October 31, 2006

Civil Service Is A Disservice

How come Lowell can name a new city manager in less than a month, yet it could take up to nine months to name a new police chief?
It makes no sense frorm a public safety or government standpoint, where rapid succession is important to keep things running effectively.
Civil Service is the culprit. It is the state's way of giving unions a say in the hiring - and God forbid, firing - process
In Lowell's case, Civil Service rules will ensure that the new selection of a police chief is dragged out for six to nine months. Here's how it works in real time: Chief Ed Davis has tendered his resignation effective Dec. 1. City Manager Bernie Lynch will likely name an interim chief after he talks to all the possible in-house candidates. This choice will be made over the next week or two. Next, a notice for applicants will be posted. Then the applicants will have to take a Civil Service exam to determined the top three candidates by virtue of their test scores. The next police chief's exam is scheduled for April 2007. What follows will be interviews with the top three exam finalists, meaning that the No. 5 finisher on the exam, who just might have made the best chief based on his knowledge, experience and veteran experience, will be watching Law & Order reruns instead of participating in the process. Then the city manager will make his recommendation for the next chief. The council will then ratify the appointment. This will happen in May or June, based on how quick Civil Service returns the test results.
Whew!
Civil Service's only value is to determine a statistical rank and to make sure that all officers keep abreast of police work. Notice how they only study when an exam is scheduled.
While Civil Service might make sense for promotion through the ranks, it is absolutely a hindrance when it comes to naming a chief. Time should be of the essence; it shouldn't dictate the process.
The City Council should eradicate Civil Service as a part of the selection process for a new police chief. With a professional manager on the job, it should rely on the manager to consider the best candidates, interview them, present them to the council, and pick a successor based on professional qualities and abilities.
How can this be done? The council would have to vote on a motion for a charter change. If successful, the home-rule petition would then have to go to the Legislature for approval. Once that is achieved, Civil Service is removed from the chief's selection process.
How long will it take? Less than a month. If the council acts swiftly, the proposed charter change could be directed to the Legislature in January when lawmakers reconvene.
Once Civil Service is eliminated, the manager could conduct interviews and appoint a chief on his own time table. Lowell could have Davis' successor on board by February 1.
Civil Service was established to keep politics out of the selection process. Yeah, right. It should be a dead service, so that trusted municipal leaders get a chance to do what is best for their communities.
Any thoughts?

Posted by at 2:13 PM | Comments (5)

October 30, 2006

Patrick or Healey: Who Can Manage the Boom?

Is it any surprise that the Massachusetts economy is starting to pick up steam?
Only to Democrats, it seems.
Deval Patrick is still using old reports and numbers to paint a dismal picture of the Romney-Healey team's performance, but recent statistics show that the Democrat gubernatorial candidate is color-blind.
On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Commerces and University of Massachusetts reported that the state's economic growth for the three-month quarter that ended in September was a sizzling 3.4 percent - more than double the U.S. rate of 1.6 percent. Furthermore, it was the second consecutive quarter in which the Mass. economy outpaced the nation's.
Economists point out that the Massachusetts economy is driven by innovation and technology in the health, financial, and defense sectors. Well-educated people who earn high salaries provide the human capital to make these products or deliver these services.
So when Massachusetts hits a recession, like it did in 2000-2002, the economy takes a real hard dip, because good-paying jobs take the major hit. Millions of dollars are wiped out of the economy in those job losses.
The state lost about 178,000 jobs during the recession. Most of them manufacturing jobs that will be hard to replace, if ever. However, those jobs began to disappear in the late 1990s and losses accelerated with the recession.
Patrick likes to pin those job losses on the Romney-Healey team, but the Republican administration didn't take office until 2003. The recession hit its lowest point in 2003. The new Workforce Department data, however, shows that the Romney-Healey administration has been responsible for a net increase of 33,100 jobs since Sept. 2005 - with 25,000 of them coming since January 1, 2006.
Granted, that's not a huge number. In fact, Massachusetts still lags most industrialized states in job creation. But it's important to note that the economic growth data is surging, a forerunner of a boom in jobs.
The economic cycle appears to be storming ahead once again in the Bay State. The Romney-Healey team's tough fiscal policy in the early years when the recession was worsening is paying dividends.
If the growth data is an indication, Massachusetts could be headed for an extended boom period like it had from 1993-1999 before the roof caved in.
Now who do you think would do better as governor to maximize an impending boom period - Patrick or Healey?

Posted by at 6:46 PM | Comments (5)

October 24, 2006

Hail to the Chief, Davis That Is

Every Lowellian should be proud of Ed Davis' good news. Lowell's police superintendent will now turn in his badge for a new one, in Boston, where he will lead a much larger police department in the fight against crime. Davis' job is a daunting challenge. Boston's crime rate has been skyrocketing over the past two years, fueled by gang violence and drug turf battles. Davis, however, has a good chance for success, based on his knowledge, instincts and dedication to improving police technology to solve crimes. There is no better chief in New England than Davis when it comes to studying the craft of crime and finding useful, innovative tools to combat it.
Davis' signature technique is to prevent crime, by working on "at-risk" teens and monitoring ex-convicts returning to the community. He's been surrounded by some good administrators, detectives and officers who have bought into the system in Lowell. That's a tribute to his leadership. The big question is this: Will Boston's finest buy into it?
Davis had a $20 million budget to fight crime in Lowell. Boston's police budget is $250 million. Lowell taxpayers have received their money's worth for sure. The Lowell Police Department has made streets as safe as any 100,000-plus city in the nation.
While not everything he has done has been popular with politicians and his own rank-and-file, Davis has stayed the course with resolve. In 1999, the union took a no-confidence vote in his leadership. That was probably a feather in his cap for getting the Boston job.
Certainly, Davis faces a major hurdle in managing a 2,100-member department that has been cited for corruption, pay scandals and even murder. HIs salary will be $160,000, just $30,000 more than what he was earning in Lowell. He should be making twice the amount for what he's getting himself into.
I'm going to miss Ed Davis. He did his job well serving the people of Lowell. He knew what Lowell was all about, took pride in his upbringing and wearing the badge as a cop's son. I'm also going to miss the fact that of all the major department heads remaining in Lowell, Davis was one of the few still living in the city and paying taxes.

Posted by at 3:44 PM | Comments (6)

October 22, 2006

Bernie's First 100 Days

Boy how time goes by quickly. Lowell's new city manager, Bernie Lynch has been on the job for nearly 100 days, and so far he's used the time well. As a so-called "professional" manager, Lynch wasted no time in digging deep into the city budget and has found the process wanting for more accurate projections and numbers. He identified structural flaws in the budget that resulted in a projected $6.3 million deficit for FY '07. The figure has been reduced somewhat by about $1 million, but things still look tight.
Lynch's top achievement so far, however, might be his newcomer's scrutiny of city institutions and business dealings. He's been able to assess things and make some prudent decisions. His decision to end city-paid health care coverage for members of city boards who didn't come close to meeting the threshold as part-time workers saved about $320,000 annually. While some pundits objected to the way Lynch handled the matter - little notice for the insured who had pre-existing conditions - no one culd fault his reasoning for ending the costly perk.
It would be good if Lynch can extend his determination to cut health care costs to union negotiations.
Lynch has also acted decisively to bring in a new Finance Chief. The manager noted a change was in order, leading to the resignation of longtime administrator Jim Kennedy. Thomas Moses, the finance director for the city of Gloucester, has been hired to replace Kennedy.
Also, Lynch received the resignation of Building Commissioner Joe Guthrie, a Cox ally who has long been telling friends he was going to step down but never followed through until this week when a story in The Sun disclosed that Guthrie had been working without state certification. Guthrie has contended he was grandfathered in to do the job, but I was unwilling to fight the state.
Lynch has also made several high-profile board appointments, eliminating several Cox appointees in the process. "The Tsongasites are back," exclaimed one longtime City Hall observer, noting the appointments of several Belvidereans to the boards. It was worthy a chuckle but little more, unless one considers the unpopular removal of Mary Burns from the Planning Board. She was one of the few women to hold a board position, and had done nothing to cause dismay during her one-year tenure. If Lynch's overall staright A report card could be reduced a bit, it would have to be on this one. Obviously, revenge was a factor in Burns' dismissal - revenge not from Lynch but from someone long shut out from city government who now has Lynch's ear on what "good government" is all about. Yeah, give me a break. Good government is a subjective term. What the people want is honest government. But that's a blog entry for another day.
Of course, there are a lot of issues boiling to the surface at City Hall, including Lynch's ability to inspire confidence in workers. In fairness to the manager, he is not out to "get" rank-and-file workers even if recent events have put some people on edge. Everyone should just settle down and do their jobs as best they can. And let the manager do his.
Overall, Lynch has gotten off to a good start. His communication over the budget deficit, where $4 million in reserve funds and a $2 million tax payment from L'Energia, weren't readily disclosed gave an initial impression that things were in "crisis" mode. While the manager never used that term, several councilors embraced it and even gloated over it, sensing that it would be vindication for them getting rid of John Cox. That's Lowell politics, where bad news is always good news to some.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out over several key development projects in the months ahead. The siting of UMass Lowell's nanotechnology center, whether in the downtown Hamilton-Canal District, Lawrence Mills complex, or on the college's campus, will be important to all involved. Even the $100 million judicidial complex, slated for the Davidson Street lot area that was flooded in May, could be on the ropes.
Lynch's interest in the public schools will also be closely watched when budget-setting time rolls along. One thing is for certain, the city manager and the superintendent of schools have to cooperate in financial discussions.
For the first 100 days, Lynch has jumped to the head of the class. He scores high marks in establishing a professional tone and a strong sense of purpose on budgetary issues. He gets along well with the City Council, local politicians, and most organizational leaders, civic and business.
Only time will tell what the next 100 days of Lynch's stewardship bring to Lowell.

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Comments (4)

No Stopping Deval?

Is it a Democrat year?
It has to be. How else can most voters surveyed disagree with Democrat gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick on the issues yet acnowledge that they will be supporting him at the polls on Nov. 7. Patrick continues to hold a commanding lead over Republican Lt. gov, Kerry Healey in recent polls. Peopel want change, pure and simple, and they are willing to overlook that facts that little is really known about Deval Patrick except that he is a charismatic speaker with a message of hope. You know what author Francis Bacon said about hope, don't you? It goes something like this: "Breakfast is for hope, dinner is for reality."
Let's make sure there's enough money in your wallet for breakfast, at least, when Deval is elected governor. Because taxes will never be the same if he is elected to lead the Democrat majority that now controls the purse strings on Beacon Hill.
What gets me is that Deval has signed on with a bunch of liberal interest groups, from teachers' unions to police organizations to workers' unions, who are going to want something in return. Maybe Gov. Patrick will learn to say "no" to largess, but that is a harder word to learn for a Democrat than it is for a Republican. Deval knows property taxes are too high, but is his election going to lead a reform to lower them? The only way that can be achieved is if contact and pension reform can be achieved in each municipality across the state. Promising more state aid to municipalities isn't going to reduce local costs for out-of-control benefits packages, including sick-leave buyback, longevity pay, 80 percent pensions, etc., it's just going to feed more government expansion.
It doesn't look good for Kerry Healey at this stage of the campaign. A lot of factors are conspiring to work against her, and it's not negative advertising. If anything, her ads are revealing the major differences between her and Deval. What's really hurting is the performance of Gov. Mitt Romney and his lack of attentiveness to Massachusetts issues while he ramps up a run for U.S. president. Also, the national GOP is a disgrace and the Bush administration's mishandling of the war in Iraq has had an affect on some voters who wouldn't give a Republican a glass of water in the desert.
Finally, 18 years of Republican governors on Beacon Hill represent a time for change in any government setup. If it were the other way around, and Democrats had ruled for that long, I'd say the same thing.
What scares me however is that the entire three branches of Massachusetts government will now be controlled by one outfit - one which has never done well in monopolistic political environments. I can make only one prediction: there will be tax increases. I don't know if that is for the better or for the worse, but if the stampede of people leaving the Bay State continues to grow, it won't be good for the middle class.
Together We Can, says Deval's campaign slogan.
I'm stocking up for breakfast right now. It might be my only meal of the day come November.

Posted by at 11:23 AM | Comments (13)

Baehr Facts

Superintendent of School Karla Brooks Baehr won a new lease on life in Lowell last week when the School Committee backed away from a public reprimand over the administration's seemingly lax attitude about a number of things, including enforcement of public safety policies and hiring procedures. While those subjects remain high on the board's priority list, they pale in comparison to Baehr's perceived inattendance at community events which is really rankling board members. Baehr certainly has the tools to display education leadership, but she now has to make a commitment to community leadership if the public schools are going to improve their psychologicial and performance stature. I don't know if Baehr can do it all. If not, she should hire someone at Deputy Superintendent's rank to handle the public outreach job that is so essential to engaging public, civic and business groups. This "outreach" challenge was one of the key elements of Dr. Jeffrey Howard's address at the Mary Bacigalupo Educational Forum held two weeks ago in Lowell. It was a stimulating 4-hour session. I will write about it later in a newspaper column, but Dr. Howard's basic premise is that the entire community must embrace a clear mission statement on improving the schools and then work like hell to build both adult and student proficiency. Failure can't be accepted at any level of the process.
While all local government leaders must rally behind the schools, Dr. Howard's made it clear that the school administration has to get the ball rolling and show the resolve to pull all the elements of the community together. In other words, Baehr or someone else has to take charge.
I think the school board has given Baehr the directive it wants followed from here on in. Hopefully, she can turn this low ebb in her six-year tenure into a high flow of energy and a new path of consensus-building for the schools. Personally, I like the idea of creating a job that will help rally support for the schools. Ted Rurak, who recently retired as deputy superintendent, or Bill Samaras, Lowell High's headmaster, come to mind as city residents who could likely do the job.

Posted by at 10:59 AM | Comments (2)