THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, November 3, 1994             TAG: 9411030432
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: SUFFOLK                            LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

STANDISH IS FINE, COUNCILMAN SAYS, BUT DON'T RUSH IT

City Councilman Richard Harris, leaving his seat during Wednesday night's meeting to speak as a member of the public, asked his fellow council members a pointed question.

Namely, who's in charge here?

Two weeks after the council named Isle of Wight Administrator Myles Standish as Suffolk's new city manager, Harris questioned whether Standish should have any input in Suffolk business before he begins work on Dec. 1.

``I don't have a problem with Myles,'' Harris said after the meeting. ``I've never worked with him. But whoever sits in that manager's seat, he should be able to function and follow through on his decisions.''

Harris' complaint focused on two memos regarding city employees' work hours.

In the first memo, dated Oct. 13, interim City Manager Leon T. Johnson asked that city employees' workday - 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. - be changed to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Johnson requested the change after an ``overwhelming majority'' of city employees said they preferred the new hours.

The new schedule was to have begun on Monday.

But on Friday, Johnson released another memo that offered employees three scheduling options, with varying times allowed for lunch.

Johnson wrote the second memo after conferring with Standish about the change. It was Standish who suggested the flexible schedules. And Johnson, who will return to his position as assistant city manager on Dec. 1, agreed.

``My major concern,'' Harris said, ``is that Mr. Johnson is in fact the city manager until Dec. 1, 1994, and should not have to endure the embarrassment of having his decisions countermanded by someone waiting in the wings.

``This, in my opinion, does far more to undermine the confidence, morale and efficiency of an employee than whether they must come to work at 8 or 8:30.''

Johnson appeared uncomfortable while Harris was speaking, but made light of the situation after the meeting.

Shaking Harris' hand, he smiled and asked the outspoken councilman, ``Why are you always starting trouble?'' by CNB