The New City Attorney
Did you ever wonder why it just so happened that the new city attorney is the same one who "volunteered" to research for free the ownership of Southard Street for the City and a Bahama Village group? Do you suppose his application for the City Attorney position was a coincidence or did he know he was a likely candidate for the position at the time he "volunteered?"
His proposed "negotiated" pay package will reward his volunteer spirit, though we assume he will continue to work on the Southard Street matter for the City and Bahama Village group for free, as he has "volunteered" to do.
However, do you suppose that once his $175,000 plus per year contract is sealed by the commissioners, suddenly he will have a conflict of interest if he continues to work for the Bahama Village organization, and will also have to accept pay from the City to work on the Southard Street matter, just to be even handed? If the Commissioners were smart, they'd hold him to his promise he made regarding his "volunteer" work on the Southard Street matter. Of course, they could just cut his "negotiated" salary package by about $50,000. That would still give him about $20,000 more than his predecessor was making.
By the way, did you ever wonder who takes credit for negotiating this salary package? Apparently none other than Commissioner Verge, who is already backing away from his handiwork. The job was advertised at between $150,000 to $175,000 (by whose authority no one will say), and that tough City negotiator, Bill Verge, is taking the contract at $175,000 to the Commission. Some negotiation. No wonder the City gets taken when it negotiates with TAMPOA, and has to use the Commission to unravel the ineptitude of the City's negotiators. Can't you just see that in the works here?
So, hold your breath (but not for too long) and let's see if Commissioner Bethel is any better a negotiator than Verge -- not a difficult task. The tougher negotiation will be convincing the rest of the bubbas on the Commission to go along and not waste the city's money. Some of them, like Rossi and Kolhege, have the dreamland view that by paying the new City Attorney his asking price, they will save money by not having to farm out complex litigation to private law firms. These commissioners need to come back from space before the vote. The reality is that the City Attorney's office, given all its other duties, will never be able to effectively compete with private firms in complex litigation, and it is unrealistic to expect it to do so. The City will always have to farm out complex litigation to private firms (as other cities of similar size do) if it wants quality work. So the argument that the City will save farm-out money by paying the new appointee more money just won't wash.
His proposed "negotiated" pay package will reward his volunteer spirit, though we assume he will continue to work on the Southard Street matter for the City and Bahama Village group for free, as he has "volunteered" to do.
However, do you suppose that once his $175,000 plus per year contract is sealed by the commissioners, suddenly he will have a conflict of interest if he continues to work for the Bahama Village organization, and will also have to accept pay from the City to work on the Southard Street matter, just to be even handed? If the Commissioners were smart, they'd hold him to his promise he made regarding his "volunteer" work on the Southard Street matter. Of course, they could just cut his "negotiated" salary package by about $50,000. That would still give him about $20,000 more than his predecessor was making.
By the way, did you ever wonder who takes credit for negotiating this salary package? Apparently none other than Commissioner Verge, who is already backing away from his handiwork. The job was advertised at between $150,000 to $175,000 (by whose authority no one will say), and that tough City negotiator, Bill Verge, is taking the contract at $175,000 to the Commission. Some negotiation. No wonder the City gets taken when it negotiates with TAMPOA, and has to use the Commission to unravel the ineptitude of the City's negotiators. Can't you just see that in the works here?
So, hold your breath (but not for too long) and let's see if Commissioner Bethel is any better a negotiator than Verge -- not a difficult task. The tougher negotiation will be convincing the rest of the bubbas on the Commission to go along and not waste the city's money. Some of them, like Rossi and Kolhege, have the dreamland view that by paying the new City Attorney his asking price, they will save money by not having to farm out complex litigation to private law firms. These commissioners need to come back from space before the vote. The reality is that the City Attorney's office, given all its other duties, will never be able to effectively compete with private firms in complex litigation, and it is unrealistic to expect it to do so. The City will always have to farm out complex litigation to private firms (as other cities of similar size do) if it wants quality work. So the argument that the City will save farm-out money by paying the new appointee more money just won't wash.
posted by Conchette at 3:28 PM
2 Comments:
and this is a suprise to you! you do live in a never never land. and you continue to support the city's actions re tampoa! wow, hard to follow your line of reasoning in that.
you think that bethel is a better negotiator and more upstanding. he who said that he did not vote for the 2000 agreement and wasn't at the commission meeting only to be shown to have voted for it on a role call vote (one of two that he voted on) documented at that commission meeting' minutes. oh boy!
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