that she was made a deputy city manager in September of 2013.  That is hard to believe given the facts that the city’s web site shows her job title as chief financial officer and also her well known behavior as a publicity hound.

The new city manager’s budget proposal for next year has an organization chart in it.  She is shown as the chief financial officer, not a deputy city manager.

What’s going on?

Is the Times right?  I don’t recall seeing a  public announcement from the city in September of 2013 indicating she was promoted to deputy city manager.  For that matter I don’t recall seeing an article in the Times to that effect either.

Is she a deputy city manager?  If so when did that happen?  Was it in the final days of the last city manager?

Is she eligible for a city pension at the ripe old age of 46?  Will she be eligible later?  Does she have a contract that designates her as deputy city manager?

One can’t help but wonder what her severance package will look like.

I suspect that an open records request will be made by someone.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

2 Comments | City government, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Like sand through an hourglass

July 9, 2014

Those of us who are old enough to have lived through a change of command in an organization know that when the old boss leaves things come out in the open.

We are seeing signs of this over at the city with the situation relating to the firing of one of the deputy city managers.  The most probable scenario in my judgment is that the deputy city manager and the city manager got crossways and the city manager decided to fire her.  Yes, I have read the news reports where the former city manager has said that she “helped” the deputy city manager.  Maybe they were in cohoots all along.

Speculating further it looks like the deputy city manager threatened to squeal about past events and the city came up with a solution designed to shut her up.  Unfortunately that solution will cost us money through the city pension system for the rest of the former deputy city manager’s life.

Stories about how the city manager used fear to control what city employees said in public have been circulating for years.

Now the city manager is gone and I suspect that we will be hearing things from some of the employees that will make our hair curl.

The new city manager has little to gain from covering up the prior city manager’s past deeds.  In fact cleaning up the mess at the city and replacing the old team would help build confidence in the city manager form of government.  Proponents will be able to argue that having a city manager is a good thing–you just need a good city manager.

In fact one of our regular readers commented that the QOL that we need most is Quality of Leadership.

The story is going to get messier.  Expect to hear things about some council members and senior city staff that will make J. R. Ewing look like a monk.  Whether the outside financial influences will be able to stay out of the stories remains to be seen.

Don’t expect to see our district attorney get involved.  Short of a nuclear event over at the Times we probably will not see them help here either.

Our best hope is to find ways to shine light on what has happened.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

6 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Two strikes and you’re out

July 8, 2014

Steeped in the controversy over our deputy city manager that has been given a pass into our retirement system on our dime is the persistent discussion about whether our west-side city representative lobbied to have the deputy city manager fired.

You will recall that months ago  the city representative was charged with threatening a city employee.  Some people have been saying that the city representative demanded that the employee be fired.  According to the stories the deputy city manager refused.

At the time of the accusation against the city representative we were told that she would be treated “the same as any other citizen” by the then current city manager.  Do you know who I am? discussed this in October of 2013.

We of course have heard nothing of the investigation.

Then again

Further clouding the issue is the fact that the deputy city manager openly disagreed with the city manager in front of city council over whether proposed expenditures for downtown “way finding” were related to the ball park.  The city manager said no.  The deputy city manager said yes.

Soon thereafter the deputy city manager was placed on administrative leave.

Our city charter places the city manager in control of personnel.  Only the city manager could fire the deputy city manager.

Once again we pay

The deputy city manager’s contract was changed to allow her to stay employed (but not reporting to work) long enough for her to become eligible for retirement.

Is she being paid to keep quiet?

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | Ball park, City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Independence

July 4, 2014

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.  Benjamin Franklin

Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.   John Stuart Mill

We deserve better

Brutus

4 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, Federal Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Blastoff!

July 3, 2014

City staff’s proposed budget for next year is now out.

They are proposing a 3.1% increase in our property tax rate to 69.9 cents per hundred dollars of valuation.

They are also asking each city department to take a 5% budget cut.

Huh?

They want to cut each department by 5% but they need a 3.1% increase in our property taxes.  Yikes!

According to the Times the city needs the increase  “to pay for debt obligations such as the quality of life bond projects approved by voters in 2012.”

Actually

This graphic from the city’s web site tells us that they have only begun to spend the bond money:

qolrollout

A 5% decrease in spending plus a 3.1% increase in taxes comes to an 8.1% swing.  According to the chart above they will only have spent 20% of the quality of life bond money by the end of 2016.  So we evidently need 8.1% to pay for other debt.

Either our taxes are going to go up a lot more in the future or this year’s increase is needed to pay for other things than the quality of life bonds.  Tearing down city hall and buying and remodeling multiple buildings is probably the answer.

New tax rate comparison told us about how we had the 7th largest property tax rate of the 50 largest cities in the United States in 2013.  I guess they want us to do better.

Hold on to your hats!

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

12 Comments | City government, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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