Give Mayor Sharon the keys to the family car again?
With the IT proposal her administration is expected to present -- make that RE-PRESENT -- at tonight's agenda-setting session, Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs wants Plainfield's City Council to give her administration the keys to the family car once again.
Plainfield City Council President Rashid Burney has a couple of good points about the Information Technology (IT) situation. Writing on his blog As I See It last Saturday, Burney says --
...Leaders of organizations do not do plans. They lay out goals and objectives. To the citizens, employees and shareholders, they explain the benefits of taking the recommended steps and the pitfalls of NOT taking the recommended steps...Using the example of President Obama's Iraq strategy, he points out --
...to increase the odds of success [Obama] has to lay out the following:All this is good and pretty much unexceptional stuff, but Councilor Burney's thrust is problematic.
1. Clear, time bound objectives
2. Get the best people for the job
3. Make sure the people have the tools, the authority and the resources.
4. Ask his people to come up with a plan
5. Get periodic updates
What it seems to be doing is setting the public up for a light and fluffy presentation this evening of what the Robinson-Briggs administration is going to RE-PROPOSE for Plainfield's IT situation.
Not addressed is WHY the Robinson-Briggs administration should be given the green light to FIRST HIRE a pricey IT director (as a cabinet-level employee, mind you) and THEN give that person the assignment of developing a plan, building a
It appears we are being faced with an attempt by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to hire someone ALREADY PRE-SELECTED, whose job performance is said to be the subject of intense scrutiny by the agency for which this person works.
Mind you, this is the same administration that has --
- Run through FIVE Directors of Finance and Administration in a little over three years, has
- No full-time Chief Financial Officer, and has been
- Cited by its accountants for spending funds without purchase orders.
And then, with a plan in hand, to conduct a REAL JOB SEARCH for a REALLY EXCEPTIONAL CANDIDATE?
Who knows, in today's market and with all the tech weenies who live in Plainfield, the Robinson-Briggs administration just might find someone. Just not the someone they already have in mind.
Why should this gang be given the keys to the family car yet again?
- Councilor Burney: "As I See It"
-- Dan Damon
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3 comments:
I notice that Councilman Burney has removed the anonymous comment feature from his blog. It was there this morning but is not there now. You must have made him mad!
Dan:
Seems to me you have first hand knowledge of the person already picked for the IT Director.
How about at least putting the initials out there in the open to show you are correct when the person is appointed. Or are you not willing to stake your reputation on going that far.
Just wanted to chime in on this one. Dan, doesn't need to know who the person is to state the obvious. There is someone in mind for the position. Why don't we challenge the city officials to prove otherwise by creating a committee of residents, city employees, and even council members to serve voluntarily to hold interviews for the position. If the person that is already picked out is so wonderful, I'm sure a committee would find that out. If not, then a better candidate would be found. By the way, I know of quite a few Plainfield residents who are over qualified to serve on such a committee and would happily do so. That way the city could show an effort to be more transparent. There is always the possibility for corruption even with this scenario, but maybe this could help.
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