Reply With Quotehe should, instead of asking for another layer of govt, be proposing the mayor do his job
Councilman Joe Golumbek, whose North District is in now precipitous decline, is again proposing a city manager form of government for Bflo.
Known as a supporter of Byron Brown, he is perhaps ashamed of the recent Byron-Steve-Steve primary debacle, which has again made Bflo a laughing stock.
Many of the most successful US cities have a city manager, with the mayor being mostly 'ceremonial'.
Let the needed debate begin!
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/441307.html
Proposal calls for city manager in Buffalo
By Brian MeyerNEWS STAFF REPORTER, Updated: 09/17/08 8:20 AM
A Common Council member allied with Mayor Byron W. Brown stunned some observers Tuesday when he dusted off an ill-fated reform he floated years earlier that calls for the city to be run by a professional manager, diluting the mayor’s role in City Hall.
North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. said he would lobby lawmakers to put the measure before voters in a referendum — perhaps by next year.
A city manager form of government would shift day-to-day operational duties to a professional administrator, often relegating the mayor to more ceremonial duties. Under the typical city manager matrix, lawmakers appoint the administrator.
“This is not an indictment on Mayor Brown any more than it was an indictment on Mayor [Anthony M.] Masiello,” said Golombek, noting that he first proposed the reform four years ago.
At least five of Golombek’s eight fellow Council members said they were keeping an open mind on the issue and looking forward to reviewing his plan.
Peter K. Cutler, Brown’s communications chief, said the mayor won’t comment until he can review a proposed restructuring that Golombek is expected to introduce at a Sept. 30 Council meeting.
“Having said that, as far as I can tell, the City of Buffalo has a city manager — one duly elected by the residents. And that’s the mayor,” Cutler said.
The issue was rekindled after some Council members unveiled a resolution aimed at curbing “partisan political activity” in City Hall. The Buffalo Employment Protection Act would bar most city employees from managing campaigns, donating to political fundraisers, running for party office such as committeeman or circulating nominating petitions. In a 5-4 vote, the Council directed the Law Department to draft the legislation. The final bill would be subject to approval by the Council and mayor.
Golombek and a few other Council members decried the plan as unconstitutional.
“It’s illegal, and I think it’s unethical,” said Brian C. Davis of the Ellicott District.
University District Council Member Bonnie E. Russell said the restrictions would go far beyond state, federal and local provisions that regulate political activity in government circles.
“Politics is a process that every citizen in the United States should be able to participate in at their own discretion,” Russell said.
That’s when Golombek challenged self-proclaimed Council reformers to embrace his plan to create a city manager form of government. He argued that this monumental change would have more impact on removing politics from City Hall than the Protection Act, claiming workers can hide some activities.
“We need to look at real reform,” Golombek said.
Lawmakers also voted, 6-3, Tuesday to confirm Brown’s choice for human resources commissioner. The mayor’s nomination of Karla L. Thomas for the key post triggered controversy as some questioned her qualifications, criticized her for not outlining her vision for the department and worried that her involvement in politics might compromise the office.
Thomas addressed the latter issue Tuesday by resigning as the chairwoman of Grassroots, a political group that Brown helped form many years ago.
bmeyer@buffnews.com
he should, instead of asking for another layer of govt, be proposing the mayor do his job
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
We he does the job of a mayor in a city manager form of government just fine.Originally Posted by steven
"A city manager form of government would shift day-to-day operational duties to a professional administrator, often relegating the mayor to more ceremonial duties. Under the typical city manager matrix, lawmakers appoint the administrator."
His hard hat never gets dusty and his scissors never get rusty. Atta boy Bubby Brown!
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If there was a city manager and a figure-head mayor, wouldn't you be able to dump all the deputy mayors?
Would Casey allow such a thing to happen?? That kind of thing might cut his legs out from under him????
A ceremonial mayor could not justify a costly All-Night-Cop, all-day-cops preventing access to his offfice, nor a cop driver, either.
This is an urgently needed discussion in a distressed city facing serious new challenges as NYS revenues face sharp decline following the stock market crisis.
Hopefully urban expert David Rusk, who has repeatedly been brought to Bflo by Kevin Guaghan, VOICE Bflo & others to address sprawl & urban decline, will again be brought into the discussion.
An update by Brian Meyer:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/441931.html
Push for city manager is renewed
Golombek proposes downgrading mayor
By Brian Meyer NEWS STAFF REPORTER, Updated: 09/18/08 6:39 AM
A renewed push to shake up City Hall’s power structure by creating a Council-city manager model could receive help from a national coalition that promotes excellence in government.
North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. wants Buffalo to join the growing ranks of cities that have gone from strong-mayor forms of government to having professional managers run day-to-day operations.
Golombek unveiled legislation Wednesday that, if approved by lawmakers, would see Buffalo reach out to national experts in hopes of finding a better way to run the city.
“Government and politics are so intertwined in the City of Buffalo that we now live in a region that has lost hope for the future,” said Golombek.
In particular, he is seeking expert advice from a Washington-based coalition of 9,000 professional administrators that is considered a national authority on governance models. The advocacy director for the International City/County Management Association said her group is eager to provide data and meet with Buffalo officials.
“With no disrespect to mayors intended, a mayor is a political leader,” said Martha Perego. “You’re asking for political skills and management skills from one individual, and it’s highly rare to find that.”
While Golombek said various governance models should be studied, he views the Council-manager form of government as most efficient.
He cited statistics indicating that 58 percent of all cities nationwide with populations of at least 100,000 have Council-manager models. The cities range in size from Dayton, Ohio, with about 166,000 residents, to San Antonio, with a population of about 1.3 million. Other cities with professional managers include Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The governance models can vary, but the legislative body is generally responsible for hiring a professional administrator who vows to refrain from political activities. With the manager responsible for making all hiring decisions, advocates of the Council-manager model consider it a solution to the problem of patronage.
Golombek wants the Common Council president to form a task force comprised of leaders from the public and private sectors to study ways to revamp city government.
A crusade to bring a Councilcity manager matrix to Buffalo fizzled four years ago. The late James D. Griffin, a former mayor- turned-Council member, tried unsuccessfully to get enough lawmakers to support his reform.
But almost half the lawmakers who occupied Council seats during that ill-fated attempt in 2004 are no longer in city government. All nine current lawmakers told The Buffalo News they have some interest in studying the new governance model, but several made it clear they’re not sure they’ll support the change in the end.
Michael J. LoCurto of the Delaware District thinks the concept could strengthen city operations. “Right now, we have such a strong-mayor system that it’s hard to get policy done unless it’s initiated by the mayor’s office,” said LoCurto.
University representative Bonnie E. Russell said she supports the concept in general but worries that the current 5-4 political split on the Council would undermine efforts to hire a truly independent city manager. If the government model required seven out of nine lawmakers to agree on the hiring of a manager, she said she might be receptive.
The change would have to be put to voters in a referendum. Golombek said it is conceivable a plan could appear on the 2009 election ballot — the same year Buffalo voters will elect a mayor. But he said he’s willing to consider later time-lines.
Mayor Byron W. Brown’s office hasn’t said much about the plan proposed by Golombek, who has been a previous mayoral ally. Peter K. Cutler, Brown’s communications director, stands by comments made Tuesday when he said: “As far as I can tell, the City of Buffalo has a city manager — one duly elected by the residents. And that’s the mayor.”
bmeyer@buffnews.com
A city manager is a great idea, but should get rid of mayor, deputy mayor etc etc.
again, why do you need a manager? Why not make the mayor do his job?
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
steve , I think the mayor does think he's doing his job , that's what's scary.........hire a city manager & eliminate the mayor & deputy mayors , that'll be a start to save big bucks..........downsize the council some more also..........way to many of them part timers , same with the county gov't , get rid of over 50% of them or even more as they get big time salaries for part time work , not to mention those staffs...........!! NYS gov't is BIGGEST employer in WNY , could use some bigger trimming there , plus "our" money gets sent to subsidize NYC , as that's where the votes are & the politicians know it , that's why there really don't care about us.........
“You’re asking for political skills and management skills from one individual, and it’s highly rare to find that.”
Because the job that is needed can not be done by a politician. A mayor needs to be elected and remain electable. However, what the city needs are decisions to be made without consideration of remaining electable.
Sadly, when a decision needs to be made the merit of that decision is not the only consideration. Although it should be.
What is considered, often times more weighted then the outcome, is how that decision will be viewed by those who got the decision maker elected and how that decision will effect the next election.
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[/B]Here is the latest Bflo News editorial on Golumbek's city manager proposal.
It deserves serious consideration, more so in the context of a NYS & US fiscal crisis.
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/e...ry/445905.html
EDITORIAL: Explore the option
Proposal for professional city manager deserves at least a careful look
Updated: 09/23, 08 6:24 AM
Buffalo residents who are weary of the politics that has long infested City Hall can only hope that this year’s presidential campaign theme of “change” can gain some ground at City Hall.
Here’s the test: North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr., once again, proposes that Buffalo change its strong-mayor form of municipal governance to a city manager model that emphasizes managerial professionalism and shuns the corrosive influence of politicking. That’s a worthy goal. This proposal deserves a long, hard look.
In a city manager form of government, elected officials on a city council hire a professional to run the city, just as a board of directors hires an executive to run its corporation. There is no authoritative “mayor,” although there could be a ceremonial one. The council, for example, could name a member as its president and that person could assume the ceremonial functions of a mayor.
The manager would be responsible for carrying out policies and objectives set by the council, whose members could be chosen in nonpartisan elections. The manager, often selected from an existing national list of qualified candidates after a search that could involve citizen input, would serve at the council’s pleasure.
That form of government has become increasingly popular, with more than half of American cities with populations of more than 100,000 opting for it. Given the wretched excesses of Buffalo’s politics — and the need for managerial efficiency in a poor city that must use its resources wisely — it would be irresponsible for the Common Council not to give this possibility careful consideration.
The key advantage would be keeping politics out of the day-to-day running of the city. Nationally credentialed city managers cannot, if they want to keep their membership in the national organization that provides those credentials, be involved in politics. That takes political heat off council members when tough decisions have to be made, and it frees the actual city executive — who remains accountable for his or her actions daily, and not just at election time — to make necessary tough decisions. And it puts hiring, firing and other personnel decisions in the hands of a professional manager, focusing the city work force more on city work than on favoritism and political concerns.
Golombek has drawn up a first-step measure that would see the city seek input on a different form of government from the credentialing organization, the International City/County Management Association. The legislation would require approval by the Common Council and Mayor Byron W. Brown, whose spokesman, Peter Cutler, offered little enthusiasm for it last week.
Still, this is the year of “change,” according to both presidential candidates, and it’s not just Washington that needs changing. It can be hoped that the state’s economic condition will force change in Albany, and if Buffalo can be better run with a different, less political system of government, don’t its taxpayers deserve the opportunity to consider that?
The Common Council should approve Golombek’s bill and Brown, with a chance to burnish his credentials as a modern leader, should sign it.
Is it really as simple as that? A few votes and a signature?
I cant agree with you.
A city manager will be appoiunted by the council no?
No matter who it is. Someone will have to appoint the manager and who ever does will make sure its someone that does things the way they want. If we had a 50/50 counsol then their would be merits to the argument.
But the dems control city hall. The dems will control any manager they appoint. Any party in power would do the same.
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
Personally, I think those on the city council know what is right but doing what is right means not staying in office.
A city manager would allow them to put into office someone who can do what is right but deflect the blame. Similar to the control board.
Additional to this, a city manager could change who is elected to the council. People like Davis, who is just stupid, would not have the backing of the mayor or should I say that backing would be worthless. They may still remain Dems but at least they would not be pawns.
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good grief my spelling is terrible.......
still don't agree with you though
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
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