Dan, there are a number of reasons interviews at this stage need to be behind closed doors. The two primary ones are 1) confidentiality laws and 2) ethics. Without a state law mandating open applications (such as Florida), public employers do not have to reveal who applied and is being interviewed. The second reason is one of professional ethics. Let's say that you applied for this job and the application and interview process were open to the public. And thus, your current employer knows you've applied elsewhere. You don't get the city manager's job -- and your current employer may not trust you now, might not consider you for promotions, and might even terminate you.
I worked in governmental human resources in a few different states, including Florida. In Florida, many governments, school districts, universities and other public organizations have trouble recruiting qualified applicants for senior-level positions because once they applied, the media would write a story about the applicants.
At some point you have to trust you elected leadership to do the right thing. And if they don't, then don't re-elect them.
1. Based on the number of EMS calls, I was surprised the consultants did not recommend placing the advanced life support rescue back in service. The previous city manager defunded it a few years ago.
2. The proposed 3-platoon work shift of 24/48 used to be the schedule until 1981. The city manager at that time wanted us to be more productive, so at 4-platoon schedule was adopted, with a 10-10-14-14 schedule adopted (two 10-hour days followed by two 14-hour nights followed by four days off). That lasted until the late 80s when it was negotiated to go back on a 24-hour shift.
The AFD is a vibrant, productive city department, but former city manager Aho continually hammered away, eliminating both the rescue and the fire chief's position, and eroding other aspects of the department. But he's gone now, so the city council has an opportunity to fix his mistakes.
.... it will create a different standard. For example, the military now requires recruits to have a high school diploma, which is currently based on 12 years of school. Will the military accept this new diploma?
While my prayers may help the families, accuracy in reporting will help this family and others more in the long run. Friends and distant relatives might be confused as to who died in the wreck.
The second paragraph needs to be rewritten. It does not state that Tyler Manduca and Dennis Sturges were killed. It makes that assumption based on the third paragraph that starts with "Also killed....."
One opened here in Bloomington a few years ago and it's our favorite place for wings! Can't go wrong with BWW. (Mild sauce and honey BBQ are our favorites.)
Such a minor thing that turned into a major joke. I'm here in Florida and went to the grocery store this morning. And as I exited I stopped to talk to some firefighters, who had parked their 110-foot tiller ladder truck worth $500,000 in the grocery store's parking lot while their shift cook shopped for lunch and dinner.
I'm sure the city budget will go down now..... at least a few hundred dollars for fuel. They still have to pay for salaries, equipment, overhead, training, etc.
My experience would involve 24 years full-time in public safety. When you see an ambulance at a high school football game, do you think they're there just to watch the game? No, it's usually a requirement of the state or principal's association. And those folks are being paid.
I've worked and lived in four other states besides Maine. In every case, when a police officer is at a construction site, they are there working overtime with those dollars being paid to the department by the construction company. (Which ultimately means you and I are paying for them as taxpayers.)
It's called a "tier-response." The number of vehicles isn't what's important; the number of trained people on site is what's important. More advanced life support calls (shortness of breath, chest pain, unconscious, etc.) require more than just the "ambulance personnel and a police officer." Even if the arriving firefighters are simply taking in the stretcher and equipment, they are providing a valuable service to the patient.
Remember Clarence, your tax dollars are already paying for the firefighters (some are cross-training as EMTs and Paramedics) at the station. Fire departments that provide EMS services usually have a call volume that is at least 75% medical and 25% fire responses. The cost for them to respond to a medical emergency (even if they are not needed) is only a few dollars of fuel.
"They drive around in those trucks and it costs the city money," Farrell said. "They always say it's for training. That's always their excuse."
With a 25-year career in fire and EMS, and 10 of those as a department chief, I heard that complaint also. But the fact is fuel expenses "driving around" is a very, very small part of a department's budget. The city is already paying for salaries, equipment, training, overhead, etc. while the apparatus is sitting there. Add a few gallons of diesel fuel to the cost of "driving around," and it's a drop in the bucket.
I haven't been in the AFD for a few decades, but it's clear from retired friends and newspaper articles that the current city manager and some council members don't support the AFD.
With an HR background, I was especially interested in the salaries paid to the toll collectors and the comments that the payroll data was misleading.
Every salary study I've ever done internally, or for a client, has been fairly simple. Payroll data -- the base hourly rate -- is pretty simple to calculate. These employees would not be exempt employees as defined under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and could earn overtime.
So, does the $60,000 include overtime? Or is it their base rate of $28.85 per hour? And if it's the base rate, is the job worth this much to collect money and smile at the customer?
Usually when people say "it's been blown out of proportion," they're agreeing with the issue. So.... if the "proportion" was reduced, is he admitting his guilt?
.... I live in Illinois, not Indiana. I'm a native of Auburn, and have been teaching at the college level for 15 years, with five of it being in Florida.
So back to my original question: what are you talking about??? The issues in the article are nationwide, not just in L/A.
I'd be more concerned that the city manager has done away with the rescue service and has taken almost a year to replace Chief Werts. Looks like he's trying to move the FD backwards instead of forward.
I don't think the public salaries are outrageous. These are CEOs of multi-million dollar organizations. A certain level of experience and education is necessary; public schools have to compete for leaders with private schools.
A bomb in a school that, as you say, "takes everyone out with it," would have to be planned by a demolition company. And placement of the charges for a school would take a week or so.
Never, not once, has a bomb gone off in a school is this country. Bomb threats started getting "popular" in the early 1970s (I graduated from EL in 1974).
What if the threat was simply ignored? Think about it.... no bombs have ever gone off, and when the offender is arrested, 99% of the time, they are a current student!
Let's end this stupidity of cowering to every "bomb" threat in our public schools.
You're right Tron, he did EARN it. This is no different than my father, who retired from the USAF after 21 years, and then went to work for the school department and EARNED a second pension.
Two thoughts for you:
1. Apply to work in one of these jobs. You too can earn a pension.
2. If you want to change the system, start with the legislature. Don't beat up on the folks who simply follow the rules.
Using a care to attempt to run down a police officer is attempted murder. Courts have upheld police officers shooting drivers who do this. Its not simple "ramming."
Another Urban Legend. I lived in Florida for 10 years and NEVER heard of this, or anything remotely like it. You don't know what you are talking about.
"Putting in your time" doesn't cut it anymore.... hasn't for years. And council didn't "kick him in the teeth." He was equally considered, and the better suited candidate got the job. Take your emotions out of the decision and you'll see it.
With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about.
1. The total compensation package for your new city manager is less than the previous one. Add everything up, and it's less.
2. Unemployment rates and average salaries for all workers in Maine has nothing to do with what this position is worth. It's worth is determined by the skills needed to do the job. His salary and benefits are reflective of the market for city managers.
3. Paying for relocation expenses is the norm for executive and senior management positions. It's part of the recruitment process.
Tron, it took me all of 2 minutes to get on the city's website and find the salaries for the chief and the deputy chief. The 2009 adopted budget lists the chief's salary at $95,656 and the deputy chief at $82,492.
The governor earns $70,000 annually, the lowest state in the nation. This has been the salary for 20 years.
A more realistic comparison would be the governor's salaries for NH and VT; $108,990 and $143,957 respectively. Or.... if the governor's salary was adjusted over the past 20 years for the Consumer Price Index, the position should be paying $121,542 today.
And you can't compare the duties of the governor and a police chief.
The last time I flew out of L/A was on a DC-3 to Boston in 1963. This proposal is a pipe dream.
First of all, the rest of the country has no problem with a 40 minute drive to an airport. Secondly, only flying to Dulles is severely limiting to a businessman. I used to live in Dover Delaware, and the nearest airport was in Philadelphia (70 miles) or BWI (100 miles). There were no problems there pulling in business. And I now live in central Illinois with good local air service, but no one ever thinks twice of driving 110 miles to Chicago to catch a plane.
It's an awful lot of money to invest just to rely on one carrier.
Well Candacanne, your experience is NOT typical in the state of Florida, which is ranked 46th in school spending. We previously had our three children in the Leon County (Tallahassee) system. When we moved to Illinois in 2002, our kids had to take courses to catch up because they were so far behind.
You kill your own argument in your first paragraph. Of course there is no comparison between highly-populated and congested Florida and Maine.
I'm glad your daughter has succeeded despite your pessimism.
I work in human resources in the corporate world and I can tell you that a major shift has been occurring with regards to family health care. More and more companies are providing 100% of the premiums for employees and zero for family coverage. This is the "real world" situation. The teachers need to wake up to the fiscal realities. If they don't like the pay and the benefits, then it's time to change employers or careers.
"I feel betrayed," Rich said. "The BRAC commission let us down."
Not at all. The design of the apolitical BRAC commission has consistently demonstrated their use of objective data. The mission of Brunswick was over the ocean. Thus the location was perfect. However, the original mission disappeared during the Reagan years, and the new mission can be done more effectively from other bases. Continuing to keep Brunswick open would have been BRAC "letting us down."
All of this occurred in "public" view; thus, it is ok to take pictures and publish them. No privacy laws were broken, because this is happening in a public area.
Don't assume a wealth of candidates if the position is advertised before the next elections. I've consulted with a number of city/county managers; not many would even apply knowing they could be out the door with new elections.
Robert61 -- some unsolicited advice: 1. You should consider refraining from commenting on almost every post; it weakens your opinion. 2. Posting as much as you do makes it appear that you take most of these comments personally, which is not a good trait for an elected official. 3. True leaders spend more time listening than they do talking; sometimes followers (voters, employees, etc.) just want to vent or be heard.
In the world of city and county managers, no egregious behavior is necessary -- just a majority of council votes. In my 25+ years of local and state government service, I've seen "at will" leaders fired due to the wind direction, and I've seen others do things that make you wonder why they're still on the job. However, it has gotten much better over the past few decades, but the average tenure of a city/county manager is still less than 5 years.
In the world of city and county managers, no egregious behavior is necessary -- just a majority of council votes. In my 25+ years of local and state government service, I've seen "at will" leaders fired due to the wind direction, and I've seen others do things that make you wonder why they're still on the job. However, it has gotten much better over the past few decades, but the average tenure of a city/county manager is still less than 5 years.
MichaelRainbow: if done correctly, it will take up to 60 to 120 days to get an offer to a candidate, and if they are currently employed, they'll probably give a 1-2 month notice to their current employer. My guess is you'll see a new administrator around January 1.
The problem with having an acting administrator for so long is that decisions will be put off "for the new administrator." That will lead your city councilors getting into the day-to-day operations more and more, and that will be detrimental to Lewiston.
Just my thoughts with over 20 years' governmental experience, and working as a consultant.
"But Nadeau said questions of whether councilors will look for potential candidates nationally or whether they'll stick close to home haven't been settled."
To get a HIGHLY QUALIFIED person, you look for the best suited candidate! It doesn't matter where they live!!!! This process is off to a bad start already.....
flycessna: a few more thoughts: 1) I've lived in 2 cities where the EMS service was provided by the hospital(s) through a non-profit service for over 20 years each. In these two cases, the hospitals suddenly announced they were ending service due to losing too much money. Transfers make money; 9-1-1 calls do not. 2) The first sentence of the article states "Plans to hire United Ambulance to respond to medical emergency calls in the city will have to wait for a formal bidding process." How much will the city have to pay United? Most cities that have an exclusive service with one company pay that company to provide minimum staffing. Will it cost more than the city is saving by eliminating Rescue 1? And what if another company bids and submits low bid? I've seen that happen also.....
flycessna: no one is questioning the professionalism of United. In the most severe cases, multiple trauma and cardiac arrest, two or more paramedics improve the patient's outcome. Unless you've been a paramedic (I was for over 20 years) and have worked in both a single-tier and dual-tier response system (I have), then as a lay person, it would appear that AFD's responses are "unnecessary."
This whole thing is Ridiculous! How can you do away with a 20+ year service that actually saves lives and provides citizens with an extra margin of medical safety? Fire departments across the country are EXPANDING EMS services! Cost savings could have been found in other areas of the city's budget.
Here's some facts:
1. Today's city managers have advanced degrees and usually 20+ years of governmental experience.
2. The average tenure of a city manager today is less than five years.
3. Standard benefits include home internet service (to work into the evening and on weekends) and a car (or a car allowance).
4. Due to the "challenging" nature of these positions, a one-year severance is standard.
You complainers need to educate yourselves before you type.
Recent Comments
A different thought
I graduated from high school in 1974, and recall many days interrupted by bomb threats. And we've never had a school "bombed" in our country.
So how about just ignoring the threat? Or at least don't evacuate the schools; just bring in the professionals to search the building.
Needs to be confidential
Dan, there are a number of reasons interviews at this stage need to be behind closed doors. The two primary ones are 1) confidentiality laws and 2) ethics. Without a state law mandating open applications (such as Florida), public employers do not have to reveal who applied and is being interviewed. The second reason is one of professional ethics. Let's say that you applied for this job and the application and interview process were open to the public. And thus, your current employer knows you've applied elsewhere. You don't get the city manager's job -- and your current employer may not trust you now, might not consider you for promotions, and might even terminate you.
I worked in governmental human resources in a few different states, including Florida. In Florida, many governments, school districts, universities and other public organizations have trouble recruiting qualified applicants for senior-level positions because once they applied, the media would write a story about the applicants.
At some point you have to trust you elected leadership to do the right thing. And if they don't, then don't re-elect them.
It was....
Ta Da! Chip Morrison! I was having a brain burp earlier and couldn't remember his last name....
Two thoughts
1. Based on the number of EMS calls, I was surprised the consultants did not recommend placing the advanced life support rescue back in service. The previous city manager defunded it a few years ago.
2. The proposed 3-platoon work shift of 24/48 used to be the schedule until 1981. The city manager at that time wanted us to be more productive, so at 4-platoon schedule was adopted, with a 10-10-14-14 schedule adopted (two 10-hour days followed by two 14-hour nights followed by four days off). That lasted until the late 80s when it was negotiated to go back on a 24-hour shift.
The AFD is a vibrant, productive city department, but former city manager Aho continually hammered away, eliminating both the rescue and the fire chief's position, and eroding other aspects of the department. But he's gone now, so the city council has an opportunity to fix his mistakes.
While I agree with the concept.....
.... it will create a different standard. For example, the military now requires recruits to have a high school diploma, which is currently based on 12 years of school. Will the military accept this new diploma?
Critiqing
While my prayers may help the families, accuracy in reporting will help this family and others more in the long run. Friends and distant relatives might be confused as to who died in the wreck.
Article needs a rewrite
The second paragraph needs to be rewritten. It does not state that Tyler Manduca and Dennis Sturges were killed. It makes that assumption based on the third paragraph that starts with "Also killed....."
Mug Shot
I always surprised when people smile for their mug shot. It should be the most miserable day of their life. I don't see anything funny here.
Doing the math
I'm not a mathematician, but shouldn't the headline read "7 cents" and the article ".... fallen 1 cent per gallon..."?
The way it reads now, it appears to be 7/10ths of one cent and 1/10th of one cent. Or is this correct AP style? Anyone know?
Hmmmmm....
And the Teamsters have been worried all these years about letting Mexico trucks onto our roads.....
Glad no one was injured!
Love it!
One opened here in Bloomington a few years ago and it's our favorite place for wings! Can't go wrong with BWW. (Mild sauce and honey BBQ are our favorites.)
Sigh......
Such a minor thing that turned into a major joke. I'm here in Florida and went to the grocery store this morning. And as I exited I stopped to talk to some firefighters, who had parked their 110-foot tiller ladder truck worth $500,000 in the grocery store's parking lot while their shift cook shopped for lunch and dinner.
I'm sure the city budget will go down now..... at least a few hundred dollars for fuel. They still have to pay for salaries, equipment, overhead, training, etc.
Thank You Joe
I appreciate you checking my facts.
Well Jim...
My experience would involve 24 years full-time in public safety. When you see an ambulance at a high school football game, do you think they're there just to watch the game? No, it's usually a requirement of the state or principal's association. And those folks are being paid.
I've worked and lived in four other states besides Maine. In every case, when a police officer is at a construction site, they are there working overtime with those dollars being paid to the department by the construction company. (Which ultimately means you and I are paying for them as taxpayers.)
Police services
It's been my experience that they are off-duty officers paid for by the construction company.
Clarence, here's why...
It's called a "tier-response." The number of vehicles isn't what's important; the number of trained people on site is what's important. More advanced life support calls (shortness of breath, chest pain, unconscious, etc.) require more than just the "ambulance personnel and a police officer." Even if the arriving firefighters are simply taking in the stretcher and equipment, they are providing a valuable service to the patient.
Remember Clarence, your tax dollars are already paying for the firefighters (some are cross-training as EMTs and Paramedics) at the station. Fire departments that provide EMS services usually have a call volume that is at least 75% medical and 25% fire responses. The cost for them to respond to a medical emergency (even if they are not needed) is only a few dollars of fuel.
Fuel is a small part of the budget
"They drive around in those trucks and it costs the city money," Farrell said. "They always say it's for training. That's always their excuse."
With a 25-year career in fire and EMS, and 10 of those as a department chief, I heard that complaint also. But the fact is fuel expenses "driving around" is a very, very small part of a department's budget. The city is already paying for salaries, equipment, training, overhead, etc. while the apparatus is sitting there. Add a few gallons of diesel fuel to the cost of "driving around," and it's a drop in the bucket.
I haven't been in the AFD for a few decades, but it's clear from retired friends and newspaper articles that the current city manager and some council members don't support the AFD.
Doesn't compute
With an HR background, I was especially interested in the salaries paid to the toll collectors and the comments that the payroll data was misleading.
Every salary study I've ever done internally, or for a client, has been fairly simple. Payroll data -- the base hourly rate -- is pretty simple to calculate. These employees would not be exempt employees as defined under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and could earn overtime.
So, does the $60,000 include overtime? Or is it their base rate of $28.85 per hour? And if it's the base rate, is the job worth this much to collect money and smile at the customer?
Hmmmm......
Usually when people say "it's been blown out of proportion," they're agreeing with the issue. So.... if the "proportion" was reduced, is he admitting his guilt?
Actually....
.... I live in Illinois, not Indiana. I'm a native of Auburn, and have been teaching at the college level for 15 years, with five of it being in Florida.
So back to my original question: what are you talking about??? The issues in the article are nationwide, not just in L/A.
What in the world are you talking about?
I used to teach college in Florida and you make no sense!
The city manager is the issue
I'd be more concerned that the city manager has done away with the rescue service and has taken almost a year to replace Chief Werts. Looks like he's trying to move the FD backwards instead of forward.
I don't agree
I don't think the public salaries are outrageous. These are CEOs of multi-million dollar organizations. A certain level of experience and education is necessary; public schools have to compete for leaders with private schools.
Now you're trying to change the subject
Comparing a Columbine and the incessant bomb scares is comparing apples and bananas. They are so totally different....
To Wildfires
A bomb in a school that, as you say, "takes everyone out with it," would have to be planned by a demolition company. And placement of the charges for a school would take a week or so.
Let's get real here and stop the hysteria!
Let's change procedures
Never, not once, has a bomb gone off in a school is this country. Bomb threats started getting "popular" in the early 1970s (I graduated from EL in 1974).
What if the threat was simply ignored? Think about it.... no bombs have ever gone off, and when the offender is arrested, 99% of the time, they are a current student!
Let's end this stupidity of cowering to every "bomb" threat in our public schools.
Two different jobs and
Two different jobs and requirements, and two different employers. Across the country, county governments typically pays less that city governments.
You're right Tron, he did
You're right Tron, he did EARN it. This is no different than my father, who retired from the USAF after 21 years, and then went to work for the school department and EARNED a second pension.
Two thoughts for you:
1. Apply to work in one of these jobs. You too can earn a pension.
2. If you want to change the system, start with the legislature. Don't beat up on the folks who simply follow the rules.
Using a care to attempt to
Using a care to attempt to run down a police officer is attempted murder. Courts have upheld police officers shooting drivers who do this. Its not simple "ramming."
Thanks for the
Thanks for the clarification! You're right; I did misread that.
What is she doing living
What is she doing living with the sheriff? I'll bet there's a story there!
Another Urban Legend. I
Another Urban Legend. I lived in Florida for 10 years and NEVER heard of this, or anything remotely like it. You don't know what you are talking about.
"Putting in your time"
"Putting in your time" doesn't cut it anymore.... hasn't for years. And council didn't "kick him in the teeth." He was equally considered, and the better suited candidate got the job. Take your emotions out of the decision and you'll see it.
With all due respect, you
With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about.
1. The total compensation package for your new city manager is less than the previous one. Add everything up, and it's less.
2. Unemployment rates and average salaries for all workers in Maine has nothing to do with what this position is worth. It's worth is determined by the skills needed to do the job. His salary and benefits are reflective of the market for city managers.
3. Paying for relocation expenses is the norm for executive and senior management positions. It's part of the recruitment process.
You can go back to bed now.
You can go back to bed now. Obviously facts and logic don't sway your narrow-minded opinion.
Tron, it took me all of 2
Tron, it took me all of 2 minutes to get on the city's website and find the salaries for the chief and the deputy chief. The 2009 adopted budget lists the chief's salary at $95,656 and the deputy chief at $82,492.
The governor earns $70,000 annually, the lowest state in the nation. This has been the salary for 20 years.
A more realistic comparison would be the governor's salaries for NH and VT; $108,990 and $143,957 respectively. Or.... if the governor's salary was adjusted over the past 20 years for the Consumer Price Index, the position should be paying $121,542 today.
And you can't compare the duties of the governor and a police chief.
The last time I flew out of
The last time I flew out of L/A was on a DC-3 to Boston in 1963. This proposal is a pipe dream.
First of all, the rest of the country has no problem with a 40 minute drive to an airport. Secondly, only flying to Dulles is severely limiting to a businessman. I used to live in Dover Delaware, and the nearest airport was in Philadelphia (70 miles) or BWI (100 miles). There were no problems there pulling in business. And I now live in central Illinois with good local air service, but no one ever thinks twice of driving 110 miles to Chicago to catch a plane.
It's an awful lot of money to invest just to rely on one carrier.
Great idea! APD previously
Great idea! APD previously had an Explorer Post; I was a member from 1973 to 1974.
Well Candacanne, your
Well Candacanne, your experience is NOT typical in the state of Florida, which is ranked 46th in school spending. We previously had our three children in the Leon County (Tallahassee) system. When we moved to Illinois in 2002, our kids had to take courses to catch up because they were so far behind.
You kill your own argument in your first paragraph. Of course there is no comparison between highly-populated and congested Florida and Maine.
I'm glad your daughter has succeeded despite your pessimism.
When one door closes, others
When one door closes, others open.
I work in human resources in
I work in human resources in the corporate world and I can tell you that a major shift has been occurring with regards to family health care. More and more companies are providing 100% of the premiums for employees and zero for family coverage. This is the "real world" situation. The teachers need to wake up to the fiscal realities. If they don't like the pay and the benefits, then it's time to change employers or careers.
No, dad, 911 has been around
No, dad, 911 has been around for 30 years in some parts of the state. I was living in Auburn when we got 911 in 1980-81.
"I feel betrayed," Rich
"I feel betrayed," Rich said. "The BRAC commission let us down."
Not at all. The design of the apolitical BRAC commission has consistently demonstrated their use of objective data. The mission of Brunswick was over the ocean. Thus the location was perfect. However, the original mission disappeared during the Reagan years, and the new mission can be done more effectively from other bases. Continuing to keep Brunswick open would have been BRAC "letting us down."
All of this occurred in
All of this occurred in "public" view; thus, it is ok to take pictures and publish them. No privacy laws were broken, because this is happening in a public area.
Why publish them? Because it's newsworthy.
End of story....
Don't assume a wealth of
Don't assume a wealth of candidates if the position is advertised before the next elections. I've consulted with a number of city/county managers; not many would even apply knowing they could be out the door with new elections.
Sure glad I don't live in
Sure glad I don't live in Lewiston. What a dysfunctional council!
I'll bet the Hondas,
I'll bet the Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundais were made in America by American workers.
Robert61 -- some unsolicited
Robert61 -- some unsolicited advice: 1. You should consider refraining from commenting on almost every post; it weakens your opinion. 2. Posting as much as you do makes it appear that you take most of these comments personally, which is not a good trait for an elected official. 3. True leaders spend more time listening than they do talking; sometimes followers (voters, employees, etc.) just want to vent or be heard.
In the world of city and
In the world of city and county managers, no egregious behavior is necessary -- just a majority of council votes. In my 25+ years of local and state government service, I've seen "at will" leaders fired due to the wind direction, and I've seen others do things that make you wonder why they're still on the job. However, it has gotten much better over the past few decades, but the average tenure of a city/county manager is still less than 5 years.
In the world of city and
In the world of city and county managers, no egregious behavior is necessary -- just a majority of council votes. In my 25+ years of local and state government service, I've seen "at will" leaders fired due to the wind direction, and I've seen others do things that make you wonder why they're still on the job. However, it has gotten much better over the past few decades, but the average tenure of a city/county manager is still less than 5 years.
MichaelRainbow: if done
MichaelRainbow: if done correctly, it will take up to 60 to 120 days to get an offer to a candidate, and if they are currently employed, they'll probably give a 1-2 month notice to their current employer. My guess is you'll see a new administrator around January 1.
The problem with having an acting administrator for so long is that decisions will be put off "for the new administrator." That will lead your city councilors getting into the day-to-day operations more and more, and that will be detrimental to Lewiston.
Just my thoughts with over 20 years' governmental experience, and working as a consultant.
"But Nadeau said questions
"But Nadeau said questions of whether councilors will look for potential candidates nationally or whether they'll stick close to home haven't been settled."
To get a HIGHLY QUALIFIED person, you look for the best suited candidate! It doesn't matter where they live!!!! This process is off to a bad start already.....
flycessna: a few more
flycessna: a few more thoughts: 1) I've lived in 2 cities where the EMS service was provided by the hospital(s) through a non-profit service for over 20 years each. In these two cases, the hospitals suddenly announced they were ending service due to losing too much money. Transfers make money; 9-1-1 calls do not. 2) The first sentence of the article states "Plans to hire United Ambulance to respond to medical emergency calls in the city will have to wait for a formal bidding process." How much will the city have to pay United? Most cities that have an exclusive service with one company pay that company to provide minimum staffing. Will it cost more than the city is saving by eliminating Rescue 1? And what if another company bids and submits low bid? I've seen that happen also.....
flycessna: no one is
flycessna: no one is questioning the professionalism of United. In the most severe cases, multiple trauma and cardiac arrest, two or more paramedics improve the patient's outcome. Unless you've been a paramedic (I was for over 20 years) and have worked in both a single-tier and dual-tier response system (I have), then as a lay person, it would appear that AFD's responses are "unnecessary."
Hang in there Mr. Potvin.
Hang in there Mr. Potvin. Eliminating the paramedic rescue service was a poor idea by the city manager.
This whole thing is
This whole thing is Ridiculous! How can you do away with a 20+ year service that actually saves lives and provides citizens with an extra margin of medical safety? Fire departments across the country are EXPANDING EMS services! Cost savings could have been found in other areas of the city's budget.
You've obviously lost your
You've obviously lost your objectivity.
Here's some facts:
1. Today's city managers have advanced degrees and usually 20+ years of governmental experience.
2. The average tenure of a city manager today is less than five years.
3. Standard benefits include home internet service (to work into the evening and on weekends) and a car (or a car allowance).
4. Due to the "challenging" nature of these positions, a one-year severance is standard.
You complainers need to educate yourselves before you type.