Okay, so I have a question. Taking in to account all of the B.S. that is discussed on this video about "a couple of years ago" this was discussed with the council or that was discussed with the council.......is the City of Sac City better off without the services of Gary Mahannah? I know a lot of people did not like the man, but he knew what he was doing and what was going on. Adam, and Jeff before him, both came in blind and had to learn along the way. Would we have been better off if Gary was still here running the City? I know some will say absolutely not, and yet, I can't help but think of all the turmoil that has been created with two different individuals coming in and trying to get a hold on things and then putting their own personal agendas into the mix as well. Maybe, just maybe, Brian/Breanne Buckley wasn't as good for the City as people thought he was. Food for thought.
The Guru
Copyright (c)2007-2010 Curtis Bloes All Rights Reserved
The Guru,
ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting question.
1. Is the city of Sac City better off without the services of Gary Mahannah?
2. You claim that Jeff and Adam are using their position to fulfill personal agendas. What do you think those personal agendas are, and what leads you to believe that Gary did not have a personal agenda?
3. How do Brian’s actions tie into any of this?
Okay Curtis, what I mean by personal agendas into the mix is their own way or style or interpretation on how things should run. If, for the sake of argument say, Gary would have given the refund due to the circumstances, and neither Jeff nor Adam would, that is what I mean by personal agenda. I guess I could have been a little more precise with my choice of wording.......and yet, to think that anyone in that position does not have any sort of personal agenda at all is ludicrous. It didn't take Jeff long to bail as soon as the opportunity presented itself did it? He used the City of Sac City as his stepping stone. When interviewing for other positions he could say "here's how things were when I started and here's how much better I made it in only 2 years." Now, I'm not suggesting that Adam is doing the same thing, ok, I don't want to get that started, but I am saying that things are never black and white. People will put their own "spin" on issues to get things turned in their favor. In an accident there are always at least two sides and who is to say that either one is completely right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteYes I believe that Gary did have his own agenda. I am not one to forget how he would handle things that he did not like or agree with, however, I really and truly beleive that if (and here's where your #3 comes in) Brian hadn't pushed so hard against Gary all the time that Gary would still be here. Gary did some pretty good things for the City, and when you are in that position you will never, NEVER, be liked by all the people all the time. Some people got their noses bent that a decision went against their wishes, or that he would kowtow to the upper echelon of Sac City's finest, or so it seemed, but let me ask you this, who employed more people....Brian Buckley or Milo and Sally Lines? Milo and Sally were some of the "City Fathers" that Brain couldn't stand and would constantly be verbally abusive towards. I am so glad that that guy is gone. That is how Brian's actions tie into this.
I guess there will be some things that will continue to come out of this, and if I need to write back in and clarify myself I will. Until then I'll be.....
The Guru
I don't know about other people but my time around Adam has always left me feeling that things are getting better. I can't see how anyone that has worked with him would not feel that way.
ReplyDeleteThe Guru,
ReplyDeleteSo that we are on the same page for this conversation, here are the two things that I think you are saying.
1. Gary Mahanna was better for Sac City than Jeff or Adam.
2. You don't like Brian Buckley because of the way that he brought about changes in the Sac City government.
Are both of these correct?
1. Maybe, in that, when you have a person in place who knows their job and is very good at their job, I believe MOST of the time that individual will have more success accomplishing things in a quicker time frame than a fresh body who can spend years learing the ropes so to speak about the intricacies of municipal government. As an example, the State of Iowa's retirement incentive will cause a huge knowledge vacuum to exist for years until the experiences can be had to replenish that void. In getting things done in a quicker time frame it allows one to accomplish more items during the same period where one who does not have the knowledge is still on the learning curve. Hence, the productivity at the City level is higher with Gary still here than it is with either Jeff or Adam in place.
ReplyDelete2. Pretty much don't like the way Brain went about bringing change to the Sac City government. He said a lot of mean, hateful, spiteful, vindictive things that I would not want someone saying to me, and I hope you and your readers would not want someone saying to them. You know, Obama was to bring about change, and some may say he is, but is it really the change we were hoping for? That would be the gist of my original question. Is Sac City better off with Gary Mahannah gone, or is the change different than we were hoping for?
The Guru
The guru,
ReplyDeleteHad Jeff remained or if Adam continues to be our city administrator for as long as Gary was, do you think either one of them would/will be able to accomplish the same level of success as Gary had, in your opinion, achieved?
Do you think Jeff, at five years, was as good a city administrator as Gary was in his fifth year?
Do you think Adam, at two years, is as good a city administrator as Gary was in his second year?
Curtis,
ReplyDeleteYes I think that had Jeff remained, and if Adam continues to be our City Admin. that either one of them would get to the point where they would or will be able to have the same success that Gary, in my opinion, achieved.
I cannot answer the next two questions properly because I do not remember Gary in his second or fifth year in his former position. Back when he was in those years of service I did not care what the City of Sac City government did:) Older and Wiser now!!
The Guru
As I recall, Gary came around 1980? and he struggled early on with a number of issues and made some questionable decisions over the years. I'm not sure if Sac was Gary's first city job or not, but I do know, that I find Adam more personable and easier to communicate with one on one. Both Jeff and Adam were left with a pile of fecal matter on their plates that was the result of previous mayors/councils' short-sighted negligence.
ReplyDeleteBrian certainly added much needed color to an otherwise battleship gray community. Diverse people and ideas are what make communities interesting and thrive. Good day!
I remember hearing that Sac City was Gary's first job, just like Adam. If I recall my history correctly, the City did not have any City Admin. before Mahannah was hired. He came in on a trial by fire sort of basis. He did not have any background to look to as a basis for making decisions as those following him have. That also means that they could look to his mistakes and hopefully learn from them, and not repeat them. I agree that diverse people add color to a community, but can you tell me anonymous that you would want someone spewing vile and vengeful comments at you every time you turned around? I really and honestly do not think anyone wants to be treated in that manner. Can you also tell me then that Sac City is now thriving since Brian pushed Gary out the door? Come on, what were your numbers here a few weeks ago Curtis about Sac City's population decline in the last decade. Gary has been gone 4 1/2 years and I don't see people lining up to move back into town! Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe Guru
The Guru,
ReplyDeleteOne of the awful things that Brian said about them is that one of them was dumping toxic waste onto the ground.
Is this a lie?
You are right Anon. we didn't have a city administrator before Gary. 1970 census figures were around 3400?(no administrator) 2010's will probably be around 1900 people? Maybe we should just bump Sandy's wages up a few pesos and give the job back to the clerk(just kidding Adam). Sac has been hemorrhaging folks since the farm crisis of the early 80's. Nobles shut down and put hundreds out of work. The Burro plant(remember)didn't quite take up the slack and the dominoes began to fall...
ReplyDeleteOnly way to settle this dispute is for another poll: Adam's badass goatee? or Gary's suave,70's pornstache? Let's rock the vote!
Curtis,
ReplyDeleteI am going to assume for a minute that you would be referring to Jerry Volkert, because Ken Pap was not on the council when Brian was elected. Jerry and Ken were business partners for some things but to lump them in to the same class for this particular offense is unethical at best and dare I say criminally negligent if you continue down this road. So when Brian said one of them was dumping toxic waste on the ground and you ask me if this is a lie, then yes Brian was lying about this. He had a penchant for stretching the truth and twisting facts to promote his agenda. Ken is the one who has done jail time for this issue, not Jerry. I thought the way we were headed with this interchange was to discuss whether or not the City was better off with Mahannah gone. Did I misinterpret your question? Did you mean to say that Mahannah was dumping toxic waste on the ground? I talked about Brian's ability to spread hate and discontent. Really, if every time you saw someone and they could not be civil to you but instead chose to attack you and your chosen profession and spread lies and vicious rumors, how long would you be willing to take it? Curtis, have you experienced this type of thing yourself with this site? Do you have one person who always berates you and your work and is involved in a campaign to spread lies about you? Does something like that happen to you? If so, how much would you be willing to take before you allowed yourself to look for the same type of work in a more hospitable environment? By the way, as for the 7:18 post above me, I'd go for the 70's pornstache almost every time!
The Guru
The Guru,
ReplyDelete1. You're right, I should have specified that in refering to the government, I was talking about all of the ruling bodies that make up the government, including but not limited to: the airport commission, Planning and Zoning, etc.
So with that cleared up, I ask you again. One of the awful things that Brian said about them is that one of them was dumping toxic waste onto the ground.
Is this a lie?
2. You said that there are two topics, Gary's percieved worth and your distaste for Brian.
3. Literally one single real life person has ever expressed anything other than enthusiasm for my website in my presense, and he quit his job and moved away when he found out there was a chance Brian Buckley may be his boss. Otherwise it's just trolls that aren't brave enough to sign their name. Those comments are collected, randomized, and made into drinking games.
Well then, to answer your question, oh wait, I can't answer your question because you are still avoiding the issue and putting it on all of the government. Are you then saying that all branches were involved in this toxic waste episode? Are you willing to come out and name the SPECIFIC person, and I say person because you continue to say one of them, or are you going to hide behind some sort of moral compass. Why is it that you are unwilling to straight up answer a question? Are you afraid that your real intelligence may shine through? Sometimes I really enjoy reading what you can come up with and other times I am totally flabbergasted with your total lack of understanding. It's always someone else's fault. The government is the enemy and anarchy must be coming any day now. Really, to say that the one real life person who expressed anything other than enthusiasm for your website quit his job and moved away when he found out that Brian Buckley may be his boss is a little bit of a reach. I said earlier that Jeff used Sac City as his stepping stone. Do you really and honestly believe that he left because of Brian? Honest answer please, straight forward, no B.S. To go back to my original post about Brian/Breanne, I said maybe he wasn't as good for Sac City as people thought he was. Now that he is gone are things moving forward in a more positive manner? Or, are others taking up his mantle and spreading hate and discontent? Color in a community is great as long as it isn't blood red from continued hate-mongering. I enjoy the back and forth and testing your limits and actually being able to see what is really going on. A mildly amusing game indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe Guru
Badass Goatee
ReplyDeleteI can't say that our city is better off with or without Gary but I do remember reading on here recently that our taxes have been going down for years. Did that happen before or after Gary left? Isn't that the main job we hire them to do? I for one believe that each of the managers probably brought a different skill set with them. I would think that if we look back Gary would be better at issues, Jeff at others and Adam as well. I know from my own dealings with the city that Adam is much easier to deal with than Jeff was. Adam and I have disagreed but I can't say he has ever treated me the way Jeff did.
ReplyDeleteAnd in reading the first comment from the guru I can't help but notice you say Gary would likely have refunded the money for the tag. So you are saying you would rather have someone who makes the rules up as he goes over someone who tries to follow the rules in place? Why have rules then? I would say the job of the manager would be to enforce the rules not make them up. If that is the kind of person Gary was as city manager I have to say I surely think we might be better off without his type.
The Guru,
ReplyDeleteYou've careened off into Unabomber territory again. Please feel free to write in with the last word.
Anonymous directly above me,
It is my understanding that one of Adam's specific charges when he was hired was to find a way to lower taxes, and the taxes have gone down since he was hired. Some of that relief is because we don't have aquatic center payments to make anymore which would have come off regardless of who was in charge.
...btw, a new sewer fee was instituted that doubles the water fee, (which was also raised). I don't have the math in front of me to know if there is still a net loss overall, but that would be an interesting follow up.
Curtis you say the payments for the aquatic center came off but isn't a bit more credit due?
ReplyDeleteThis only occurs if the council and administration has not taken action to load us up with additional debt payments in that same time. I seem to remember Shirley and her clan pushing for some costly project last year.
Using your same math, were the water and sewer increase as unavoidable as the tax reduction? I am sure that answer would be a matter of opinion much like the lowering of taxes.