Two Peas In A Pod
ByAs we move on to the DuPont City Administrator’s report it becomes evident to you that not a whole lot changes, at least not for the better. You watch to see if there is a moment of enlightenment but it is just more of the same.
Bill’s report is usually pretty boring. Perhaps it’s the monotone delivery, or the fact it is just rehashed information from the equally as un-illuminating Friday Letter. Seldom does the report end with you feeling that the major needs and actions of the community have been addressed.
There are a few nuances from this report, however, that bear further dissemination.
The first item of interest is the response to the question posed by councilman Westman regarding progress of the sign ordinance. This was a request in response to the tracking sheet update provided by Bill McDonald but Mayor Jenkins felt compelled to jump in and field this question.
If the mayor felt that this matter was beyond the scope of Bill McDonald, who is leaving his position effective July 1st, then why not let Dawn Masko answer for herself? She should know better than anyone the progress toward completion. This was hardly a loaded question. It was a simple inquiry on the status and trending toward closure of an issue before City Hall for action.
The event grew even odder when Jenkins offered up the answer.
I can’t help but feel that mayor Jenkins was grasping while laying atop the acorn that she mistook for a grenade. The response was hardly heroic as she noticeably fumbled, stammered and yammered, invoked tired clichés, repeated herself, and ultimately offered up too much information; not all of which was correct.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up when I hear the response to a question, any question, begin with the phrase “Excellent [question].” Roger wasn’t asking her to define pi, he merely was asking for a status update on the promised sign code focus group.
The mayor continued to bogart Masko’s answer with her cliché and buzzword heavy response.
“Moving forward.” (twice)
“Parallel.” (twice)
“Process.” (thrice)
“Stakeholders.”
“On target.”
Oh brother, check you boots. It was painful. It also reminded me of what constitutes a “tell” when someone is being less than truthful; or perhaps scrambling because they don’t know what they are talking about. Increased speed in the voice, a new cadence in speech, the increased use of buzzwords, unnecessarily expounding on an answer, and finally, repeating one’s self. The combination of all this drive the needle into the red, I am afraid.
Personally, I think the sign issue has shown improvement but I hardly would call it consistent or a complete success. There were signs posted for a recent “Gold Sale” at Guesthouse Suites and I am not sure they were permitted. Nor has there been anything done about human billboards in town. So where was the enforcement there? Is enforcement scheduled or part of the policy where it can be expected whenever a rogue sign appears? Is there a response flow established to alert the enforcing agency?
How many sign sweeps were conducted since the decision was made to enforce?
That brings up a point on what an update should be, so listen up council and mayor. This update should be measurable. Dawn should be providing council the following: 1) How many permits were submitted and approved per week since last report; 2) How many signs were in violation per week; 3) How many man-hours were used to enforce the code per week; 4) Any comments from businesses and citizens on the action since the last report.
I especially like the last point since City Hall is there to, you know, serve the citizens of this town.
Additionally, the roll up should include progress on meeting with the focus group; conversations with the city attorney; and most importantly, status on the progress to an established and publicized closure date.
Lest you think the mayor was going to continue speaking for her staff, Mr. Short-timer had a chance to answer a few questions from Councilman Grayum.
Excellent question(s)!
Again, Grayum wasn’t asking anything that needed to be solved with Chinese algebra, he just was seeking some clarification on the tracking sheet. Yes, that lame tracking sheet that serves as a portal to a black hole were resolution enters hyper-space.
The answer was vintage McDonald. Ducking and weaving, he finally blurted out a response so unconvincing that not even the camera believed it.
“…[an issue] stays in a position of closure for a month and then it comes off.”
Yeah.
Right.
The mayor and her administration have all the answers, it seems. Just too bad they aren’t answering the questions that they are being asked.
The ship is sinking.
And the wishing well is getting dryer – property appraisals came in the mail today, not good news for tax revenues.
Our condition is not improving man. Property values could soon go non-linear negative. and we have a tracking sheet with no indication of change.
You’ve got that right. But hey, we have Reader’s Digest coming to town to tell us how great we are! Sure, we can’t fix our infrastructure or fund a fire department but we know how to fritter away money and time on celebrating ourselves.
I agree that the mayor sounded defensive in answering Roger’s question. I was left wondering whether there was a focus group or not. I suppose if they had met or they are meeting soon it would have been on the calendar. There are still sign violations if you look hard enough. I just don’t think the city is looking hard enough.
The mayor’s response to Westman’s question sounded more like a pitch than an answer. I don’t think many within ear shot believe a word she says.
Once again the mayor feels compelled to defend the lack of action from her staff. Great job, Tammy. Let’s give everyone a hug.
Dear Fellow Citizens,
All this carthardic venting is fun & cleansing, but if we want to see real change, more of us will have to get involved. Be a part of the solution. Be vocal at city council meetings where it really counts. What can you do to be a part of real change, aside from moving? Remember, elections are just around the corner.
Signed,
A busy volunteer in DuPont
I agree. Hold the council and mayor to their word. Keep reminding them what they have said and make them stick to it.
I agree with you in principle but the first step is to expose the nonsense going on at city hall. I would bet 95% of citizens have no clue about what is really happening and the majority of those would not care. You also assume that people who comment here haven’t already tried to hold city hall accountable. They carry on because more people choose to look the other way or hope someone else does it for them. I am convinced more than ever that we need a new mayor. The city needs leadership and vision and not a den mother. I have lived in DuPont for over 12 years and there has not been a capable mayor here in all of that time.
Seven years of bad luck, Seven years bad leadership, Seven years of no vision, Seven years of wasting the budget…..come to a end this week. Bill McDonald retires this week.
Good riddance. All we hear is how much of an improvement Bill was over the last city administrators. Anybody with a pulse was an improvement. Oh, and Penny Coffey choking up during the goodbyes to him made me want to puke. Play THAT video.
I did puke!
Bill don’t go! I don’t have any leadership, no vision and all the budget work, back-room deals, and kick-backs to your buddies have to be re-done. Please Bill, Reader’s Digest will be here on the July 4 Holiday. How will we be able handle all of these issues without your selfishness input and B.S. Ya know I can’t control the council or Penny. This year they all will want to do their pet projects and line their pockets like you DID! Please don’t go I beg.
If you don’t like what you presume to be going on then go to the cou ncil meetings and make your voice heard. Putting snarkey comments in a blog won’t do a thing!
Do you really think they listen to the people who go to council meetings? Isn’t that the whole point of people expressing their frustration? Here is a provocative statement: It isn’t the council, it is the mayor. The mayor oversees the City Administrator, not council. The mayor hires, fires, and manages them. The only blame you can lay at the feet of council is they are too cowardly to challenge him or the mayor. You can go to council meetings all you want but don’t expect it to change a thing.
Mr. Pink,Very well written!
Concerned Remember they added a 3 minute limit to talk at the meetings so they could hear our voices, did you notice on Tv the Council rolling their eyes talking to each other when people stood up it speak BUT rarely listed. Don’t foul yourself or defend the undefendable I was there.
Good day its the last day of Bill McDonald. Bad thing is Bill hired and trained his replacement no skills, no experince. The more things change the more they stay the same!
I think the city seal or logo for DuPont should be a revolving door. We have a high resident turn over rate due to JBLM, and we have career aspiring mayors who find out it is tougher than think and they bail out. DuPont lacks vision, which is why long term residents are so disenfranchised. We bought the vision (perhaps foolishly) of the builder’s master plan but the ball has been dropped. Think about it, if we had a leader in town would we have council off working in seven different directions all with zero results? Bill McDonald seized the opportunity to create DuPont to his own vision because nobody was there to stop him. I am surprised he is retiring, he is treated and paid like a king.