Take a look at this site to see what supporters of the chief operating officer have to say about the proposed charter change.
There's a letter from businessman Craig Yarde explaining the pro-COO stance. Here's what he wrote:
Dear Fellow Bristol Citizens:
My name is Craig Yarde. I've been a Bristol resident all my life. I graduated from Green Hills, spent half my life at the Forestville/Bristol Boys Club and barely graduated from Bristol Central. I started Yarde Metals out of my Bristol home 32 years ago and grew it to over 600 associates (many of them Bristol residents with a half a billion in sales). I also own Yardezone.com with two partners which converts companies to our philosophy: Establish a great organizational structure, teach everyone to read a financial statement, communicate to everyone your goals and objectives, treat your people the way you want to be treated yourself, open the books, share the profits and most of all - have some fun, while creating a great team with everyone rowing the boat in the same direction.
This is not happening in the City Of Bristol. I recently talked to a union boss friend of mine and he reiterated that municipalities are diff erent than private business. I would say no. It all starts from the top down and from the bottom up. Communication is the life blood of a company or municipality. That's why we have a problem. At the top. I feel we set the mayor up to fail in regard to the org chart. Mayor Couture told me he spent half his day listening to citizen complaints. The mayor spends every evening in board meetings, kissing babies and cutting ribbons. The mayor has, or should, help to solicit funds from the State. He has to be the visionary to lead us to the future. On top of that he has to manage twenty one direct reports. You got to be kidding. Superman couldn't do it. Forget about it. If you approve the new Chief Operating Officer (COO), he/she will manage the twenty-one direct reports which the mayor doesn't have the time to manage. This should make the city departments more efficient and effective to service us citizens and help to keep taxes down. The COO would use their experience to assist the mayor and council and will help in the continuity needed to maintain a long term vision for this community. After all we've been turning over councilmen and mayors every two years. Believe me, there are millions of dollars of low hanging fruit that a COO can pick without sacrificing service or jobs.
If you agree, please vote YES to create a COO on November 4th. It's like money in the bank.
-Craig Yarde
This is not happening in the City Of Bristol. I recently talked to a union boss friend of mine and he reiterated that municipalities are diff erent than private business. I would say no. It all starts from the top down and from the bottom up. Communication is the life blood of a company or municipality. That's why we have a problem. At the top. I feel we set the mayor up to fail in regard to the org chart. Mayor Couture told me he spent half his day listening to citizen complaints. The mayor spends every evening in board meetings, kissing babies and cutting ribbons. The mayor has, or should, help to solicit funds from the State. He has to be the visionary to lead us to the future. On top of that he has to manage twenty one direct reports. You got to be kidding. Superman couldn't do it. Forget about it. If you approve the new Chief Operating Officer (COO), he/she will manage the twenty-one direct reports which the mayor doesn't have the time to manage. This should make the city departments more efficient and effective to service us citizens and help to keep taxes down. The COO would use their experience to assist the mayor and council and will help in the continuity needed to maintain a long term vision for this community. After all we've been turning over councilmen and mayors every two years. Believe me, there are millions of dollars of low hanging fruit that a COO can pick without sacrificing service or jobs.
If you agree, please vote YES to create a COO on November 4th. It's like money in the bank.
-Craig Yarde
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
39 comments:
Craig, why don't you and your supporters identify that "low fruit" now so we can start to benefit even sooner?
Are you going to tell the COO once they are in office?
Just think if you did that months ago, how much we would be saving now.
Keep in mind that if he/she is just going to be a cost cutter, they might not be well received: they will have other duties.
Out of fairness to all, please come forward with some ideas: the mayor could use them NOW.
I would like to belive you didn't run your company in secret.
Or did you?
just what we need now, another layer of government with an increased cost to the taxpayers of close to $300,000.
Don't know about you but I can't afford any more friggin' taxes or expenses - guess that yarde, minor, cockayne and ken johnson have golden eggs in their nests but I don't.
If Couture spent half his day with citizen complaints, that was his own fault!
He worked at his level of competence, doing wht he did best.
He had a good administrative assistant, who was very capable in direct the complaintent to the proper departmeent AND in following up. Gerry just wanted his hand in everything.
If we're so concerned about the mayor having too much responsibility, let's get him an aide or two. Bristol doesn't need (nor can we afford) a COO.
"Money in the bank?"
Sorry Craig, but I'd like to keep some of MY money in the bank instead of in the pocket of a COO. I can't wait to vote NO!
Is it true that Ken Johnson plans to apply for the COO position?
And I don't suppose Craig or any of his Cronies would be interested in the COO position, would they?? LOL. What an outright ploy. We know what you are up to Yarde, Johnson and Schaffrick...we aren't blind. And I'm voting NO. We don't need any of you knuckleheads anymore involved with City business than you already are. Especially Johnson !! If the Mayor needs help, he can get 3 assistants for under $100k a year salary TOTAL!!! And furthermore, Mr. Yarde, If you cared so much about this town, then you would have took all your brilliant and creative ideas and found a savvy way to keep your Company in Bristol. I say good riddance to all 3 of you Jamokes. Take a hike to Southington, or elsewhere and leave us alone. Thanks but NO THANKS!
Is HELL NO an option on the voting form?
Go 4:30!!! You said it all.
Every time I decide that I'm going to vote "no" on this COO thing, Craig Yarde makes me reconsider. Yarde makes a good argument for this position. I'd be hard pressed not to take his advice.
If we assume that this gets voted in, who will hire this erson? What will the benefit package look like? To whom will this person answer? He or she cannot order the Mayor to do anything, nor can he or she direct the Council members. If the department heads choose to ignore the COO, so what?
This is an ill-conceived half-a-loaf solution that was poorly thought out. This poor soul could wander the corridors of City Hall for months being ignored by one and all.
As Harry Hershman used to say, 'tis sad.
Vote yes for the COO and stick it to the unions!
Mr. Yarde makes valid points besides the COO. Counsel positions should be for 4 year staggered terms. Not to mention we need more council members too. For a town our size we have a very small counsel
The Unions will be out in full force spinning their guts out against this. At the very least it brings a level of accountability the public sector rarely sees. They can't safe garud their jobs through contributions and endorsements. This is great!
I want the COO, but I don't want Johnson to be it. I would take him for mayor though!
Arty has got to go!
So far, I havbe not seen or heard any answers to the questions that former mayor Stortz raised.
What is Ward waiting for?
Craig Yarde and Ken Johnson are not qualified to be COO, so please stop throwing out silly accusations. You obviously have already made up your mind that you don't want the COO, so why pretend you need more info? The info is right there on the ChooseCOO website (link in Collins' blog):
"(3) Any candidate for the COO position shall i) have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four year college/university in government/public administration/business/related field (a bachelor’s degree is required a master’s degree is preferred); ii) have at least four years experience as a COO or city manager or equivalent position; iii) provide four work/employment related references.
(4) The COO hiring committee, among other qualities it may consider, should give preference to a candidate it finds: i) has experience with administration, supervision of personnel, strategic planning, budget preparation, team building and negotiation skills; ii) has strong communication and interpersonal skills, strong verbal, written, and analytical skills.
(5) The COO shall become a resident of the City of Bristol within six months of the COO’s appointment and continue residency for the COO’s term of office.
"(b) The COO shall:
(1) Be responsible to exercise general supervision over the following officers of the city: the City Clerk, the Comptroller, the Purchasing Agent, the Assessor, the Tax Collector, the Library Director, the Fire Chief, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, the Director of Public Works, the Building Official, the Chief of Police, the Superintendent of Water, the Corporation Counsel, the Director of Personnel, the Director of Community Services, the Executive Director of the Bristol Development Authority, the Youth Services Director, and the Director of Aging. These responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, supervising, and evaluating, and disciplining these officers of the city."
Did you read that last sentence? The COO shall have the authority to DISCIPLINE the department heads under him. I don't think we've every had a mayor with the cojones to do that. Now we'll have someone who gets PAID to do it, and won't be afraid to smack them when needed. The days of certain department heads getting their marching orders from the politicians is about to come to an end, thank God.
10:31
I think that the question of abilty to discipline is not clear when one puts the old (not changed) charter and new (if approved) charter sise by side.
I do belive that this was the jist of the questions raised by Stortz.
"I want the COO, but I don't want Johnson to be it"
That's the really scary part....we don't get to CHOOSE and we're stuck with whoever gets hired.
VOTE NO!!!
THANK YO CRAIG YARDE AND PLEASE THE REST OF YOU WHO CHOOSE TO VOTE NO, DON'T COME CRYING WHEN THIS ADMISTRATION DOES NOTHING WITH YOU TAXES BUT CONTINUE TO ICREASE THEM TO PAY FOR WHAT???
Why do all the proposals that are supposed to "save money" wind up creating another high priced bureaucrat to organize all the other bureaucrats.
Usually businesses in order to maximize efficiency CUT management positions and downsize rather than create more of the same.
Someone please clarify the difference between a COO & a city manager.
Maybe you could do an article to help us all understand what we're being asked to vote on.
The Unions don't care if this gets voted in or not because they know that per their contract they can tell the COO to go pound sand. They don't report to him, they report to the Mayor, who they also work to get elected and who they also endorse, or chose not to if the Mayor doesn't stick up for them.
It's a vicious circle that the Union has control over. COO is a waste of taxpayers money and time.
11:46
It is clear that Yarde, Johnson et al do not have a clue as to the ground rules that municipalities operate under.
This is a recipe for disaster.
blogger at 11:40
Since this is almost like a Fairy Tale, maybe a quote from Alice in Wonderland would be applicable.
Remember "Words mean what I mean, no more, no less"?
Well, the diference depends on the way things are written AND who is doing the interpretation.
It has been admitted that there is a lack of clarity, that there are some seeming differences in what will exist if this is approved.
But, the traditional Town/City Manager does not seem to be what is proposed, but the COO is just another political buffer between the people and the politicians.
You might want to ask yourself, Why did they not make things clear and concise?
Where are Furry and Johnson with their erudite explanation of this issue?
this is probably one of the worst tradgedies to ever come out of a charter revision commission/committee, whatever it is called.
please don't ever reconsider a snow job like this ever again.people aren't as stupid as the proponents of this mess would have you believe.
Didn't see any answers, or even responses, to the questions that are being asked.
Typical political rhetoric.
Steve, we need some help!
Steve, do some research and put out a good article: might be worth a Nobel Prize.
Whoa, a Nobel Prize?
I just read today that Paul Krugman, who's sort of a journalist, is getting $1.4 million for his. I could deal with that.
Steve, give it a shot.
We will be eternally gratefull.
Craig, where are you with ANY answers?
Craig, Municipalities ARE different from businesses.
You probably haven't attended 6 Council meetings in your life, have not served on any City Boards, yet think you have all the answers.
Hopefully the people will see the folly of your idea.
Yard, where are you with the answers?
I looked at the Web site asnd found out that they apparently are in violation of Lacys law.
Will he follow up?
Will they be disbanded?
Shows how much they know about government, or care about the rules.
Prediction: the Yard money will flood the media the few days before the election with inacccurate propaganda.
At best, the COO COO would be on board in March. The city budget will be pretty well determined by then.
Why doesn't Yard, Johnson, Cockayne make their saving ideas known now, so that hey can be incorporated into the coming budget?
I know for a fact that department heads have been disciplined!
The only one that came close to dismissal was Rosenthal, but the dems did not want to make stortz look good. (Ask McCauley)
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