QUESTIONABLE ACTIONS…….
The opportunity to make a distinct difference in this town….has been squandered…..by some key players…..through bad decisions…micro- managing……and questionable actions…. due in part from lack of experience and judgment…with big egos thrown into the mix……in this writer’s humble opinion….
Yes ….there have been some big cost savings…with the removal of the BSO….by the commission…along with cutbacks of staff and staff hours……made by the Town Manager….but were they correct?….
The VFD will be put to the test in October….with not only their response times …but their leadership….
Who is really in charge?…..
Who are the VFD members?…
How they represent themselves to the residents in both ends of town….
The hope is that Battalion Chief Patrick Pointu will be the voice of the VFD…working alongside Chief Perkins…proving themselves to the public…and showing independence from Vice Mayor McIntee and Town Manager Colon….
The fear is that McIntee is still calling the shots…working against the desires of these two and others…as demonstrated with his “leading questions” from the dais…on the now purported to be defunct Sea Ranch Lakes bid…and the tabled VFD Referendum …… making the Chiefs look weak and ineffectual to the public….to serve his own ego…
Also the “blurry” lines of the Town Manager as she is representing the Town…and at the same time doing a little “dance” of when the VFD is independent and when they are to answer to her….
The Town Manager was not negotiating with SRL or AMR directly….leaving the VFD independent to do so….stating that the Town could not negotiate….( it remains to be seen if McIntee crossed that line while attending a negotiations with the VFD and SRL….previous posts)…. But was that really the case when the Town Manager was asking that all monies from SRL be turned over to the Town?….It appears to this writer she was “cherry-picking” her negotiating…..
AMR needs to make their presence known once more in our community……except for a visit to Bel Air…they seem to MIA………..
Perhaps now is the perfect time to follow through with the “plan” of letting the neighborhoods see them in the days leading up to their October installation….out and about…familiarizing themselves with each area…
While most are buying the budget workshop declarations of savings….from the Town’s departure from BSO…a large contingency of supporters and non- supporters are watching with a much more “jaded” view as the dollars are racking up with the acquisitions that are now required for the LBTS- VFD and AMR-EMS …the “McIntee” Public Safety Complex….the firetrucks…the ATVs…the accommodations to house AMR…within the new complex…a requirement…not represented publicly during the negotiations….
It is easy for all us “bean counters”…to add up all these costs….we were not privy to…and ask…how much of a good deal will it be after all is said and done?….
The answer will come at the 2010 election ……. which will rise or fall on the success or failure of the VFD and AMR even more so than the candidates who will be running…..
The Town Manager….has cut back her staff to 30 hours…to save the town money….but why and was this the right move?….
Why was this not brought up for full discussion at the budget workshops….rather than presented as a statement of fact requiring no discussion?……
How would it effect the day to day operations in running the town?….
Were there other avenues that might have made more sense?…
Such as a 4 day workweek…10 hours a day fully staffed …..with the Manager changing her own “Baldwin” hours to begin her workday at the start of town hall hours?….
The “staggered” 30 hour staffing…and her terrible hires of personnel along with many questionable employees being given managerial positions that they may not be qualified for….begs for answers as to why this big budget decision was not put to the commission to decide on….the commission may have chosen to cut back elsewhere …..in order to retain staff…..and more staff hours…
Too often there is no follow-up…given to the commission for the final decision…..such as the Commercial Blvd. entry “wall”…….the banners chosen by staff….and the misplaced entry DOT allowed for the “White Elephant” parking lot….
Quite possibly with a follow-up…the commission could have contacted a few of our elected officials …in this election year…to contact DOT and have the entry…at a better location…to the south of the parking lot…
A full overview of the town hall hiring….staffing….and hours of operation….should be addressed by the commission….and included in the budget workshop next month…..to be followed up periodically ….and fine-toothed…
The duties of the Commission and Town Manager need to be defined….and followed….
more to come…..
Tags: Local Politics, Scoops
