Bill Grile, chairman of the now defunct governance advisory committee says the county should change to a council/manager form of government because that is what everyone else does. The council/manager form of government in the US can be traced back to 1904 in Ukiah, California and Grile believes this modern system is better suited to today’s world. He explains in a letter to the editor today that volunteer elected officials and hired administrators work for all the local cities and school districts and hospital boards, therefore, even though the county is quite a different animal the county should just get with the program.
Grile claims a governance change will improve the county but like commissioners Cam Parry and Fred Messerle, is unable to offer specific instances of improvements in cost savings or improved services or any critical path strategy for implementing these changes. Grile also ignores the obvious flaw in pointing to other local governing bodies using an administrator which is that none of these entities are thriving, or in any condition that anyone with a clear, unbiased mind, would hold them up as an example of how to govern. Two local hospitals are in trouble, the school districts are losing teachers and cutting educational services for our kids and every municipal and board is fielding problems created by their administrator. In short, Grile confirms this proposed governance change is purely ideological.
Jon Barton weighed in today, as well, delivering vitriol against the proposed county charter with a detail of perceived flaws. Barton ignores, however, the biggest problem with the charter because the same problem plagues the ordinance and that is that neither have a genuine fiscal impact analysis and neither one can demonstrate how the change will ultimately benefit the county, increase revenue or improve services.
Barton should be aware that the charter probably would not exist if he hadn’t inserted his self proclaimed but unconfirmed business acumen into county governance.
The governance hearing is now available at Coos Media Center
After Coos Bay, Grile went to Springfield where he was Planning Director.
The Reminder and Susan’s points are well taken. I think actually that Griles got another job after being fired by the city of Coos Bay. Mr. Griles was fond of thinking that he could pull the wool over elected City Councilor’s eyes and so it goes.
It does look like Mr. Griles wants another job considering his large fiscal responsibilities. There are lots of examples in Oregon of fiscal stupidity and just plain corruption etc. The County is a different aninal and since Griles was Planning Director there for a number of years prior to going on to Coos Bay he should be aware. Of course Doc Stevens, Jack Beebe and Gordon Ross were Commissioners when he worked there. Since they were elected full time Commissioners and no dummies – they kept a weather eye on the gentleman. He is mighty slick though. He did have an idea about grabbing funds from other entities. Didn’t pan out but he certainly tried. He’s a “trying” kind of guy! However, I don’t think the committee was effective and it was apparent that it was all to get an “Administrator” from the get go for the two unelected Commissioners.
Barton is just blowing smoke as usual. He and his buddy Sandy Messerle are there to manipulate for their overlords needs.
Mr. Grile is not the only person living among us that wants and thinks they’re going to get that job.
Those pushing the hardest believe Jon and Fred are going to give the job to them for their exemplary efforts. That will only happen if Fred and Jon feel that person is OK to sacrifice for the cause. The first one is going to have to be willing to take all the heat from the coming scandals. I’m sure SCDC learned from their Jeff Bishop experience that its better to bring in the Lamb and buy him off with a plane ticket and some gravy income.That person has a better chance of keeping their mouth shut for the group. Someone who plans on staying here might not like being thrown under the bus by them-self, that could cause a lot of problems for those with roots should a “local” decide to squeal on the rest. So I think the “locals” who think their going to get “IT” are pissing in the wind. The top dogs can’t risk it.
Mr. Grile ia an acknowledged expert in successfully managing local government organizations having been fired by the city of Coos Bay his one and only time in a top job anywhere.
Signaling a major difference in philosophy from his predecessor, Sarasota County Administrator Randall Reid now blames a rush to privatize government services for last year’s purchasing scandal.
BRIGHTON — Former Adams County construction manager Sam Gomez was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for his role in the Quality Paving scheme that involved more than $1.8 million paid for road work never completed.
Young becomes Butler County’s fourth administrator since 2008, when former long-time administrator DerekConklin resigned amid a scandal involving a $209,000 early-retirement buyout deal for his county-employed wife.
In an exclusive interview with The Alpenhorn News, a longtime county government observer stated he was not surprised to learn that San Bernardino’s newly hired Chief Administrative Officer, Greg Devereaux, had hardly settled into his new office before he became embroiled in scandal.
Devereaux, hired on January 12 to replace disgraced Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mark Uffer, is now under investigation initiated by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and handed off to the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).
(Batesville, MS 6/25/2012) Prosecutors believe former Panola County Administrator David Chandler made nearly $300,000 by manipulating his overtime and setting up a kickback scheme involving County business.
I thought it would be interesting to see how many and what kinds of scandals have been showing up with counties that have switched to an administrator system.
The list was to long to put up all the stories I found about corruption and county administrators, so I choose a few that had differing problems to show an example of the kinds of problems other counties are experiencing with this system that SCDC is trying so hard to put in Coos county. What they all had in common was either jail time or golden parachutes for those that had to be fired.
This is the can of worms we will be buying if SCDC is allowed to get their way. Do we really need to expose this county to the kinds of abuse the system will make possible. If your SCDC then the answer is YES. I would encourage all others to vote NO.
Remember what has been going on at the port of Coos Bay with this kind of system. No-bid contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and golden parachute wage agreements that we will continue to pay for after the admin is fired and replaced with a new one. Just think of the port when anyone mentions the benefits of hiring an administrator.
post it here as well, it is excellent
If I had waited 5 minutes, I would have posted my last comment here, where it would have found a better fit.