~ Annapolis Capital Punishment
1:

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The following commentary by Trudy McFall does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Capital Punishment....but it might.....
Testimony on  CA-09-09:
City Manager Form of Government
by
Trudy McFall
205 Scott Drive
Annapolis, MD
This bill, or slightly different versions of it, have been extensively discussed and debated in recent years.  The recent elections included numerous discussions on the concept and many of the members of this Council ran supporting the Council-Manager approach.  Alderman Pfeiffer supported it.  Alderman Silverman supported it.  Aldermen Arnett and Israel have been early and strong supporters of the concept.   Mayor Cohen ran on the promise to appoint an “ICMA-certified credentialed manager.”  Thirty-five hundred voters in the City have signed petitions in support of the City Manager form of government.
It is time to pass this bill and create a Council-Manager form of government.  Surely the current situation illustrates more than ever the need for such a change and more shared Council control. We now have a consultant as the Chief Administrative Officer, well paid at $145,000, but lacking the required experience and education to meet the qualifications in our City Charter.  Our City Charter requires, “There shall be a City Administrator in the office of the Mayor who shall be the chief administrative officer of the City” and this person “shall have had an advanced degree in business or public administration… and at least five years experience in public administration, or an equivalent combination.”  The Charter also requires that the Council approve this person, and our consultant CAO has not been approved by the Council.
This is a huge step backwards even from where we were before this last election.  We are now violating our own City Charter, our laws, because we give our Mayor too much unchecked power.   This shows why we need to pass this bill regardless of who is Mayor.  Without better checks and balances on the power of the Mayor, the citizens will not have a professional government that they can count on to follow their Charter and laws.  We will get what suits the political and personal wishes of the Mayor.  You, members of this City Council need to step up, pass this bill, and begin to provide the essential checks and balances that this City needs in order to move toward professional management.

READ CP Publisher Paul Foer's "The Ninth Ward" every Wednesday in The Capital
Sip N Blog resumes THURSDAY, Jan 14th 8-9 am at ZU Coffee, 934 Bay Ridge Road in the Giant Shopping Ctr.

Posted by Paul Foer at 7:03 AM

2 Comments:

Debbie Yatsuk said...

I totally agree w/ Trudy and thank her for her testimony re the overdue need for a Council-Mgr form of govt for Annapolis.

It is totally embarrassing how lackadaisical the city has been run. Everyone involved should be ashamed.

Debbie Yatsuk

Sunday, January 17, 2010 11:35:00 AM  
Paul Foer said...

somehow we shall muddle through.... thanks!

Friday, January 22, 2010 12:00:00 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

blogger templates | Make Money Online