CAN’T HAPPEN HERE ….
Dear Readers… this writer was keeping an eye on Miami Lakes to see if former TM Colon and her pals JohnO and KathyO would soon be on the payroll there…Miami Lakes chose to rehire their former TM of 2 years back…at $188,000 with no advertising for anyone else…Seems LBTS is not the only municipality to object to high salaries and benefits for Town Managers and staff …(anyone see Bell California .. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-20/california-official-s-800-000-salary-in-city-of-38-000-triggers-protests.html ) ….At least we are assured Ms. Colon and the double O’s cannot make a return to their Town positions….due to the clauses in her settlement/release …..WHEW!…..
( prev. post July 28, 2010 Settlement/Release…Town of LBTS v. Esther Colon…)
“9. Employment Reference. The Town agrees that if any inquiry is made to the Town Manager and/or its Human Resources Director by a prospective employer of Colon, such individuals) will only inform the prospective employer of Colon’s dates of employment and job title and will not disparage Colon in any way. If an inquiry is made to review Colon’s personnel file or any documents created or maintained by the Town, the file and/or documents will be made available in accordance with applicable law. Attached hereto as Exhibit A is a Joint Statement by the parties concerning the pantie’s dispute and resolution thereof.”
“10. No Future Employment. Colon further agrees that she is not eligible for reinstatement and will not apply in the future for employment or work with the Town, its departments and/or agencies, in any capacity.”
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Sentinel….
“Former Miami Lakes Town Manager Alex Rey returning to old job
Miami Lakes has approved Alex Rey as its new town manager with a starting base salary of $188,000.
Miami Lakes will have former Town Manager Alex Rey return to his old job in September, after the town council approved the mayor’s nomination Thursday night.
Rey served the town for six years but left in 2008 during an election cycle to lead the scandal-plagued building department in Miami Beach.
“I’m happy to be back,” Rey said.
Many residents and several council members applauded the appointment of Rey, recognized as a veteran administrator who knows the town.
“We need him and we need him now,” resident Martha Gonzalez Rovirosa told town council members.
Yet Rey’s appointment by Mayor Michael Pizzi drew questions and concerns, as well, including the lack of advertising for the position despite a council directive for staff to do so in April, and the cost of the contract, which gives Rey a starting base salary of $188,000.
In an e-mail to Councilman Richard Pulido, interim manager David Ofstein wrote that a draft advertisement had been prepared in April, but the outgoing manager, Frank Bocanegra, “directed to put the item on hold until further notice.”
Ofstein told The Miami Herald that he “didn’t even realize that it had or had not been advertised.”
“It wasn’t necessarily on my radar screen,” Ofstein added, citing work on the town’s budget.
Some residents shared their disappointment with the failure to advertise the job. Others, like Esperanza Reynolds, questioned the salary.
Reynolds urged the council to consider a salary more appropriate to the town’s size and said “we need to be very mindful of what we pay” officials.
Reynolds calculated that the contract, salary plus benefits, is worth $1.4 million over five years.
Another resident, Angel Gonzalez, quipped: “We’re not hiring LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. We’re hiring a town manager with a financial background who can do a budget and read a balance sheet.”
Rey’s base salary is more than the $168,000 that the last manager Frank Bocanegra earned and is also more than the $135,000 salary cap proposed by Pizzi in a May memo.
At the meeting, Pizzi presented a survey of managers’ salaries, ranging from $165,000 in Doral to $231,000 in Miami Beach.
“A good manager is worth his weight in gold,” Pizzi said.
Under the town charter, the mayor appoints the manager while the town council approves the nomination.
At the meeting, the mayor spent half an hour explaining why he wanted to bring back Rey as the town enters the budget season and is hunting for a new town hall. Afterward, the mayor said he viewed Rey’s return as the biggest accomplishment of his tenure as mayor.
“I think he’s a superstar,” Pizzi said.
The final vote for Rey was 5-2, with council members Richard Pulido and Nancy Simon voting against. Pulido, participating via teleconference while on vacation, said he had concerns with the search process while Simon said the contract was too costly.
“I think $188,000, while you are very well deserving, is not something that this town needs to pay for a town manager,” Simon told Rey before casting her vote.
During the meeting, the town council haggled over Rey’s five-year contract and whittled away some benefits. Those changes included changing the health insurance to a basic family plan; eliminating a $400 monthly stipend for expenses; and replacing any cost-of-living increase with an incentive-based bonus tied to the manager’s ability to cut $150,000 from the budget by the end of the fiscal year.
“I’m a taxpayer, too, and this is my money, too,” said Vice Mayor Nick Perdomo, who proposed many of the contract changes.
Perdomo noted the value of hiring a candidate who does not need on-the-job training. Bocanegra, a former police officer, did not have experience managing a municipality — which “cost the town money,” Perdomo told residents.
Rey’s official start date will be Sept 6. Until then, he will advise the interim town manager on the budget and other matters on a consulting basis, for a fee of $145 per hour.”
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/26/1747775/former-miami-lakes-town-manager.html
28 resumes have been received by LBTS thus far and there is still 16 days to go…….
more to come ….
Tags: local government, Local Politics, News, Old Town Manager Returns In Miami Lakes, Scoops
