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June 21, 2006
A Vote for Reconsideration?
A move is underfoot by several City Councilors to expand the number of candidates who will be interviewed for the city manager's job. The council originally had intended to interview five finalists, but it has come under fire from the public and media for excluding several qualified professionals who applied for the job. It appears that as many as seven individuals could now get called in. Councilors Edward "Bud" Caulfield and Rita Mercier are pushing for Thaddeus Jankowski, Worcester's No. 2 municipal adminstrator, for an interview. Monica Lamboy, from Washington, D.C., may also get an opportunity to convey her abilities to the council.
As it stands now, interviews will begin Monday, June 26, at City Hall, at 5 p.m. Franke Keefe, Diane Prideaux-Brune and Paul Cohen will each get an hour to state their abilities and take questions from the counil. On Thursday, Ed Kennedy and Bernie Lynch go before the board.
A series of columns, written by yours truly, a Sun editorial and angry calls from the public have prompted councilors to reconsider this so-called "professional" nationwide search that yielded five candidates with connections to Lowell.. I don't know about you, but the perception on the street is that this search is a bag job for the anti-Cox councilors. I don't necessarily agree. However, they certainly haven't done themslevies justice so far with this uninspiring search process. This isn't to say that any one of the five finalists already selected might not turn out to be a solid city manager. However, based on the qualifications the council set forth in advertisements for the job, they are not the bet qualified in the group. I think the council is taking a step in the right direction by expanding the process.. I still believe they can turn this process around and build confidence in what they are trying to do for the best interests of Lowell.
Elsewhere, School Superintendent Karla Brooks Baehr dropped by recently to discuss budget issues. It was a good conversation. I've criticized Baehr in the past over her failure to deal with high teacher absenteeism rates and other union issues. However, I believe she is committed to making the school system the best it can be, given the resources out there. During a light moment, I asked her if she still enjoyed her job in Lowell and she didn't hesitate a reply. "I love it here and I'm not going anywhere. There are many things I want to accomplish for the city and its students, and I won't leave until they are done," said Baehr, who is completing her sixth year on the job. Baehr admitted that several top level education officials had asked her to consider applying for the vacant Boston superintendent's job, where she could have nearly doubled her $130,000 salary. She respectfully declined the pitch to stay in Lowell. Give her credit for sticking it out.
Hey, what's going on at Beacon Hill? The Democrat-controlled Legislature is going on a feeding frenzy, spending millions of dollars on pork projects while school districts throughout the Commonwealth are crying for more money. Overrides are getting shot down, teachers are losing jobs, students are being forced to pay outrageous fees to play sports, and the Legislature still has reached a compromised on a new school spending formula or aid package. They've been able to sock away $3.2 billion in the reserve fund - the same reserve fund that was depleted during the recession - but done little to fill depleted municipal coffers. Now I am not a big fan of school spending, however, over the past few years school systems have been forced to make their fair share of cuts. I would have to believe that most districts aren't hiding any substantial amount of money from the public. The Legislature's decision to take care of their own first, before giving a fair shake to the state's NO. 1 priority - its public schools - is disheartening. We need education stimulus along with economic stimulus. They go hand in hand. Companies won't come here if we don't have the educated work force to fill the jobs they are seeking. I just don't understand how our elected officials think Massachusetts is going to get ahead if they don't make the courageous choices that are necessary. Their decisions are inspired by incumbency retention rather than sound judgment.
So what do you think?
Posted by JimC at June 21, 2006 11:25 AM
Comments
For once you make some sense about how the Legislature is still underfunding local education and instead pumping money into pork. Good observation.
Posted by: Dr. No at June 21, 2006 2:30 PM
