THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9506300200
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Wayne Orton had some good parting advice for the City Council he left behind when he retired as city manager Friday: Go outside the region to find a replacement.
He said the city needs someone with fresh views and no old political ties.
We hope the council takes his advice to take their time and conduct a broad search to find a person with qualifications, experience and enthusiasm.
The same applies to a new city attorney if they are not going to give the job to the acting attorney, George Willson
In both the city manager's office and the city attorney's office, the deputies are all fine ethical people capable of doing their jobs. They can run the place while council looks for persons with experience in other cities similar to this one and checks their track records.
Meanwhile, the council also needs to take time get their own act together and establish priorities to be able to present a clear picture of their expectations to candidates for the top city job.
Vision 2005, established this year as a framework for a decade of economic growth and community development, is the most important action taken by the sitting council. They should not back away from this plan which may require them to make bold, sometimes unpopular, decisions. Any viable candidate for city manager should grasp the vision of this plan and be aware that the priorities have been set.
The new city manager also must be bold and willing to take positions some may deem politically unsafe. The manager must be willing to stand up and be unpopular, if that's what it takes to make this city healthy in the 21st century.
Portsmouth is on the threshold of something big. Orton helped keep it on track over the past five years and sometimes was not too popular for it. On his way out of the job, he can make jokes about ``nobody liking me.'' While that might be an exaggeration, he certainly must have felt many times as if that were true.
However, city managers get paid big bucks not to be popular but to get things done. They must earn their pay by fighting the battles necessary to move a city forward.
Orton certainly knows that, and even citizens who do not often agree with him cannot argue with his successes, some of them gained at the expense of popularity.
The city does not need to back off from the momentum now. Council should make it clear to any new city manager that they expect bold and strong leadership even at times when it might not suit their political needs or personal whims. by CNB