THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510250138
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 239 lines
What has happened to our City Council? Do they no longer try to do what is ethically and morally right? Beginning with the Tuesday meeting of the City Council, we have seen the following:
Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr. publicly call for the termination of City Manager James W. Rein's recently renewed contract, giving the reason as the water problems, growth problems and scandals. How can he hold the city manager personally responsible for the water problems that have been longstanding, the growth problems when this council votes to approve subdivisions after subdivision, and the scandals when two of the council were major players in two of the prime scandals?
The method of terminations was apparently made to publicly humiliate the city manager. Any manager worth his or her salt knows that this is not the way to fire someone. That process should not be a public lynching; it should be conducted in private. This vice mayor needs to take a course in human relations management.
Peter P. Duda Jr. so emotionally spoke of having empathy for Jim Rein. I believe he said at the council meeting that he ``knew exactly how Jim Rein felt'' because he, too, had been let go at CBN after more than 20 years' employment. How could he know exactly how Jim Rein feels unless he was fired publicly in front of all of the CBN employees? He recounts in The Virginian-Pilot that when he was notified ``by a piece of paper'' that he was no longer needed, he thought that was ``not the statesmanlike way'' to fire somebody. So it's OK to fire someone at a public meeting with television cameras present from all three national channels, but it is not OK to do it by mail. What logic!
Incidentally, Mr. Duda was one of those who voted to have the entire discussion in public rather than go in executive session for discussion. He also voted to fire the manager immediately. Doesn't that conflict with his statements in today's Virginian-Pilot that ``You don't go in there like you're in a butcher shop, and start slicing and dicing?''
And then, there's Dalton S. Edge, who isn't a real team player, who only wants to play with the part of the team that happens to be in the majority. He doesn't even think that the mayor should necessarily be privy to important city matters. According to a quotation from Mr. Edge, he would like the next city manager to be psychic, ``someone with the ability to foresee events before they occur.'' The council needs to be sure to include that as one of the requisite managerial skills when they do a search for the new city manager.
We are disappointed in Dr. Alan P. Krasnoff, the sole independent on the council, who voted to go along with the rest after it was obvious that a five-member majority has been attained.
This letter speaks to the level of frustration felt by at least these two Chesapeake voters. We suspect it reflects the frustration of others, too, if the response at Tuesday night's council meeting is any indication.
Tom and Betty Ricks
Sierra Drive Out in the open
I find it very uplifting for our city when our City Council makes changes to better our community.
I think it was surprising, interesting and a very good move for Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr. brought out in public and acted on decisions which affect our everyday lives instead of making decisions behind closed doors.
Zenas P. Roberts
Jackson Street Rein got off easy
It's about time the City Council fired the city manager. Anyone else in a private business who had been the manager over the number of scandals that have plagued this city would have been fired a long time ago.
Shall we look at just a few?
Workers in the Sanitation Department stole thousands of our dollars with phony overtime. The City Garage stole thousands of our tax dollars with a corrupt system of ripoffs. The city manager was responsible for writing checks to the Chesapeake Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Then there is the never-ending bad water we must suffer and the Inspections Department scandals. The list goes on and on.
All these bleeding hearts whining about how it was done and gnashing their teeth over who did it make me sick.
I, for one, want to thank the City Council for finally putting me, the taxpayer, in front of the bureaucrats in City Hall, who think their sole purpose in life is to steal my hard-earned tax money in a scheme that should have been supervised and identified by the city manager.
Jim Rein was asleep at the wheel, and those of you who don't know it should be ashamed of themselves. The city manager should be facing an attorney general's investigation into corruption committed during his watch. But instead he's kindly being fired. I'd say he got off real easy.
Mayor William E. Ward should take note that the taxpayers are sick of scandal and corruption at the expense of homeowners' taxes. My thanks and appreciation go to Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr. He had the guts to do the right thing, and The Virginian-Pilot has punished him ruthlessly for his courage.
Michael Graves
Hassell Drive Rush to judgment
Like many residents of Chesapeake, I was puzzled and disturbed at the manner in which City Manager James W. Rein was publicly fired this past week.
I telephoned Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance Jr. to voice my concern and was surprised to learn that Mr. Rein was given the opportunity to resign but declined in order to preserve a $50,000 severance package, and also that a public vote was required by law in order to discharge the city manager. I was further surprised to learn that Mayor William E. Ward himself recommended that Mr. Rein resign when it became apparent in executive session that the vote would be 7-2 in favor of discharge.
The media attention given to the firing did not make these items clear, the result being that I looked like a fool with the vice mayor. I learned a lesson - never to rush to judgment.
I hope and suspect that we will be hearing more about the specifics of Mr. Rein's firing in the coming months.
Philip J. Infantino
Gloria Drive Small-town politics
Leadership is something that most people feel is a part of their personal inventory of desired traits. For the most part this is true, but the degree to which one is an effective leader varies considerably from one individual to the next. Elected public officials do not automatically become effective leaders either as individuals or acting together as a legislative body once they assume office. The recent events within the city of Chesapeake clearly demonstrate this fact.
We empower our elected officials to act on our behalf, and this is a sacred trust which lies at the heart of our democratic form of government. As mentioned in a recent editorial in The Virginian-Pilot, these ``elected amateurs'' usually serve in a competent manner, but there are notable exceptions. In most cases, the negative exceptions involve the abuse or misuse of the power that we citizens have granted to our ``elected amateurs.'' Repeated abuse of power is either intentional or is due to a profound ignorance of the responsibilities that should accompany the use of power. The most recent abuse was demonstrated in the public firing of the city manager when an ``enraged'' elected official opted for the public humiliation of a dedicated individual. That the city manager serves at the pleasure of the City Council is not disputed, however, the manner in which the termination was handled is inexcusable. The discussions which followed the firing only served to exacerbate the situation. Leaders who know and respect power would not have acted in such a manner.
Chesapeake has many urgent problems which we need to address, such as deteriorating roads, crowded schools, rapid growth and a decent water supply. These problems may be complex, but they are eminently solvable if our city had the dedicated leadership and resolve to take the proper actions. Too often our elected officials approach problem solving from a partisan perspective. The issues seem not to revolve around what is best for the citizens of Chesapeake, but what best serves the partisan interests of the party currently in power. Abuses exist on both sides of the aisle and at their worst are a parody of small-town, narrowly focused politics.
Chesapeake passed the small-town phase many years ago, but we have not yet raised our sights or focused our vision on the future. Last year, a group of dedicated citizens drafted an excellent ``Vision Statement` for the city as part of the Mayor's Long Range Study Task Force. The study developed five major goals which targeted growth opportunities, quality of life, technology, environment and regional co-operation. Our city officials need to drop the partisan bickering and adopt a more strategic view of the city and its place in the global economy. They must then conduct the city's business from a higher perspective rather than continue to take short term actions which are driven by the next election or by equally short-term party politics.
Actions taken to achieve long range outcomes involve risks and perhaps some failures. Years from now, people won't remember who won or lost certain elections based on political promises. What they remember will be influenced by what they see all around them. Will Chesapeake continue to be a healthy, aesthetically pleasing, progressive community in which to live and thrive or will our progress be thwarted by a lack of leadership? As citizens shouldn't we be concerned? As citizens we can determine this future. As citizens we can elect officials who will dare to set aside purely political motivations and do what is best for us all.
Frederick J. Schmitt
Kindlewood Court `Good riddance' to Rein
As a public works contractor, I have had the opportunity to work with officials of the city of Chesapeake, including the former city manager on numerous occasions over the years. I think I echo the sentiment of other contractors when I state that working with the city of Chesapeake has been a nightmare.
The city is notorious for submitting change orders on public works jobs with no expectation of reimbursing the contractor for the additional time and labor involved. I have argued this problem from project managers right on up to the city manager and have never received a satisfactory explanation, finding a rubber stamp mentality all the way.
Consequently, I must say, ``good riddance'' to the long-overdue firing of City Manager James Rein. Responsive city leadership flows from the top down. I sincerely hope that new leadership in the manager's position will bring new attitudes to City Hall.
David Messmore
Butterfly Drive Rein stood for principle
Jim Rein should have known better. He has worked around government long enough to know the cardinal rule: ``You don't get in trouble for what you don't do, but only for what you actually do.''
Mr. Rein's case is an excellent example of what government has become - not only in Chesapeake, unfortunately, but everywhere. He failed to adequately address several major scandals in our recent history, and what did council do? Nothing! He has, I'm sure, failed to act on other issues that plague our city, but no council has fired him for those past failures either.
Ah, but he then had the audacity to stand up against something he thought was wrong - an obviously political move to rebate water bills. One that on its face was absurd! Very little money to the individual customer, but an enormous sum for the city, which is trying to fix the water problem and can ill afford such an expense.
Yep, Jim did something - he stood up to council on a matter of principle. He should have known his audience better. Principle vs. politics. In Chesapeake we should have known who would win that battle! And so should have Jim.
My 16-year-old son is repulsed by politicians. He feels that they are the problem and not the solution to antipathy toward (and by) government. Despite my attempts to point toward honorable politicians (John R. Newhart, Mark L. Earley and Alan P. Krasnoff are ones I use a lot), he continues to think that politicians generally lack the fortitude and the honor to do the right thing. Given the latest performance by Chesapeake City Council, I see his point.
A.C. Black Jr.
Hornsea Road Time to clean house
I have heard the public outcry over the firing of Chesapeake City Manager James W. Rein, and I have to wonder where these people have been during Chesapeake's tortuous past under Mr. Rein's reign.
This action should not have come as a surprise to anyone. As the man at the helm, Mr. Rein should have been fired after the City Garage scandal. Even if shielded by the former administration, he certainly should have been discharged after the Republican majority assumed control of the City Council.
Mr. Rein was on borrowed time, and he knew it. His last contract renewal was on a trial basis without a raise. Mr. Rein has not had a vote of confidence from the council in six months. I even saw him quoted in the paper as recognizing that he was ``on the ropes'' given the vice mayor's voiced dissatisfaction with the city manager's job performance. Any one of us would have read the writing on the wall and pursued other employment options. I suspect Mr. Rein was simply waiting for his discharge so that he could collect his $50,000 severance package. His public opposition to the water rebate was simply the final straw in an inevitable result.
I think it is high past time that the new City Council cleaned house in Chesapeake. Chesapeake is a new city with a need for new captains.
Marlene L. Bernarde
Pine Bark Drive by CNB