City Manager Derek Bates Gets To Fall On The Sword
Tuesday, August 7, 2012 @ 3:45 AM
We are not likely to hear the details surrounding the sudden resignation of Derek Bates as City Manager. He has had sufficient time in the game to keep those details close to the chest, which is not what some of the people who campaigned on behalf of the mayor did in the last election.
When you hear that the manager of the city is leaving the post from a member of the election team of the Mayor and there hasn’t been any official announcement, it begs the question; who gets the information first on city goings on?
The word on Friday morning was that Bates had handed in his resignation following a shouting match on the fifth floor of city hall. No mention of the other participants but never the less found to be at least partially true when the announcement was released at 10:20 am. When we called City Hall to confirm the news, we were told a news release had been issued at 10:20, but for some strange reason Opinion250 didn’t get it. The release was issued again at 11:25 and this time, it came through. We don’t know if any other media outlets also missed the initial fan out which would suggest there was a problem with City Hall’s email program.
Great timing I might add to have the announcement made on a Friday, just before a long weekend handing out plenty of time for the public to forget about it by Tuesday. It’s an old trick used by politicians to try and deflect the heat from the issue.
Now to meat of the matter. Bates didn’t, nor will any new City Manager, call the shots at City Hall. That function has come from the growing micro managing by Mayor and Council.
Make no mistake, City Hall is heading in a new direction and as we used to hear in the radio business when there was a programming change, "if you don’t like it, you can leave."
Apparently Derek Bates doesn’t like it.
Well one of the issues that we face today in the City wasn’t of Bates’ making. The City Administration has been suggesting for a number of years that we need to do more road rehabilitation and repair but council including the Mayor and five of the council who sit there today decided to cut the program. Bates was painfully aware of what would happen to our streets if we didn’t tackle the issue, City Council and the current Mayor thought differently, and that is why they are in the condition that they are in today.
There is a move afoot to try and blame Bates on his way out for the shape the city is in. Sorry to say this Council and their predecessors set the programs and the spending as they see fit. Bates is left with the chore of trying to find the money and somehow convince the public what the Council did was good for the city.
When however it comes time to have someone fall on the sword, it is the administrator not the politician, who gets the call.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
Perhaps a cool $ 250,000 can be saved annually by combining the jobs of mayor and manager. If nobody pays much attention to the manager (for many years, as per the story) and if that creates a lot of friction and needless spinning of the wheels – why bother having a manager/administrator at all? I think it’s somewhat unfair to blame the manager/administrator if not much attention is given to his professional assessments.
Bates was applauded publicly and politically for working very hard to bring the 2015 Games to P.G., something doesn’t add up if it is claimed that the same Bates was so terribly concerned about the condition of our roads at the same time!
A lot of the money blown on the Games should have gone into vital infrastructure instead. There were plenty more opportunities in the future to apply for Games once the city was back on track again by addressing the basics before the glamour! Perhaps there are a few more noses out of joint.
In a democracy council sets the direction where it wants to go and it is th function of the City manager to carry out those dirctions.
Council needs to take it direction from those that provide the funding But council should not interfer with the daily operations of the City. And it is not a funcion of the Manager to go out and spend tax dollars for such projects as the Winter Games. It is not a function of the City Manager to try and drive the economy of our City.
It is a function of the an organization like the Indeprndent Busines Council or the Chamber of Commerce to drive the economy.
Once we loose that balance we are in for trouble like the city is at the present time. Our City has lost its direction.
Cheers
For God’s sake, Meisner…
Get a proofreader!
The rumor mill seems to be functioning just fine….
On examining your comment, I noticed that you have added a comma where there should not be one. If you are going to be the bastion of good grammar, make sure you set the example.
Good one Ben. Some people are just too picky ^^^
I thought tingbudong’s comment was unnecessary, because none of the grammatical errors in the above article obscure the message. However, I had no problem with the placement of the comma in their comment.
Retired 02:”Council needs to take its direction from those that provide the funding.”
That means Joe Noname taxpayer.
Sine Nomine; Itâs not correct and if you want to be the grammar police , lead by example.
All of this takes away from the issue, I would like to know who was talking and how come before everyone else. Now that’s worth discussing.
“Bates was applauded publicly and politically for working very hard to bring the 2015 Games to P.G., something doesn’t add up if it is claimed that the same Bates was so terribly concerned about the condition of our roads at the same time!”
If council decided to support the Games and reject the injection of more resources for infrastructure, how is that Bates’ fault? And, if it was councils blessing to support the Games, shouldn’t Bates be commended for doing a great job in helping them see that vision through?
As an outside observer, it sure looks like there are a bunch of people at City Hall in WAY over their heads and they are meddling in things they know nothing about and causing serious issues as a result.
With all of the various negative exposure this new council has garnered and given some of the people who have left key positions that interact with these same people, who in their right mind would want to come work there and subject themselves to that type of environment?
The state of affairs in PG politics is absolutely beyond ridiculous if you ask me.
NMG:”how is that Bates’ fault?”
You tell ME! I never said that anything was Bates’ fault.
The media reports don’t add up! That is NOT Bates’ fault and I never said so! He was pushing for more money for roads and at the same time he was instrumental in bringing the Games to town, Games which cost a bundle of money, money which could have gone into roads instead. There isn’t enough money for BOTH! How do I know that? The road manager himself states that four times the present budget must go into roads just to catch up and not fall further behind! Bates saw that Games vision through alright but at the expense of what?
“… who in their right mind would want to come work there and subject themselves to that type of environment?”
That must be the reason some are packing it in.
A very poorly written story. Unsubstantiated rumour and innuendo wrapped in supposition. No facts. No quotes. No back up. You’re own story posted afterwards directly refutes the premise you advance here. You can do better Ben.
How would one know why all these pepole have left the City. The question is were they competant or were they not? did the Core Review sare some of them.
This is however fact the City planing department certainly needed some revision. Actually there is no plan.
Cheers
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