Fort Smith Directors comment on Gosack review

Submitted by The City Wire Staff on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 6:52pm

story by Aric Mitchell
amitchell@thecitywire.com

Fort Smith Administrator Ray Gosack heads under the microscope again on Tuesday (July 17) as the Fort Smith Board of Directors prepares for an executive session to evaluate his performance.

In May, the board collectively agreed that Gosack had performed his role satisfactorily, but City Directors Steve Tyler and Pam Weber, who moved at the July 10 study session to place Gosack's second review in two months on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting, have fueled speculation.

“I am very pleased with the leadership of Ray Gosack. He has taken our city to a new level of excellence. The March tax vote to continue our city's progress spoke loudly," City Director Don Hutchings said Thursday (July 12). "We have much to do. Our future is bright. The unusual board action of continuous evaluations of our City Administrator sends the wrong message. Micro-managing is not our solution. I have no idea why the directors are calling for another evaluation. We just had one May 15."

Hutchings added that he hoped "we can move on to important issues, like jobs and new businesses coming to our great city."

Fort Smith Director Andre Good seemed even more off-guard than Hutchings.

"I am shocked! Although I can not mention what was discussed in the board's executive session, I am curious to know what's happened since Ray's last review 2 months ago. Can you imagine what this looks like to folks outside of Fort Smith and our citizens?" Good wrote in a Facebook post.

On Wednesday (July 11), City Director Kevin Settle asked the City Clerk to remove the item from the July 17 agenda, but was unable to obtain majority support, thus ensuring that the impromptu performance review will occur.

Settle released a statement to The City Wire on Thursday, saying he "did not think it (the executive session) was necessary to do. We just gave Ray a review two months ago and he is doing a great job for the city and citizens of Fort Smith. The board of directors should be focused on how we improve the positive economic climate for the city. ... The board ... needs to move forward and continue to look on how to improve our city for all the citizens."

Joining Tyler and Weber in support of the review are City Directors Philip Merry and George Catsavis.

On Wednesday, The City Wire posed the following question to all seven directors: Our records show no indication of corruption, incompetence, or malfeasance (firing offenses) committed by the City Administrator since May's satisfactory review. From each of your perspectives, what action or inaction has occurred from then until now to motivate the upcoming review on July 17?

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Catsavis, Merry, and Weber, replied they were not ready to comment. Tyler did not respond, but on Tuesday told The City Wire "I just think it’s time that we reviewed personnel matters. I can’t really say any more than that."

Only four directors are needed to terminate employment for city personnel, and under Fort Smith Municipal Code Chapter 2, Article II, Section 2-34(a), the mayor "shall have the power of veto over all decisions made by the board of directors, except with respect to matters relative to city personnel."

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Comments

Merry & Weber

Submitted by johnsmith (not verified) on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 9:26pm.

Pam and Phillip are the two that need to be "reviewed". Can City Directors be fired? How about "recalled"? Tyler is out and he knows it, just trying to take someone with him. Great Job RAY !! keep up the good job.
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agree with johnsmith

Submitted by anonymous one (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:42am.

I'm in agreement with 'johnsmith'. Having worked with both Pam Weber and Phillip Merry, I can tell you that the two of THEM are the problem. Your average person receives one performance review in a year; anything more frequently than that - especially less than 2 months later - is nothing short of harassment. Weber likes to call executive sessions as often as possible. Merry and Weber will convince as many people on the board as possible to side with them so that they get their way. I guarantee you they will find a way to find fault and force out someone who was not their first pick. It is NOT business as usual: it is dirty politics for personal gain. I hope the citizens of Fort Smith open their eyes and decide NOT to re-elect Weber and Merry for any elected position in which they represent the people. Their small-town, bickering politics only leads to infighting which does NOT benefit the city or its citizens.
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Leave Britney Alone!

Submitted by convivial on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 9:56pm.

For whatever reason, following the release of Dennis Kelly from his duties, the city board opted to take the known entity over the unknown. The newest board members were not part of that decision making, and perhaps that is part of the problem. Mr. Gosack isn't their hand picked golden boy. True leaders know how to shape and mold the people who work under their responsibilities. From all accounts, Mr. Gosack has done, and continues to do, a good job of serving so many masters --- and at the armchair quarterbacking of every naysayer in town. If for some reason he has not performed to the exact requirements of certain directors, perhaps they should look inward. Perhaps they are the ones who deserve a performance review for not having articulated their expectations. Perhaps it is ridiculously impossible to please with so many 4-3 split votes on almost every single issue. The ultimate problem is no where at the feet of Mr. Gosack. The problem has nothing to do with his administrative team. Give this man the latitude to do his work and the confidence to know that inspiring him is the best thing that you can do to bring fresh and new ideas to the table. This is hardly the time for any director to play the victim. I have deep concerns about any director who would instill in anyone city employee a feeling of insecurity about earning a livelihood or a constant fear that they may have to liquidate their home or abandon their church, friends and neighbors. Everything presented at the retreat has been thrown into the Arkansas River. Please fish it back out. Get back to navigating the ship. Because you, City Board, are the navigators of the USS Fort Smith, not Mr. Gosack. He is your ship captain. Let him know where you want to go and he will take you there. He has done an amazing job considering your bickering style and unflinching attempts to get what you want versus compromising and moving forward. We have no more time to waste, and each and every time you throw up yet another survey, another tabling, another last minute agenda item, you are hurting our collective potential and our prosperity.
For whatever reason, following the release of Dennis Kelly from his duties, the city board opted to take the known entity over the unknown. The newest board members were not part of that decision making, and perhaps that is part of the problem. Mr. Gosack isn't their hand picked golden boy. True leaders know how to shape and mold the people who work under their responsibilities. From all accounts, Mr. Gosack has done, and continues to do, a good job of serving so many masters --- and at the armchair quarterbacking of every naysayer in town. If for some reason he has not performed to the exact requirements of certain directors, perhaps they should look ...>> Read the entire comment.
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Liquidation and Abandoment

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 10:17pm.

What makes anybody immmune to firing? That is the free market. Nothing personal, strictly business, as the cliche goes!!
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standing ground

Submitted by convivial on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 7:36am.

My apologies, anonymous, for not making my point clear. By no means did I mean to imply that anyone is immune from either dismissal or disciplinary action. However, as this article points out, we are talking about an unscheduled review only sixty days or so after a thorough six month review. There is no apparent cause for such a public and drastic action. About the only instance to note is that of a director professionally and eloquently standing his ground when pressed to defend his already approved action plan. I would hope our City Administrator would indeed encourage his subordinates to feel confident enough to stand their ground, and likewise feel the same, should they be called on the carpet. The ramifications of pickyune reviews are grave. Do we want inspired managers or befuddled and disgruntled ones?
My apologies, anonymous, for not making my point clear. By no means did I mean to imply that anyone is immune from either dismissal or disciplinary action. However, as this article points out, we are talking about an unscheduled review only sixty days or so after a thorough six month review. There is no apparent cause for such a public and drastic action. About the only instance to note is that of a director professionally and eloquently standing his ground when pressed to defend his already approved action plan. I would hope our City Administrator would indeed encourage his subordinates to feel confident enough to stand their ground, and likewise feel the ...>> Read the entire comment.
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Rubber stamp

Submitted by anonymoujs (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:58am.

I would agree with you but your views are wasted upon the current administration from top to bottom. Mr. Gosack has been around a long time while the city has gone downhill. Superficial window dressing public works cannot hide the diminished private sector erosion. As long as the municipal antics continue, Fort Smith will be a laughing. It is too bad and too spineless that leaders with inside information postpone their epiphany until shortly before their departure from public life. Mr.Tyler perhaps wants to set things right in good conscience before he leaves based upon what he probably knows but other directors won't disclose. The scene reminds me of Ray Baker when he warned us about the downtown group which seeks only personal profit before community prosperity,to put it lightly. If Ray Gosack is the good guy and in the past tried to leave the city because of the BOD and Department heads both abusing him in the middle of it all, then I implore Ray to come clean and lay the blame where it falls instead of dancing over hot coals politically. He is paid well by the taxpayers, fellow working mean and women who will stand behind him if it is revealed that the politicians and cronies manipulate him at the taxpayers' expensed. But then,we would be hoping for change....Won't happen in Fort Smith though, I forgot....we're wasting our time even writing about it.
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Convivial

Submitted by johnsmith (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 7:54am.

THANK YOU!! Finally, some one that gets it. Well said. Our City Admin gets pulled in 5 different directions every day and has to spend most of his time babysitting the BOD instead of doing what he does best.........
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thank you, johnsmith

Submitted by convivial on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:12am.

when you think about it, a split board doubles your work load and always leaves you with 40% of your bosses unhappy with your performance. You're always putting out fires at the expense of getting to blaze new trails. At this juncture, we would have hoped our board would have settled in to accomplish great things, like getting started on the Vision 2025 Plan (postponed to third quarter 2012 i.e. NOW!), instead of what we continue to see. Let's see, instead, which director is first to grab that Vision Plan torch instead of the one to run our administrator off.
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Who Is Representing the Citizens, The Taxpayers?

Submitted by Jack Swink on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:04am.

I must disagree with Convivial and Johnsmith. These city directors are on the frontline and we must look carefully at where there is blame. Convivial says that with the release of Dennis Kelly, the board opted to take the known entity over the unknown in regards to hiring Mr Gosack. Maybe that is true, but I remember hearing the directors were called by a local businessman, influencing the hiring of Mr Gosack. Regardless, we have to ask the questions, why are we having all these trust issues? I really don’t see how a city director would want to battle the citizens of his or her ward through the court system to try and force a 1% PFT? I can’t see how a city director would allow the citizens of his ward to lease and operate a privately owned Ferris wheel, or to subsidize losses at the convention center of between $700,000 and $1,000,000 year, while Mayor Sandy Sanders and Director Don Hutchings allow the huge salary packages and expenses to continue without scaling down the center. Were the city directors responsible for the water trueup? On 06/18, the TCW had an article just before a board meeting. It referred to Mayor Sandy Sanders and would he use his VETO power to overturn any attempt to solicit a 3rd party bidding for those neighborhoods wanting to continue with manual trash pickup. One has to ask, what was the purpose of the article, was it to pressure the city directors to fall in line with the city sanitation? Who knows? Maybe this review will prove to be another non-event, like the above meeting where the directors decided against the 3rd party bidding, who knows?
I must disagree with Convivial and Johnsmith. These city directors are on the frontline and we must look carefully at where there is blame. Convivial says that with the release of Dennis Kelly, the board opted to take the known entity over the unknown in regards to hiring Mr Gosack. Maybe that is true, but I remember hearing the directors were called by a local businessman, influencing the hiring of Mr Gosack. Regardless, we have to ask the questions, why are we having all these trust issues? I really don’t see how a city director would want to battle the citizens of his or her ward through the court system to try and force a 1% PFT? I can’t see how a city ...>> Read the entire comment.
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too many chiefs not enough Indians

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:04am.

Fort Smith needs a working Mayor Administrator. Eliminate the "Ceremonial Mayor' positions....what is that anyway but an extra quarter million floating around in the budget? The BOD should be an advisory board to the such a Mayor. Right now we have over a half-dozen Mayoral wannabees which creates redundant gridlock.
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What the next election is really about..

Submitted by Generation4 on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:01am.

..being about to accomplish something or nothing whatsoever. As it now stands a load of sand needs to be delivered before each city council meeting.
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Ray Gosack

Submitted by BCM (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 11:25am.

Everyone likes Ray Gosack. What can we say bad about him? Then again, in what contact do we really deal with him. The City Directors do this on a daily/weekly basis. If they feel another review is necessary than they should be allowed to do that. I really like Ray and I think he's done what was asked, but I'm not privy to what the board knows. I do not that in other businesses I've worked with, my bosses/superior can call me in anytime he wants to talk about my performance. Why should the city be any difference. Hoever, once again I do really like Ray he is a nice and effective man.
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