Elk Grove City Manager, Attorney to Be Reviewed in Closed Session
The Elk Grove City Council has placed a public employee performance review for city manager Laura Gill and Susan Cochran on its agenda for t...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2009/07/elk-grove-city-manager-attorney-to-be.html
The Elk Grove City Council has placed a public employee performance review for city manager Laura Gill and Susan Cochran on its agenda for the Wednesday, July 22 meeting.
The item will be discussed during the closed session portion of the city council meeting. That session, which precedes the regular meeting, is scheduled to start at 4:30 PM.
In recent days, local controversy has erupted regarding allegations that Gill and Cochran have conducted themselves in an unprofessional manner with members of the city staff. It is not know if the review is in response to calls for an internal investigation into the matter.
The allegations stem from a letter sent to the city council that made its ways to local media outlets, including Elk Grove News. In addition to charges of unprofessional conduct, the letter accuses Gill using subjective measures in a round of recent city layoffs.
With the exception of Steve Detrick, all members of the city council have declined to comment on the matter. Detrick said he supports an investigation into the allegations.
Last week Gill acknowledged the layoffs have a “very real impact on our staff” but defended her policy of having an open door policy with city staff and that she takes feedback very seriously. Cochran declined comment.
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Well, if the past is any indication, I am doubtful of anything happening. One only need review past agendas to see that "performance evaluations" of the City Manager and City Attorney have been a recurring act. City Manager and City Attorney evaluations have been conducted in closed session on: 7/8/09 (CM only), 6/24/09, 5/27/09, 4/22/09, 3/25/09, 2/28/09 and 1/28/09 (CM only). Since nothing has been done, at least that has been reported to the public, its hard to not be suspicious. Regardless, that many reviews seems to be alot of performance evalutions, essentially once a month. I sure hope that these agenda items haven't been a "work around" the meeting laws to discuss anything under the sun.
Either the City Manager and City Attorney have been getting grilled once a month on performance issues, or, there has been some wool getting pulled over five people's eyes!
I hope the Council does a real "performance evaluation" based on all the voiced concerns.
Allegations against the City Attorney for unprofessional conduct are old news. Perhaps it is time for the City Council to grow a backbone and take action that will result in her dismissal. Had it not been for the ongoing support from KMTG, specifically, Jon Hobbs, the City would have no legal support. Ms.Cochran has long had the reputation of "burying" staff work until she gets good and ready to critique it; much of the critique is grammatical. Of course, that depends on whether or not she finds favor with you -- then you may actually get a response from her. Staff is frequently put in the position of scrambling to meet deadlines pending a response that seldom comes from the City Attorney without constant inquiries on document status.
I'm sure staff longs for the days of John Danielson and Tony Manzanetti compared to the level of professionalism and productivity of the current management.
Can you imagine, if ignored, what the organization is going to look like in 6 months or a year? We have all silently watched unprofessional behavior and unethical activities take place.
Now we all know we all feel the same way. How can a manager effectively manage a staff who obviously have no loyalty or trust in her? How does she know who she can trust, when all of us put on a happy face every day? How do we all move forward, knowing there's a big pink elephant in the room, and mounting hostility, and pretend like everything is fine? How long can staff turn the other way while things that are clearly wrong still continue to take place?
This is a recipe for an even more hostile and dysfunctional work environment. This in the end, hurts the taxpayers the most- who trust in this city government to give the best we can of ourselves. How can we do that under these conditions? In the days since these allegations have surfaced, ask anyone how productivity has been at City Hall. There has just been a lot of whispering, knowing glances and "me toos." How is this good for anyone?
Please Council, for the sake of staff, and more importantly taxpayers, you need to look into this. It's too big, and with too much potential to implode, for you to just look away.
no independent and impartial investigation into these reports?
Closed session? Ha, what a joke. These ppl protect their own. They protect each other's backs. They serve themselves b4 they serve u.
Elk Grove is a joke. Old Boys network combined with "consultants"
After 2.5 hours of evaluation, the best the Mayor could announce was we're doing a "survey", we'll revisit the issue in 6 months, and VOTE OF CONFIDENCE in the CM and CA. Wow! Here's a group of folks that don't want to be bothered. Did the Council initiate this "survey"? When? or did the City Manager initiate the survey? Who signed the contract to do the survey? Who collected and presented the information to the Council? The survey is still open, and yet the Council announces a vote of confidence? A bit premature, eh? AND, WHO WAS COPIED ON THE EMAILS TO EMPLOYEES WHO HAD BEEN SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY? -- THE CITY MANAGER. So much for independent; so much for confidentiality. There's a limb no employee is going to step out on.
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