The city attorney thing isn't going away

Rep. Ann Morgan Lilly has an item on the council agenda that reads like a Rep. Carl Robinson monologue.  It's item 10.5. It's preceded by a postponed item from Rep. Emma Acosta on the city attorney.  

It seems Lilly wants the city attorney reviewed by every single person on the city payroll.  Not only is that a ridiculous task for HR to tackle, it's a surefire way to create problems between the city attorneys office and other departments.  

And let me be clear - I think Sylvia Firth seriously screwed up the following:

1. letting Joyce Wilson's review basically take place during a council meeting

2. let Rep. Lily Limon break the open meetings act on the Tripper Goodman vote by letting her canvas her votes outside of the chambers in executive session.

3. let leaked information about Jane Shang's employment with the city leak without recourse

4. let council vote on the new city manager in executive session which was in violation of the open meetings act.

Any one of those should have resulted in her dismissal.  

The ankle biters think staff should be publicly whipped at their command, but they're wrong.  City staff enjoy certain privileges guaranteed to them by Texas' employment laws (they are not granted a "right" to anything since the constitution does not mention anything about employment at the city of El Paso).  It seems city council is now on this bandwagon as well and it's going to get the city (read: taxpayers) sued.

The mayor can review the city attorney in his own way as long as it fits into her contract terms.  City council has no jurisdiction and it's their own fault.  Many of them could have voted to have the city attorney placed under the city manager's care in the last charter election, but failed to do so.  At the time the mayor wasn't all that familiar with how he could use the office to his advantage.  The new mayor knows exactly how to use that position to exact revenge on political opponents.

All of the council members have supporters who are using them to real estate deals with the city in some form.  Whether it be selling land to the city or buying land from the city to getting a break on developing land in the city - everybody wants something.  

When John Cook was mayor he kind of let everyone have their way in the spirit of political preservation for everyone.  Under Mayor Lesser, things have changed.  He's much more political and refuses to reward political opponents with favors.  In turn he puts city council members in a bad position. We have an election coming up and a few of these council members have major supporters who need some favors cashed in or they aren't going to support that council member again.  They will find a new person to represent their interests.  This terrifies council members and that's why they are lashing out at the city attorney.  

In the end, it's a brilliant strategy.  The mayor doesn't care to see any of the council members up for reelection return to council.  Why not ensure their benefactors find a new person to support?  Maybe it's someone the mayor likes and suggests.  

It's politics people and Lesser is playing it rather well right now.  

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I was thinking about the employee survey... maybe I should prepare 20 questions I think should be on there.  I'll work on that this weekend.

Comments

[Rotten Peppers]

Favors cashed in. Representative democracy. This is why there are ankle biters. Otherwise these people (CC) will just give away the tax base to their supporters.

[Lupe Weaver]

This mayor and city council are just a Kangaroo court and 3 ring circus. No one thinks about the constituents only for their own pockets.

[Times Bldg Ghost]

Using your logic RP then if one of the anti-ballpark/city hall relocation folks were elected (think Limon maybe) then wouldn't they "take care" of their support base by way of "representative democracy"?

This type of favoritism goes back to the beginning of our republic and goes all the way up to the President of the USA. It's not pretty - but it's reality. Hell - it happens in socialist and communist countries too.

You might say that this past election the "ankle-biters" won on a national and state basis.

[Ken]

David I would agree Sylvia should not have allowed the 4 things you mentioned take place, however, controlling those 8 council members is no easy task. I understand those tasks are in the city attorney's job description, but in can be difficult to control the stupid people and we have some real dummies on current council. I like Sylvia and think she handles herself very well, all things considered.

[Times Building Ghost]

It's time city staff start filing hostile work environment claims against council members. If any of CC would show actual knowledge and understanding of the subject at hand then maybe I would care about their temper tantrum about Firth but they don't have that ability and they make zero attempt to educate themselves. Sad.

[U]

BTW the rate payers get to pay for a 24 inch water main to a property not to mention other expenses. Noe, Niland and Lilly are sell outs.

[Rotten Peppers]

t's time city staff start filing hostile work environment claims against council members.
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Oh, poor bureautards. Maybe the CC should demand the resignations of the fuck-ups who really cost us money. Start in Engineering.

[Real PE]

Start with the new not an enginner, never handled a capital budget, never managed a capital budget, never managed a single construction project, never supervised more than three people hire who's second in charge of engineering now. No one with an actual capital projects background or engineering background was even allowed to fairy compete. And we're all watching.

Can't wait for this to blow up.

[Michael]

In terms of people who care about a job well done, that second in command guy, is, well, that guy.

[Real PE]

disagree. And he won't lift a finger to do that work either.

[Times Bldg Ghost]

He is the interim's BFF that worked the CC to undermine the DCM. Loser. No worries the new CM has an RFQ out to hire an outside firm to handle the CIP and Bond projects. Repeat of 2002 when the city hired P3 (aka Perspectiva) to manage the 2000 QOL projects. So Engineering gets paid to sit around with their head up their butt and an outside firm will do the work.

[Drakovic]

Wow, Real PE. You sound bitter. Perhaps a closet city employee who was eyeing that spot?

So where were all you and all the other folks when Wilson put her BFF in that exact same position? At least the new DD for Engineering has some experience working with engineering and his area of expertise is at least passingly related to Engineering. Melendez (the last DD) was nothing more than a glorified paper pusher with zero experience doing anything even remotely connected to Engineering or construction.

Hell, compared to her, the new DD is several steps up. I don't really know him aside from hearing him talk a few times, but I've heard him give a few presentations to council and he seems to at least be able to prepare himself reasonably well before he talks to them (which is a nice improvement from the interim city engineer and the previous deputy director).

[Times Building Ghost]

Well Drakovic using that thought process Obama is far superior to any lawmaker because he "gives a good presentation". I think they used to be called snake oil salesmen.

There are some good engineers in engineering but unfortunately they are not in positions of management. We are stuck with incompetent engineer managers because no one dares fire or retire them lest they be accused of racism.

[Drakovic]

Times,

I'm not sure what your rabid anti-Obama gibberish has to do with my comment but let me explain it like this:

I think it speaks well of someone who can get up before council, as part of their job (i.e. not a surprise), and properly explain their items while being able to answer questions and demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter on hand. The current interim city enigineer and the former deput director were notoriously bad at this. Hell the interim city engineer use to get a deer in headlights look whenever she was asked questions by council. I wouldn't be surprised if that's not why they started making other engineering staff give their project updates so they can minmize her time on the spot.

I expect city staff to be able to speak about what they work on in a knowledgeable manner. If you think that makes them a snake oil salesman" then I suspect you are one of those folks who prefers to keep people in te dark because it's easier to manipulate them that way.

Sure there may be great engineers who could fill the role of assistant city engineer (or even city engineer) but deputy director does NOT call for it so whining about it seems disengenuous when folks didn't pitch a fit about the previous even less experienced DD.

[Mrs Mulligan]

I'm not going to take sides here and want to be impartial. I work in the building and don't want that job, maybe in five years. But it's just wrong and there's a real safety concern for the public when you look at what an engineering department should do. Don't believe me?

Let's just go with what we know. The new DD makes $110,000+ per year, yet:
1. Tells everyone he is a transportation planner but isn't accredited or licensed by any national organization in transportation planning or design.
2. Has no construction management experience.
3. Has no capital projects experience.
4. Has no experience managing budgets.
5. Has no experience managing large departments (unless you count allowing his 2 staff to miss half the week to go to class at UTEP all year).

I'd be ok if he was an accountant or had a budget backgound, but that isn't the case either.

The job doesn't call for an engineering background because it was spec'd for one person--hang out with city council reps to tear down DCMs and the former CM and this is your reward. That's why we don't trust him in Mulligan.

[Times Bldg Ghost]

This new DD was slated to get the job before Wilson's person. It got shot down by the now departed DCM as "no way in hell". So his payback was to buddy up to the "women on council" and CM's office to discredit the DCM. He is a snake oil salesman and it is purely political payback by the interim to take care of her BFF.

In defense of the former DD that was not an engineer - that position was to only manage the construction bidding process. And she did a great job at it. Good news it that function will be taken away from Engineering soon. Because there is no trust that the current staff in engineering won't go back to playing fast and loose with the contract and bidding process.

[Times Bldg Ghost]

Drakovic: For 10 years the former CM rehearsed her DCM's and staff on exactly what they were to say and not say - especially during budgets. Then when council got pissed off - it somehow was always the staff person's fault instead of the CM who demanded/threatened them with firing if they didn't do exactly as she wanted. I saw the DCM's presentation on 4/22 and it was just fine. You cannot fix stupid and stupid is the council that can't remember week to week, much less 6 months ago what they voted for. Or a CM that says one thing in private and totally says the opposite in public. Do you know why the new CM's contract has a clause in the section for "Cause" - it says if he misstates, misrepresents or lies about facts he is fired. That wasn't in the former CM's contract and you gotta ask the question why is it now. Answer: council knew they were lied to, and facts misrepresented by the CM and under threat of death the staff had to continue the lie to cover the CM's butt.

The article this weekend re the 2012 QOL and the absolute surprise by council that the projects are now on a 15-year finish date instead of 10 is mind numbing how ignorant council pretends to be about the facts. Go back to the video tape of the July budget hearings - plain as day that it was on a 15-year plan. Again - the former CM sold council and the public a bill of goods on 10 versus 15 (see 2013 budget hearings). But oh, wait - I am sure they had a very articulate person up there telling council - no problem - its 10 years.

[Mrs. Mulligan]

TBG,
That's even more troubling. So to add to the list of being completely absent the qualifications for the DD of Engineering job, the list should look like:

1. NOT and engineer.
2. No experience in construction bidding and has never worked in purchasing, has actually never procured a single engineering design contract or construction project (or even a stapler since he never worked in purchasing).
3. Tells everyone he is a transportation planner but isn't accredited or licensed by any national organization in transportation planning or design.
4. Has no construction management experience.
5. Has no capital projects experience.
6. Has no experience managing budgets.
7. Has no experience managing large departments (unless you count allowing his 2 staff to miss half the week to go to class at UTEP all year).

Something stinks here. This is ripe for an investigation and slew of grievances filed with personnel.

[Times Bldg Ghost]

Mrs. Mulligan - good luck with any investigation. Not going to happen. HR doesn't care either - not their problem how the job was filled. By the way the new DD tried working in real world and didn't last a year before he was back on the government payroll. Tells you something right there.