I really believe that all 5 commissioners are sincere people and are doing what they think is best.
Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are not.
It is a thankless task really.
They get paid a little something, but it isn't much. Im sure it costs them more than they make.
We should appreciate and respect what they are trying to do, and the effort they are putting in.
At the same time, they are fair game :)
When they do well, I'm going to say so. When they don't do so well, Ill say that too.
Having youre actions and words scrutinized by everyone is just part of the territory of being a commissioner.
I also wanted to note, that Doug Russell's leaving was his own doing. He may have had conflicts with the commission, but the choice to leave was his.
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34 comments:
jj,
Did the commission offer any explanation for why Archer will get TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS more per year ($90,500 PLUS $450 per month car allowance) than what Russell was hired at only 18 months ago? It seems like they are being awfully generous with our money for some reason. The first reason that springs to mind is to thumb their nose at Russell.
How much was Freeland making when he left? And how long had he been here before he started making that much?
What was Archer's job before he took over as city manager, and will anyone be hired to replace him?
I would be interested as well. Why would someone be paid $20k more, plus a car allowance, for the same job? Gee, didn't look like there was much competition for the job, so it wasn't like thay had to actually whoo someone here to take the job. I am not saying I am unhappy Mr Archer got the job, it just looks like the same thing that happened in Wichita last week, where they interviewed one person for the CM job, and hired him. There are a lot of people up in arms in Wichita about that one. I know the guy will have a tough job, but does it require him to have a salary that it at least twice, if not three times, the median salary of the average Ark City resident, plus a car allowance? I know the new CM will have to travel occasionaly for his job; why not just pay him for mileage? Let me ask this; did he receive a car allowance before they hired him as CM? Probably not. $90k, plus $450/month; that's almost $96k a year, plus whatever benefits he will get for being a city employee (health?, life ins?, 401k? I don't know). Overall, he could easily be making a $105-110k compensation package per year. Being a tax payer of the city, I do care on how the city, county, schools spend my money. I would just like a justification of why Mr Archer is worth $20k more that Mr. Russell. That works out to be about $10 more per hour on a 40 hr work week (probably less, as they probably spend 50 hours at work).
Maybe if we ask nicely, Patrick would care to answer this question, since it looks like he is the only commissioner that takes an interest in what is being said on these blogs.
Ok, I'll bite. Please Patrick, could you answer my question concerning Mr Archer's CM Compensation. You do seem to be the only one on the commish board that actively responds to people's questions on the blog, or at least the only one who admits openly that you do. I do have a suspicision that the other commish's actively troll the blog though.
hmmm. No response from James or Patrick yet. I thought James checked this blog quite frequently. Maybe he is busy today. Or maybe he is trying to get some answers to our questions.
I hope someone can give a proper explanation.
he left , so what , the challange was bigger than him , what about the high school volleyball girls his wife was the coach , so what now , this job search affected more than the downtown area , it affected our children , so when you say how great dougie was remember he made a choice to bail on us and our children , really dont think he ever wanted to be here anyway
also i am not being negative i am calling it like i see it , i did not drink the kool-aid so i am only voicing my opinion , no ill will meant towards any one , this is how i see it
im checking on the archer salary thing.
hope to have it by tomorrow.
on the dougie comments, i wasnt making a value judgement.
it just seemed that some were implying that the comish got rid of him ... i was just clarifying.
why don't you compare the 90k to his current salary?
Thanks James, I was hoping that was the case.
As for the other poster crying about Doug leaving us high and dry, I would say this: Have you ever had a job where your boss was a complete @$$hole, and the people telling you what to do were idiots, and you couldn't get anything done, and you hated going to work in the morning?
If you have, then you probably found another job. I have been in that situation, and I have moved my family from one town to another because of it.
I know in my case that it was not me making my working environment miserable, it was that fact that a new leadership took over and started making things impossible. I believe this is the same thing Doug went through. I don't blame him a bit for bailing.
If you want answers to such questions, you WILL have to contact a commissioner directly. They (all five) have come to an agreement not to post on these blogs anymore. Their reasoning is this: If a commissioner posts then the rest of the commissioners should stay away (unconfirmed but possibly covered under Kansas Open Meeting Act).
of course you dont blame him , then you could not complain about the comissioners ,for the money he was paid he should be able to handle some heat no one said it would be easy , like the old saying goes "
dont wish it was easier wish you were better at it "
"dont wish it was easier, wish you were better at it."
How can a person be better at having an incompetent boss? How does that work exactly? If I hated my job, and couldn't stand getting up and going to work in the morning, I would quit and go find something that made me happy. Simple as that!
It's obvious that Russel had a vision of prosperity for this city that fit well with the previous council, but he, for some reason, just hasn't fit with the new one. Everything he tried to do was undermined by the new commissioners. You can speculate as to the reasons that he and the three amigos have butted heads, but from the outside looking in, it appears that it is because he wanted to see this town grow and get some businesses in here that might have made us a destination citt, and the three amigos just want what is best for their downtown buddies. I don't profess to know the circumstances and details... I'm just pointing out how it looks to me (and several others on here it would seem).
Apologize for the amigos all you like, it doesn't change our view. The only thing that will change it now is if we start seeing some positive steps toward expansion and growth. But I'm not even sure that after they (the amigos) ruined the long thought over and planned goals of the previous commission (like the Lowe's deal), that they will ever be forgiven. I guess we will find out next time they are up for re-election.
you just keep repeating yourself Mrs. Russell
oh my , they ran him out of town , he was our savior , he had words to say , now he is leaving what will we do ? we cant go to lowes , HELP
WHAT!, No more blog posts by Patrick. Dottie and Mel take him to the wood shed?
Sounds like what happened to a former commissioner when Parkerfield was an issue. Makes one wonder how much more secretive they can get. Never agreed with Patrick, but he seemed to clarify some issues. If you need some salve Patrick, post one last time time...:)
You can contact Pat directly by email at this address -
pmcdonald2005@sbcglobal.net - as well as through his store during business hours Mon-Sat. His phone # is 441-0939.
I'm sure he would love to hear from you!
By the way, that last one was me. Forgot to put my name on there. OOOOOOOOOOOOPS! I'm in trouble...
Gee, The way you guys talk. You'd think you could buy a CM on E-BAY.
Seriously, lighten up a little on the negativity. Who you gonna blame:
300 jobs?
Free land - maybe not a good
location even if
it is free.
No ordinance for window re-
placement for 40 yrs.
Goff Ind. Park is in the county
not City. Similar structure
situation at Strother Field.
Lowe's couldn't fly without the
money from the City! (At least
that is what has happened.)
Main Street program competes with
Chamber.
What did I miss?
"They (all five) have come to an agreement not to post on these blogs anymore. Their reasoning is this: If a commissioner posts then the rest of the commissioners should stay away (unconfirmed but possibly covered under Kansas Open Meeting Act)."
In other words, they were tired of Patrick telling the truth! I'm sure they didn't like it that he came clean about the badges. They don't like to have the light of truth shined on them. Reminds me of cockroaches. All this secrecy is just another reason for them to GO.
SG, It does kind of stink of something. Doesn't it?
And I guarantee you that the three amigos have posted on here anonymously! Who else would have written that they had all agreed not to post anymore.
Changing "I" to "they", "he" or "she" is not fooling anyone.
And come to think of it, when did they make that decision, in a closed session?
Pat told me about it. He did not mention when or where this agreement was reached, just wanted everyone to know his door was always open. We all know he is interested in what we have to say, and he does not want communication to stop.
"commissioners should stay away (unconfirmed but possibly covered under Kansas Open Meeting Act)."
I'm laughing so hard my sides are splitting. Let me get this straight:
It might be a violation of the KANSAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT to discuss anything with the public on a blog.
However, it is perfectly OK to conduct the business of selecting a City Manager in a part of the meeting restricted from the public in an "executive meeting"?
That is the stupidest nonsense I've ever heard.
If one is a violation, then the other one is too. You can't have it both ways.
As I read the law, unless blogs are declared "an official public meeting of the commission" you could not have more than one of them posting here and talking about city business.
I heard about this agreement too.
Patrick says he agreed in order to get along with the other commissioners.
Ok, thats sort of reasonable.
The thing is, i dont know when they reached this agreement. They did not do it in a public meeting.
It would not have been legal executive session - private meeting - material.
Some of the commissioners say that if two or more post on here i could be considered a "meeting" and therefore a violation of KOMA.
Yet they agree to not post on here privately.
hmmmmmm
Be sure to read this morning's post.
However, it is perfectly OK to conduct the business of selecting a City Manager in a part of the meeting restricted from the public in an "executive meeting"?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That part is legal. Matters of employment can be kept private. But, it is not required.
I did check. A public body is never required to meet privately. THere are good reasons at times, and it is best at times to do certain things in private meetings, ... but the never HAVE to.
The thing about them posting on here being a violation ...I am not so sure about that. I don't think it would be a violation.
I'm pretty sure they came to this conclusion AFTER Tuesday 4:02pm, because another commissioner was on here posting.
Anyway, I think I can understand why the group did not like it. If one commissioner posts their opinion on here, which the other four do not agree with, and it IS illegal for more than one to comment, then the others do not have a fair chance to argue their side. That WOULD be frustrating and unfair!
Having said that, it is a shame to lose Pat's participation. Most of the time, he is just stating facts and not opinion, anyway.
Another thing, I wonder if the commission would have been so upset about these blogs if the negativity was ommitted? I guess we'll find out? Personally, I think it was all of the talk of a recall that got them razzled.
All of us (bloggers, anyway) have been on James to dig deeper into the story and get the good stuff. I hope they are not trying to shut him down, too. He was doing a good job.
The commissioners have not been pressuring me at all. THey have all been pretty good really.
THey have voiced their opinions personally, which is cool.
I got more on archer's salary, ill post it in a bit.
that daily paper keeps getting in the way :)
when you go to a three ring circus with clowns, a dog and pony show fits right in. Good entertainment isn't it?
you mean watching the petty bickering between the banks that is destroying our town?
yes, a salary twice if not three times larger than most of the other city employees. in fact most city employees wages are poverty level according to the federal government. and why does a manager here need a car allowance anyway when city hall is only like 2 minutes from his house (timberlane estates)! and with a 90,000 salary why would you NEED a dang car allowance?? who cares what other towns do, this one cant afford that, add it up it is 5,400 more dollars added to his salary. maybe they could divide that among the low paid employees instead. or give them back the little bonus they got every year that was taken away along with other things. why is the tax paying public here watching the city do this to the regular employees and then watching while the higher up positions in the city continue to pad their nests while taking away from the employees who need it more? they tell the employees times are hard then make it harder on the employees while they continue to thrive in the upper positions something is not right here they are doing this on our tax dollars and i dont like what i am seeing at all. lets watch and see what the employees get in raises this year and i bet mr archer gets one right along with them on top of this new hugh salary. sickening. how sad my taxpayer dollars supports something like this but yet i am powerless to do anything with the tax money they take from me. AND it is one thing to fill a position from within but it should still be a fair process, the job should be advertised both OUTSIDE and INSIDE and then you pick the best person. the commision looked at NO ONE but mr archer, not even anyone else within the city employees. THAT IS NOT RIGHT NOR WAS IT FAIR TO THE TAXPAYERS WHO PAY FOR THIS POSITION. It doesn't even sound legal and I wish someone would find out if it was. i am going to call someone at state level to see if i can find out anything which is more than this newspaper will do about it-all they do is squawk like a parrott and tell us what a good idea it was they just repeat city hall. they sure didnt think he looked so great the first time around when they picked doug over him, so why was he so great this time? from employees i have talked to, no one else in the city thinks hes so great, just a few select commmisioners do and so they just gave him the job just like that. come on taxpayers in this city, stand up and go to a meeting and demand that the commision retract this and do it right! how dare they do this while claiming to represent all of us! one more question also, why does the city only have MEN in position of city manager and higher up positions? because they discriminate against women working there and dont call that a lie until you talk to some of the women working there. this city needs a COMPLETE makeover it is falling apart all around us and allowed to be run by people NOT doing the right thing the paper should interview the city equal oppertunity person and see what they think also about this. when is someone going to make city hall account for all of this instead of sitting back and just taking what they dole out
if we fired all the women we wouldn't have to worry about your petty complaints. of course, then we wouldn't have as good of a workforce.
-As for the other poster crying about Doug leaving us high and dry, I would say this: Have you ever had a job where your boss was a complete @$$hole, and the people telling you what to do were idiots, and you couldn't get anything done, and you hated going to work in the morning?- why dont you ask the many city employees who have quit or left employment lately thats the same thing they are all saying now the city also has the constant ads for employment along with all the other ads from the 'undesirable' companies around here. casinos down the road pay good and have good benefits i keep hearing so maybe why no one else can seem to get help these days maybe some companies could be less greedy at the top for once and let their employees make a decent living wage for awhile
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