While it is almost certain to be fairly humdrum, there is a special City Council session slated for 5:30 p.m. today.
One the agenda are some routine appointments -- nothing too interesting -- and what everyone seems to think are uncontroversial items ranging from fixing something in the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.'s corporate paperwork to approval of a $105,000 change order for the new industrial park taking shape behind the former Superior Electric factory.
Mayor Art Ward said he expects the meeting to be over pretty quickly.
The one appointment that insiders have been wondering about - whether Jonathan Rosenthal will be tapped for another stint as the city's economic development director - is set to come up at the council's regular Dec. 11 meeting.
My understanding is that Rosenthal will be lucky to get the four votes he needs for reappointment.
But even if the council were to vote against his reappointment, he probably stays on given that he's in a union and firing a municipal union worker requires more than just the desire to put someone else in the job.
It takes a lot to prove a city employee is incompetent (or otherwise hopeless) enough to lose his job. Few believe they can make that case against Rosenthal, who has strong support in some quarters.
It will be interesting to see how it goes.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
26 comments:
Who does he have strong support from?
I'm sure Elbert Huckaby is one of Rosenthal's biggest supporters.
Already Ward is having Special Council meetings.
Wasn't he one of the critics of Stortz having Special meetings?
Of course, he can count on his democrat friends to show up.
Good move Art: you can see how the vote goes before you vote.
But, what happens if it is 3-3 when it gets to you?
Couture fired the former Personnel director and it cost the City a ton of money in Severance, and that guy wasn't even employed for a year!
The problem with the Rosenthal issue, who I actually think is a pretty nice guy who is very educated and professional, is that he does not have a very clearly defined role, or even a specific job description, that I am aware of. Every Mayor gives him a different laundry list of things to do (or in Stortz' case things NOT to do) or has a different idea of what his job consists of. Give the guy a break. It is really hard to follow the action on what his duties and obligations are to the city. When he is assigned a task it is often stripped away from him (the mall issue) by waring factions of politicians who just simply do not like him for personality reasons. My question at the council meeting would be this: Does the guy do his job or not and what actually is his job? Who cares who likes who. If a man does not have a clearly defined mission, than he cannot be held responsible for anything.
Have no fear, John Leone, one of Rosenthals biggest supporters will save his hide. He will convince Ward (Ward appointed Leone to the BDDC) to keep him on.
After all, whatever Leone wants, Leone gets.
Ahhhh ..... aren't unions just great ?? And the teachers union has even more protections. If one of their under-worked / over-paid members gets in a bit of hot water , the teachers ( school board members ) shield it from public disclosure via use of executive session .
You just gotta love the unions ....unless you are a taxpayer/victim .
ALL City employees have job descriptions, Rosenthal included I'm sure.
The role of the BDA is also part of city legislation.
What more does one need?
I would think that a listing of the business park process and the numerous screwups, delays, and increased costs would be enough to dismiss anyone.
Too bad no one from our citizenship decided to attend the special city council meeting tonight, other than myself.
With the exception of the final item discussed tonight, I can not understand the need for calling this special meeting.
If we are appalled at special meetings, why don't we make that feeling clear?
NOT through yaddering on the blog spaces, but by being involved in the running of our city government?
I would challenge each of you that is unhappy with the continuation of "special" meetings to show up at the next regular council meeting and voice your concerns about "special" meetings respectably to our elected officials.
Even a 4-3 vote in his favor would not be much of a vote of confidence, would it?
Oh Bob. Get a life.
boudreau, if you were so ferverent in your belief, why didn't you have the guts to stand up and state your concerns when they happened at last night's special city council meeting, if you were there?
was it because you are all bluff, no conviction or lack of spine?
Stand up and contribute or sit down and shut up.
To Anonymous at 12:05am
I was there, ask your City Councilors.
After the meeting concluded, I spoke specifically to Councilors Minor and Block regarding the issue of why a special meeting was called for some of the agenda items.
Furthermore, in terms of standing up and stating my concerns last night, I could not by the rules of special meetings.
When special meetings are called, the public may only speak on the items that are on the agenda.
There is no open mic for commentary from the public except if they have something to say regarding the issues that are on the specific agenda that evening.
As Councilor McCauley found out last night, there was something related to an item, but because it was not specifically called out on the agenda, he couldn't speak on his issue either.
Did he get reappointed? There was nothing in the Press.
Did who get reappointed? Rosenthal's appointment is supposed to come up at the December 11 council meeting.
The appointments at yesterday's meeting were routine.
Sorry Steve, I misunderstood. I thought that Rosenthal's reappointment was up for a vote last night.
If the appointments were routine, why have a special meeting only 2 weeks before the regular meeting? Is it because Ward didn't want these appointments televised? Were these appointments the first round of favors owed by the new mayor?
And you complained about Stortz???
Here are the appointments made at the special meeting:
Willie Yopp and Rowena Lavoie to the Bristo Community Organization's board.
Ken Cockayne as council liaison to the BDDC.
Cliff Block replaced Craig Minor on the Salary Committee, which was just a fix of a mistake both men recognized.
The Hearing and Assessment Committee was named: Craig Minor, chairman; Mike Rimcoski; and Kevin McCauley.
That's it.
We needed a special meeting for THAT???
I repeat: and you complained about Stortz???
Shades of things to come.
Word on the street is that Rosenthal screwed up again, or at least there was another screwup on the Bugryn property.
If he wasn't directly responsible, it is his project, and he has to be part of the problem as he was with the earlier problems.
Seemsl like Ward and the Council have no choice: it is pay now or pay (more) later.
Any Special City Council meetings this week???
Art will cave in on Rosenthal.
He is afraid to take any flak, and figures he can hide behind Jonathan's failures.
All he has to do is say the word: two Council members are on the fence and are looking for a little cover.
If Art wants to, he can have 5-2 against reappointment.
It is up to him.
Why is there now indecision on Arts part, when for the past two years he was on Rosenthals side?
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