City Administrator Eastman seems to have a problem with our Alderman seeing the check book. (read the story in the Call by clicking here.)
As Chester A. Riley used to say, "what a revoltin development this is!" I am at a loss to understand why the Cities check register and expenditures are not automatically shown to the Alderman, after all isn't that why we elected them, to watch the money?
I think we ALL need to make the Ways and Means committee meeting on Tuesday February 21, 2012 at 3:30 PM and ask our new City Administrator why she believes WE shouldn't be able to see where OUR money is going!
I know she is not much of a fan of the FOIA form and all it can produce, but unless she grants the wishes of the Alderman I strongly suggest she gets ready for a few more from me, and whom ever else is interested in the expenditures.
Ms. Eastman, you wanted bonuses and salary adjustments that well may necessitate the City coming to US for a tax increase, no? Well I for one will never support an increase unless EVERY inflated salary has been adjusted back to reality, the take home cars (other than Police and Fire Chiefs) are removed from service, and WE the citizens are privy to the check book register and ALL the expenses this City has incurred.
The time for hand outs has passed long ago, now it's time to cut every 'duplicate' expenditure, and every non essential item before it's too late. Ms. Eastman, will you please listen to the Mayor and our other elected officials and give them what they want, or are you going to 'stonewall,' and thus raise more questions?
Tom Ford
NO. 991
I think we ALL need to make the Ways and Means committee meeting on Tuesday February 21, 2012 at 3:30 PM and ask our new City Administrator why she believes WE shouldn't be able to see where OUR money is going!
I know she is not much of a fan of the FOIA form and all it can produce, but unless she grants the wishes of the Alderman I strongly suggest she gets ready for a few more from me, and whom ever else is interested in the expenditures.
Ms. Eastman, you wanted bonuses and salary adjustments that well may necessitate the City coming to US for a tax increase, no? Well I for one will never support an increase unless EVERY inflated salary has been adjusted back to reality, the take home cars (other than Police and Fire Chiefs) are removed from service, and WE the citizens are privy to the check book register and ALL the expenses this City has incurred.
The time for hand outs has passed long ago, now it's time to cut every 'duplicate' expenditure, and every non essential item before it's too late. Ms. Eastman, will you please listen to the Mayor and our other elected officials and give them what they want, or are you going to 'stonewall,' and thus raise more questions?
Tom Ford
NO. 991
posted by Crestwood Independent at 12:44
9 Comments:
Amen to that Tom! How did the City of Crestwood hire someone so difficult to work with?
10:19 AM Blogger: Well one thing is for sure, the process of 'vetting' was probably not fully completed.
When we (my company) hire someone that person is subjected to a complete background check including a discussion with the former employer's.
This of course requires the written permission of the applicant, and as such if not authorized by same, the probability of their being hired rapidly diminishes.
I have no idea if this was done or not, but if it had been we may or may not have found traits that would have changed the picture completely.
Interviews are fine to a point, but why the applicant left prior positions as stated by the firm in question are much more telling and should be done in my opinion.
Now as to 'how' we did it, I have no idea but I would like to recommend we do things a bit differently in the future.
Tom Ford
I agree Tom. Before I retired I was mgr. who was responsible for hiring everyone in my dept. Frequently I would hire someone with experience in my company's industry who had worked for a competitor. They either got on board with our company culture or they were let go. It just seems very odd to me that a city would employ someone at the highest level of mgt. that seems to go against the city. I have a friend who is a mayor of a village in the metro east with the same population as ours, I asked what he thought about all the take home cars Crestwood City empolyees get and he just laughed and said his taxpayers would NEVER go for that.
12:22 AM Blogger: Well as far as the taxpayer going for it here, I foe one am not going to let it go.
We were 'hornswaggled' on that one by a group of Alderman thinking with ? instead of their brains, and it must to be reversed!
How do we tell the employees that there is no money for raises and yet pay one person an inflated wage with a take home car?
Memo to the Alderman and Ms. Eastman: The employees are not happy, period. We can afford to loose one person if they don't like the decision to reverse their pay plan and take home car, we can't afford to loose the rest just because someone wants a sweetheart deal!
Tom Ford
Once again, we've hired someone who obviously doesn't fit our expectations. We never seem to do the correct background checks on people before we hire them. Ms Eastman seems to not have a clue or else she just thought we have such a dumb lot here, she'd just come over and rehaul everybody and everything. Grief.
6:18 I am fairly sure it was less than one year that Greer was
City Administrator but I do not know when he was hired as police chief.
I have to agree with you. It does seem true that some of our previous problems had to do with no proper record checks.
Since it is very important and is suppose to be done in conjunction with the hiring of persons such as Department Heads, the powers that be surely didn't do that when Don Greer was hired.
I remember the retired police chief, Mel Loyd, being very upset about no record check being done and mentioned it to me.
Further, I also remember Pat Killoren specifically telling the CA at that time, to make sure it was done. But it was not done.
I did my own investigation on my time (not city's) and found out information that would have raised a red flag regarding Don Greer and the bad management letter given to his previous employer.
I was also informed by the fire chief at that time that some day Greer would be the new CA because he knew for a fact that Greer wanted the CA's job. Too bad Chief Kramer isn't still around; the man knew tons about lots of things. Yes indeed, Chief Kramer knew many things and anything he ever said to me turned out to be true.
I wondered about his words at that time, but didn't think much of it at the time, but it turned out all to be true.
Further, although most people on this blog were not too happy that Roy Robinson got to be mayor, Roy did get rid of Greer. (Hey Tom don't get upset if I give Roy a nod on this but he gave the heave ho to the devil in my opinion and that was good.) I know how so many on this thread dispise Roy. But, it's my comment and everybody surely need not agree with it. But that's the way it was.
Everyone thinks we have problems with the police department now, but Greer fired/hired/demoted on a whim because he followed his own rules and everyone in his office knew at any given moment, he could chop their heads off with his invisible machetti and the administrator would do nothing but sanction it.
Sorry but I had to give my two cents.
So, if this CA was not checked out properly, she should have been and Crestwood should have learned that lesson long ago.
Just thought you would want to know.
12:27 PM Blogger: Sandy I take issue with but one thing you have stated in your missive, that being "Everyone thinks we have problems with the police department now."
We have no problems with our Police Department at all. In fact did you know that our latest bank robber was nabbed in less than one half of a day?
Were very fortunate to live and work in an area with such outstanding men and women such as we have on our Police and Fire departments.
Tom Ford
I agree Tom on everything you said. In fact, I have no idea what is going on and if there is, it is not up to us to take care of it.
It (whatever "IT") is, should be done internally. As far as I am concerned, our Police Department is fine and our Fire Department as well. The board of aldermen and the mayor as I understand it, does not get involved in personnel matters according to the guidelines which by now should be incased in gold along the sidewalk entrance.
If the day ever comes when we are so out of money that we have to go to the County police and a fire protection district, I will be in the first row, screaming about it.
Further, I don't know what in the "hey" everybody is talking about. But whatever it is, we should have the right people in place to take care of it. If there is an internal problem, it is up to those who were given the power to settle it as long as everybody is going by the rules.
Why isn't there a residency requirement for Department heads In Crestwood?
Anybody?
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