City Manager Headlines | 4-18-2024
MI: Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh resigns
Frank Walsh’s public sector executive recruitment side hustle appears to have cost him his job. However, he will stay on in some capacity as a consultant though the details of the “still yet to be defined” role are murky. Walsh served the community for about 11 years and was making around $160,000 per annum.
CO: Denver fire chief bagged hundreds of hours of comp time attending memorials, parties, visiting firehouses
Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton, who earns $230,000 per year and is one of the city’s highest-paid workers, has also amassed more than 400 hours of “comp time” in the last three years by attending memorial services for firefighters, attending retirement parties for his employees, attending mayoral forums and going to a candlelight vigil for victims of the Club Q mass shooting in 2022.
CA: Del Mar Councilman Dan Quirk censured again for ‘harassing’ city manager, staff
Councilmember Dan Quirk was censured by his fellow council members in a 4-0 vote on Monday night after the council received an overview of the findings of the three-month investigation by third-party workplace investigative firm Public Safety Consulting, Inc.
The investigation found that Quirk interfered with City Manager Ashley Jones’ ability to effectively do her job and violated the terms of her employment agreement. Quirk also directed city staff to take action that contradicted the City Council’s direction and pressured, harassed and made disparaging comments about city staff and consultants.
KS: Junction City commissioner wants to move away from manager-council form of city government
Councilman Richard Pinaire went on to say, ” I want to see a different model presented to the public, essentially your mayor-council form of government. The mayor is the CEO. “
Mayor Pat Landes asked why?
“What is wrong with what we do? We’ve had a time honored tradition of doing this. We’re just creating more bureaucracy. You’re going to have more commissioners, or more council men or whatever you’re going to call it. You’re going to have a mayor. Just because you’ve been elected to this office guarantee me, doesn’t mean you know everything at all.” Landes continued to defend the city manager form of government. “We have benefitted for having someone with experience and intelligence and knows the field, knows the state, knows many other city managers. We come up with solutions by working together as a commission with the city manager.”
FL: Changes in Fort Meade continue with firing of assistant city manager
There is a lot of backstory to this Fort Meade situation and I would encourage anyone reading this to listen to the two episodes of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast for reference.
Ep. 29: First-time City Manager Taps Out in Fort Meade, FL (Part 1)
Ep. 32: Threats of Violence Forces Cancellation of City Manager Interview
If you listen to Ep. 32 and read this article you will see some familiar names…
OK: Piedmont City Manager Apologizes After ‘Pothole Purge Day’ Plan Receives Backlash
City Manager Josh Williams called it a chance for volunteers to learn how to patch potholes and embrace community service. “They would be trained,” Williams said. “We thought that that was a good idea.”
People sang their chorus of disproval on social media. Several people reacted to the news and accused the city of placing their work on residents. “That took a wrong turn real fast,” Williams said. “Had the messaging been a little bit clearer, it would not have gotten the responses that it did.”
CANADA: Toronto mayor says staffer responsible for vacant home tax rollout is no longer with the city
“How could it be possible that last year only 11,000 people were part of the group that had to declare their place vacant — 165,000 tax bills went out,” Mayor Chow said. “Excuse me, I’m sure anyone can do math. Probably your younger sister if you have one can do math to say ‘wait a second, 160,000 bills going out but it should only go to 11,000 people? What’s going on with the other 160,000?’ No, it did not work on many levels.”
