It's official, former C/A Don Greer has been hired by Fairview Hts., IL. As their first ever C/A!
As first reported here Mr. Don Greer has accepted the job of City Administrator for the Illinois City of Fairview Heights. Mr. Greer, when he starts will be the first City Administrator to be hired by that community. Mr. Greer will have an annual salary of $85,000.00 plus a gas allowance (according to a story in the Suncrest Call,) and will take over his duties soon.
Won't you all join me in wishing Mr. Greer good luck in his new position, and may both he, and Fairview heights prosper!
Tom Ford
No. 152
Won't you all join me in wishing Mr. Greer good luck in his new position, and may both he, and Fairview heights prosper!
Tom Ford
No. 152
posted by Crestwood Independent at 17:54
46 Comments:
That's the joke of the century. Don Greer will prosper but Fairview Heights will never be the same. Their first C/A may be their last. History may very well repeat itself. God help women over 40. They better start looking for new jobs and they better throw their civil service rules out the window.
Memorable Greer quotes:
09-16-2005 STLToday "After working 70 to 75 hours per week for the better part of 3 years, I'm tired."
05-18-2006 Belleville News Democrat "I'm too young to retire"
Speaking of Don Greer, does anyone out there know the status of Diana Madrid?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
10:19pm today obviously you feel that Mr. Greer did not get a fair shake in Crestwood. Personally, this confuses me. Much of what we heard was obviously rumor, however much more is God's truth; proveable, so this just goes to show that in life there is always two sides of every story. If Mr. Greer truly has the good intentions of helping any city and has the education to do this wisely, time will tell. Maybe in time there will be evidence of what went wrong here. No doubt someone is responsible or maybe two people. The only thing about Mr. Greer is that he did not seem to be a moral God fearing man and that kind of person is the kind I fear, do not trust, and do not want to deal with personally. If I am wrong, God forgive me.
Diana Madrid was spotted over at Fairview Heights City hall picking out her office. Looks like Fairview Heights is also building a new police station. All I can say is that they better quadruple their legal budget and start thinking about taking out a loan or two, or three.....
"As first REPORTED here..." "While this comes from a very good source, it is not completely vetted as of this writing, so I bring it to you as a rumor (a darn good one,) but never the less a rumor." Credible news sources don't report...
10:19 PM May 24th. Shame on you for calling anyone those bad words. Many people who have suffered the wrath of Don Greer, including myself, have told Don Greer face to face what we think. And someone even stood in front of the board of aldermen and stated the facts about Mr. Greer. He never blinked an eye, just like the old con artist that he is. I personally would never say anything behind his back that I wouldn't say to his face. But he had the power, he knew it, the board and previous mayors let him get by with it, and many people, as many as 10 that I know of suffered under his power. Don Greer did whatever he could because "he could". He wanted all his own people and if he had to threaten, coerce or demote anyone to get his way, he did it. So if you want to call people names, transfer some of those disgusting words to people like Greer who personifies all of them.
What did we say about insults on this blog? It's not hard to understand, you just saw two bloggers remarks trashed, so don't do it!
To 7:28 AM, 5/25 blogger, "Credible news sources don't report... ", report what? there was no report, only a very strong rumor (as I told you all.)
Now it's fact!
Tom Ford
Making this a headline wasn't much of a way to let the past settle and focus on the future. Why dredge him up again unless to fuel all the comments?
I can't believe that someone had the audacity to accuse Mr. Greer of not being a 'moral' person. Why was everyone so obsessed with his relationship? People can't handle two single adults dating? So they met at work...happens all the time. Did that create a conflict? Well someone could have asked that out loud instead of going on the slander campaign.
I hope time does tell. Mr. Greer didn't stand a chance to prove what he had to offer Crestwood. I hope Fairview Heights does benefit from his knowledge. I also hope he and Ms. Madrid can live in peace from here on out.
And women over 40 and civil service rules? Sounds like a bitter ex-employee.
Sorry, what was wrong with Mr. Greer and Ms. Madrid's relationship was that 1) HE WAS HER BOSS, 2) HE APPROVED HER PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND COMPENSATION, 3) PUBLIC FUNDS (Through City Legal Representation during the Leichliter Lawsuit.) WERE USED TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP THIS RELATIONSHIP FORM THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN & PUBLIC, 4) BY ENGAGING IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, MR. GREER EXPOSED THE CITY TO A HUGE SEXUAL HARRASMENT CLAIM - HENCE MAYOR ROBINSON'S QUOTE THAT "WE DODGED A BULLUIT".
Making this a headline was, and is entirely proper, and the right thing to do!
When you read it, I am sure you noticed that I wished Mr. Greer good luck at his new post, and I meant it!
Why do I need to " fuel the comments" anyway? It looks like the folks here in Crestwood are doing a fine job of it now.
If you have read this blog, you will note that I have spent a few words on "letting go" of the past when it comes to him, and his friend, and I meant that also!
This is still America, the liberals haven't quite taken over here (and they never will.) You are most welcome to defend whomever you wish on the blog, but I woulden't expect too much help here when it comes to himself.
Tom Ford
4:44 PM May 25th. Well maybe if you were the disgruntled, x-employee who Greer got rid of and had a wife and kids and did a good job for Crestwood many years, you wouldn't be saying the same thing.
If Don Greer wanted you gone, boy let me tell you, you were gone. Civil Service? He buried it! Don Greer wanted all his own people. The rest he threw out by the side of the road and couldn't care less. So don't be so smug because you were never the one who was out of work, without a job, for no good reason except you didn't fit in Don Greer's plan.
It took a girl in one of the departments 8 months to find work after she was dismissed, and she is her sole support. She was an excellent worker. Replaced her with two young ones!!!! But we were broke, remember?
Maybe if you were the cop that was demoted in order for Greer to promote a golfing buddy to Major, you would feel different. This is the same Major who sexual harrassed two female cops and nothing was ever said about it. Why? Because Don Greer covered it up. He protected people he wanted to protect, and the rest were victims in his war to get his way. But first he got the power when he was appointed to two positions. In fact, Mr. Major was told to take his time to find another job. But Mr. Greer being such a nice guy, got Mr. Major a job. Was Don Greer concerned about his two female cops and what happened to them? No. After the Major got his new job, Greer asked him to come to Crestwood and show both of the same female cops how to use new equipment in their police cars. How about that for moral fiber!!!
These female cops both had to file their own lawsuits against this Major and the city. Cost the city $20,000 a piece. But we were broke, remember? Check it out, it is public record. Don Greer protects his foot soldiers. The rest of us can go fly a kit!
You have no idea how it was but you can say otherwise all you want.
You just keep thinkin what you are thinkin if it makes you feel better, but once again, you and the truth are poles apart.
You can't even imagine how he oveturned everything regarding personnel to the point where everyone that ever worked for the previous administration knew it was just a matter of time before their days were numbered.
You can be rude, crude or make negative remarks about x-employees. You can believe what you want to believe but I hope you, sir or madame, never have to go through what some people have had to deal with while he was in Crestwood.
If you have any more theories, or questions, you will never hear another word from me on this blog about it. If by now you don't want to face the fact that Crestwood's employees can now take a deep breath for the first time in a long time, since Greer is gone, I pity you.
However, I was just waiting for someone like you to try to make a remark to diminish such an important issue like professional ethics and Don Greer's lack thereof. Don Greer was a little man with a big ego. His way was going to be the way, ethics or morals not withstanding.
If it happened to you, under the same circumstances, maybe that is the only way you could feel what others have felt that were dealt his deck of cards.
It's the same old tune. If it isn't you or your loved one that experiences an unfair crisis, it's not a big deal. And you blow it off by saying that it is just a "disgruntled employee". It only becomes a big deal when it hits home. So take your best shot about what you think you know about Greer, or your so-called x-employee, and I will tell you, you are getting your information from the wrong source. But believe it if that makes you feel better!
Thanks and Regards.
Bravo 8:02 pm blogger! Very well said. Most people never had to work under this man so it makes it a little difficult for them to understand what people went through. I was at the staff meeting when he said that if you didn't do it "his way" you were going to be "kicked off the island!" NO JOKE! Yeah, it's time to move on, but it gets a little difficult when people keep trying to paint this rosie picture of that man. What gets me is some think it was ok for them two to have a "relationship". So it's ok for them to have those relations at city hall in his office? YES, IT HAPPENED PEOPLE!
6:28 PM There are quite a few responsible people who know that Mayor Robinson was referring to his own activities when he said "We dodged a bullet." Someday people like you will know and accept the truth.
Responsible for what? "Show me" is the motto of Missouri, and it's mine also.
Put up or shut up time kiddies, time for the "responsible people" to display your cards!
Whatcha got?
You anti Roy Robinson people are a piece of work! "He did this, he did that", not one shread of back up to your remarks mind you, but were all suposed to believe you!
When faced with something so mundane as sworn testamony (as in a deposition,) you say it's not true, why it's a smear aganst the former employee's!
You seem to take the same position when it comes to the free swimming pool you got from the Crestwood Point Development project. Why, this was paid for by us (darn right if you shop at Kohl's,)however the truth of the matter is, it wasen't, and it wont be! It will be paid for by shoppers at Kohl's for years to come, and you know it!
Your problem is that your little house of cards is imploding from the weight of it's own degenerate past. Crestwood citizens will no longer believe your inuendo, and flat out falsehood's, we want to see the fact's on paper, not in your head!
As the prior blogger said, Watcha Got!
What religion is it where one can judge the morality of others while reveling in the sin of hatred? How hypocritical!
Personally, I don't hate Don Greer. I just think he was a mediocre Police Chief and a lousy City Administrator who ripped our little town apart. Let's hope that he dosen't do the same to Fariview Heights. But given his track record in Wood River and Crestwood, I'm not holding my breath.
What religion is it? I have no clue, but it sounds like "Saint swim club" to me. Isnt that what happens there a lot?
For the blogger who said Don Greer said to do it his way or get off the island....I have news for you. Your new Mayor told the employees the same thing....said if you don't like him or his ways, find a new job. Seems he has the same little man syndrome you accuse Greer of having. Oh, but that's right, if Roy said it, it's okay.
And for the blogger who said Don Greer took away the civil service rules (I don't remember him dismembering that board??), your new mayor is the one that was quoted in the paper as saying the employees had no First Amendment Rights unless he gave them to him. This almighty man can apparently revoke employee's rights according to the constitution!
You can spit out your versions of what happened with promotions, firings, lawsuits, harassment, but readers should remember, that is one person's version.
Every bitter ex-employee has a complaint and recollection of what happened that is full of holes. Probably a lot of current employees do too. I'm sure you can find someone from every administration that feels wronged. I have worked for several now myself, and can say that this one isn't any better than the last, and the last wasn't as evil as everyone here would like to believe.
Go get a job Mr. Kelleher and then we'll talk!
To poster 10:15... Has Mayor Robinsion had a sexual relationship with subordinate Crestwood Employee? Did he provide that employee a salary increase? Did he overlook that employee’s gross incompetence? Did he utilize taxpayer funds to try and keep the nature of this relationship from the Board of Aldermen? Did his actions lay the ground work for a huge sexual harassment claim that had to be bought off using more tax dollars?
10:15 PM. I don't believe you heard those remarks first hand regarding what the mayor said. You would believe anybody who was against the mayor because he wasn't your choice in the first place, and you can't get over it.
You can't separate fact from fiction. If this is true, as you say, at least now this mayor has appointed a Civil Service Board who can protect employees. We didn't have that with Don Greer. Oh that's right, the mayor has all his own people on the board.
If this mayor or any mayor implies that he controls everything and that employees have no first amendment rights, why don't you call him on it at the board meetings. I doubt that you will. It's more fun to poke fun!!!
Face to face is the only way of knowing the truth and if you are so sure it is ? Ask him?
All people in important positions in the City from this day forward, better be careful because if employees can't get a fair shake by this mayor or that mayor, by this department head or that one, and the civil service board does nothing, there are bigger laws out there to protect people like me and you and everyone and the city can just bank on the fact that some employees will take their injustices to the top to break free from intolerant behavior by any employer or employee. No person should have to go through that. So the City better have some money in a hidden account because other lawsuits will prevail.
It's the 21 century and it's about time that everyone is treated fairly.
Like I said, if you had to walk in x-employees shoes, maybe you would realize that there was a civil service board in place for years, and for years, the employees had someplace to go with complaints or violations. Kent Leichliter gave Don Greer the power to review the rules and regulations and 70% of the rules were changed by Don Greer, and Kent Leichliter let him do it. Greer laid the ground work for when he would become city administrator so he could control what he did to employees. Don Greer will lie to protect himself and make others look bad. It's too bad that he used his power to make a believer out of you and others. It's the oldest trick in the book. Once you get the power, you get the girl and make others think you are superman.
Talk with the firm who conducted the civil service study and you will see that Greer disagreed with everything they did to the point where he was impossible to please unless it was all his way.
Sounds like this blogger is a young man who goes around with a big chip on his shoulder, who will always play politics because it makes him feel powerful. Maybe he should talk to those who were displaced because of Greer however, that would totally destroy his bubble and he is having way too much fun thinking he is right.
Please everyone, keep term limits in place or we may have this guy again thanks to the swim club and church people. Just like it has been for years.
11:00 AM You really don't like church people do you. Why am I not surprised that you are a Robinson supporter?
11:00a.m., Leichliter gave Greer the power to change the rules? The Mayor is quoted as saying he was in Leichliter's corner?
Explain that!
What has Church people got to do with the 11:00Am post? I think the blogger was stating the fact that, ward 2 being a mostly Catholic area seems to choose it's Alderman from the Church.
Your seeing ghost's were there are none.
Blogger at 4:30 is right, you are seeing ghosts where there are none.
But blogger at 2:16 pm what kind of church goer are you to incinuate that Mayor Robinson doesn't have religion. That's not very christian of you. Maybe you should look at yourelf instead of judging others by your words.
Foremost, the original message was about Don Greer. Stick to the message and make your appropriate comment relating to it or post nothing at all.
Well, well, well, looks like Fairview Heights made the same mistake as did Crestwood and Wood River - no background checks. They won't even feel the pain until it's too late. Don't know whether to feel sorry for them or LOL. Let's face it the "Hawk has Landed." The good people of F.H. had best pay attention. When the novacaine wears off, the energizer bunny just keeps on exploiting.
Should we take bids on how long Humpty will sit on the wall on his 3rd try over in F.Hts?
By the way, wouldn't ya'all just love to know who all gave a "letter of recommendation" for Romeo? Awwwwwwwww that's too easy.
Who? Jim Robertson? Na, still in hiding... waiting for the statute of limitations to run out this December. Me thinks it's that other lawyer.
Heard a quip from a Crestwood employee last night, who seemed to be glad to see the Don go.
The description of the Don was "he was so self centered, he could have been a tornado"!
Excellent!
For all of those interested in the truth..here it is.
Don Greer was not well liked!
His ego, flamboyance, indescretions, and disregard for professional etiquette bounded down the street and poked us in the eye.
Our city will recover from the Don Greer black eye.
Ditto to the blogger at 3:31 pm May 28th. Your description of Mr. Greer is perfect. And for those of you who are the naysayers of Mayor Robinson, if it were not for him, Don Greer will still be here, and the board of aldermen members would still be sanctioning his every desire, including keeping his inept Finance Officer. It took this mayor to get him out of Crestwood and if that is the only thing he does for Crestwood, it's more than I can say for those who preceeded him. You can still name call him anything and everything you want, but the biggest cancer in this community is gone thanks to Roy Robinson, and we will soon see the rath Greer will bring to his next victim city.
Tom Fagan was probably the one who gave Greer his glowing at-a-boy so F.H. could hire him. It's strange that Mr. Fagan doesn't realize that Don Greer was the biggest reason he lost the election.
Well, since this mayor was an alderman when the City hired Greer, it would seem only just that he corrected his big error of many years ago when he approved his hiring.
When did Roy first realize that Greer was the cancer and black eye of Crestwood?
Was Roy an alderman in 1990 when the city hired Greer? And who was the police chief prior to Greer?
(I'm not making any accusations or insinuations - just asking questions)
Greer was hired to be a Police Chief as I recall, not a city administrator, which position he connived out from under Licklider. Ya know, the mismanagement of funds dealy to make it look like there was plenty of money was probably a trick taught by Greer - think Enron, etc.!!! But, sure, why not go ahead and blame Roy for that hiring if indeed he was an alderman then, as if he had a crystal ball and could tell a vote would mean disaster up the road. What kind of imbecile are you? Fagan and Robertson were enchanted by the Greer Wizzard and when they no longer could understand the maze of the budget as presented by Greer they were his slaves. Greer worked his magic on the Fagonites until his luck and all the money ran out. Do you think anyonce with any sense at all doesn't know this? So, please, applaud the man. His fan club is like the sun in the west in the evening. And if you don't believe this, there is a swim club up on the parking lot at city hall for sale.
Yes, and sure, this is written by someone who survived a miserable and lonely childhood fraught with hate and distrust. Sorta like yours, eh!!!
Poster 5:43, Did you miss your 12 Step Meeting this weekend?
10:20 poster, no I made the meeting, but didn't see you there. Guess you were up at the pool, cessing it up.
I was reading the Post Dispatch over the weekend and I came upon an article about Iraq. Now normally I would have expected to see am Iraq article about the war, but this one was different.
It stated that allthough all of the Parliamant had not been elected as of yet, one thing had been resolved.
It seems as though all of the elected officials now, and future in the Parliament will have the privledge of two car's!
Are we sure our former C/A is in fairview height's? Just wondering.
Tom Ford
That's pretty good! Did you see what Fairview Heights is paying by the way of a car allowance? Why couldn’t Mr. Greer have set an example and used better judgment in Crestwood instead of taking an obscene $750 (tax free) car allowance when he and Jimbo Robertson were preaching that the city was broke? But then again what other little gems did these two bring Crestwood? 1) $1,000,000 plans for a police station that will never be built, 2) $750,000 spent on a bogus lawsuit, 3) a Finance Director who couldn’t keep track of her own time sheet, 4) $175,000 accounting software that couldn’t count, 5) $50,000 payout to keep the events of certain holiday party under wraps, 6) lawyers paid with taxpayer money to try and keep certain “Social Relationships” form the new Mayor. I’m tired… I think I will stop counting!
You got to hand it to Greer though. When it came to himself, he played the game well. With assistance from Robertson, Fagan, Trueblood, et al, he took what was given to him - 2 positions, a big car allowance, a proposed police building - and ran with it, although the police building was squashed. Greer could not have gotten all of those things without his supporters.
Common sense would dictate that no one person, especially a person not directly elected by the people, have so much power. Common sense lost.
Common sense is gradually returning, but it seems political vendettas are being played out by some of the current and former aldermen.
To 8:04 PM, May 30th. You are right on. Vendettas will keep Mayor Robinson real busy. Because some aldermen who are still serving Crestwood and some new ones are out for blood and in no way will they ever cooperate with Roy. The only reason some of them ran for office in the first place was to stiffel Roy's every move. Not for you or I!
If term limits on the ballot do not stay in place in the Charter, and some on the board are allowed to run for office repeatedly, you can bet these vendetta-minded aldermen will be reappointed as long as they have ties with church people and swim club people or the Fagan/Robertson regime. This is a tradition in Crestwood and the rookies will replace the old timers and be spoon fed all of the reasons to keep up the same traditions.
I personally do not see it ever changing. And if it is allowed to continue, you can expect even more yelling and screaming on the dais from some board members to others. You can also bet that the few who hold these vendettas close to their chest will be sounding off on the dais especially with new reinforcements on the board to back them up.
Mr. Bland for example is only there for politics. He will do everything Pat Duwe tells him to do or Alderman Kelleher, or Alderman Breeding. He ran for office because his friend Tom Fagan wanted him to run. You have to watch out for those lawyers. Fagan is still working in the background. Lawyers spend hours building up their cases and they are powerful and have friends. Tom Fagan in no way would ever support Roy Robinson so those who are Fagan supporters who are BOA members will never hear one good word from Fagan regarding Roy Robinson that's for sure. And who is more credible? After all, Tom Fagan speaks every day in his law practice so he sounds better and speaks better, but he never had the city residents as his first concern and handed Greer the city of crestwood on a silver platter.
When he was mayor, the whole dais
was out of control screaming and yelling and marching off of the dais. He never stopped it! Those were all his people so he just let them get by with it.
The more powerful these people become and know that they are allowed to act unprofessional because they have support by others on the board of aldermen, the issues and problems of the Crestwood residents will be washed away by pure politics. And then the City will fall on its face. We need people who are willing to stick their necks out for residents, not mask themselves in subtrifuge with those who want power above all costs. We just got rid of the consumate professional sociopath. But not soon enough. He has left his mark and his foot soldiers remain who still march to his same toon. Just thought you'd want to know. Just my own feelings on the subject.
You give Fagan and Robertson way too much credit. They are easily the 2 worst Mayors this city has ever had. You can take that to the bank. If the new Aldermen who are so called loyal to this duo had any sense they would steer clear of these two clowns, take their job seriously and represent their ward. We are out here watching their politics and it should not take much longer to separate the clowns, who are wasting our time and doing little to improve our city, from the aldermen with good intent. Our dais at city hall should be a platform for progress not a stage for immature men trying to impress their pals. We shall see!!
Didn't it just warm you heart to read what Mr. Greer had to say in the newspaper about how much he misses his close friends in CW? I guess he must also miss his close friends in Woodriver also when he wasn't invited to a gathering of ex-city managers held recently. How could they have overlooking inviting there favorite ex-ex-city manager? Perhaps some of the close friendships are one sided?
What do you expect Mr. Greer to say in the newspaper? The man doesn't know what humility is or what humanity is. He is always so busy massaging himself that his self-centered attacks he has made to hurt others to get what he wants is automatically dismissed out of his mind. He is so busy trying to overpower his new city, he can only live with himself if he forgets all the things he has done to rule, over run and overtake Crestwood. That was yesterday. On to the next barbarian takeover.
Post a Comment
<< Home