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To the editor:
I attended the recent evaluation of the city manager by the city council. The council expressed high praise for the City Manager's performance. Having been a city employee for most of his career, the city manager has now served in his current position for two years and earns $315,204. This year, all city employees received a 7.25% pay increase, resulting in a $22,380 raise for the City Manager. Council members enthusiastically spoke about the city manager's continued growth, which led me to wonder what they consider appropriate compensation for a fully qualified city manager.
The council commended the city manager for fostering a positive work culture. However, no one raised the importance of cost control or timely completion of projects. This omission made me reflect on the city's pervasive culture of excuses: It seems as long as there is an explanation, overspending and missed deadlines are overlooked.
During the citizen input segment, I addressed concerns about exceeding budgets and missing schedules, emphasizing the routine acceptance of excuses. I provided examples, such as the cost overruns and delays with the Parks projects approved by voters in 2018 and suggested that these excuses should not result in cost overruns and delays.
In response, the mayor quickly offered a range of justifications, including the pandemic, Hurricane Ian, Milton and Helene, increased costs in goods, services and labor, changes in plans, and delays in permitting. Another council member remarked that government operations were far more complex than those of typical businesses.
While every organization faces difficulties, success relies on effective leadership and management -- those who solve problems, overcome obstacles, and find ways to keep costs and schedules on track. I cannot recall a council meeting where strategies were discussed to reduce project overruns or correct delayed schedules. Ultimately, strong leadership is about tackling these challenges directly, rather than allowing excuses to be the final answer.
Tom Shadrach
Cape Coral Resident