Town manager needed
To the editor:
Once again, the Town Council is facing the task of finding a new town manager.
Before they begin their search, the first thing they ought to do is decide what they really want from the person they choose.
Before they do that, they all should read several significant sections of the town charter.
For instance, Section 4.01 states, “Policy making is the sole prerogative of the elected council. Administrative staff, whether hired or appointed under terms of this charter, is subordinate to the elected officials, whose power derives from the consent of, and election by, the citizens of the Town.”
That’s pretty clear Their job is to make policy and draft legislation. The staff’s job is to implement their policies.
Then, they should read Section 4.02, which states, “The mayor shall serve as chairperson during meetings of the council and shall serve as the head of municipal government for the purpose of execution of legal documents as required by ordinance. The mayor shall also serve as the ceremonial head of the town.”
That’s pretty clear, too. The mayor’s job is to chair the meetings, sign the papers and cut the ribbons. That’s all. The mayor gets one vote and has no more power than any other council member.
Most importantly, they should read Section 4.04, which states, “No individual member of the council shall give orders to any officer or employee of the town.”
What could be clearer than that? Unfortunately, since the firing of Marsha Segal-George, we’ve had a bevy of council members and mayors who either never bothered to read that line or consciously chose to ignore it. There is no doubt in my mind that deviation from that line in the charter caused the rapid departure of several managers who weren’t supposed to be “interim.”
Finally, they should read Section 6.03 which states “The town manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the town and shall implement and administer all ordinances, resolutions, and policies adopted by the council and shall perform such other duties as may be required by the council or law.”
What all of that says is that what’s supposed to happen is – the Council hires a manager, then gets the heck out of his/her way and lets him/her manage. If the manager screws up, then they can fire him/her. What it doesn’t say is that they can fire him/her just for choosing not to kiss their butts.
Ultimately, they must decide if they want the relationship with the manager to be what the Charter requires or if they want to hire someone who’s willing to stick his/her nose where the sun never shines and accept abuses of the charter by council members in order to assure job security.
I know which way I hope it goes. We’ll see.
Jay Light
Fort Myers Beach