Chief Rusty Nail RESCINDS His Resignation

Non-Interference Ordinances are Common, Part II

Yesterday our attorney sent all board members 11 pages of "non-interference"ordinances from counties around the state.  From non-charter counties and charter counties alike.

These ordinances are very common throughout the state of Florida---because they are an effective deterrent to "One" member of a 5 member board attempting to usurp the overall board's power, destroying morale and running good people out the door in the process....

These policies are common because the issues that we are facing in Escambia County right now have obviously been dealt with by other counties in this state in the past--and these ordinances are effective and work if they are enacted.

So even though online its

"Blah blah blah blah....Bergosh is bad...Blah Blah Blah...We don't need this...Blah Blah Blah.....we can't do it because were not a charter county....blah blah blah....It's a head in the sand ordinance....blah blah blah.....everybody's corrupt.....blah blah blah.......blah blah blah"

....even though there is a lot of this going on....the folks peddling this garbage are wrong. 

We're losing good folks, and we won't be able to get any good staff--let alone a quality administrator--if we don't take action and adopt a non-interference ordinance so that employees know they are protected.  I hope I can get two more votes so we can make this happen......All these other counties have figured this out, isn't it time we did as well?  Look at the variations below:

A Part-Time Job----With More than Full Time Hours and Commitment

There is a debate afoot: Some folks believe only retirees, business-owners, or those that are independently wealthy should be able to serve on Boards, Councils, and Commissions.  That would unfairly inhibit the potential service of working-class, working-age candidates, though.  It is for this reason that the vast majority of non-wealthy, working-age Board, Commission, and Council Members maintain their careers through their years of public service.  To demand otherwise would simply serve as a punishment for public service.

Lately there has been some rumblings online about the level of engagement a commissioner, a board member of the Escambia County Commission, should have.  Specifically--is the position of a County Commissioner a full-time, or a part-time position?

Because I am entering my 13th year as a member of a locally-elected public board of directors (Escambia County School Board-2006 until 2016, Escambia County Commissioner 2016-present)  I know the answer from my perspective--based upon my own experience and also based upon the inputs I gleaned from meeting peers from around the country at statewide and national conferences over the past 13 years.

If an individual is truly serious about being effective and knowing his/her role in the hierarchy-I believe the answer to the Part-Time/Full Time question about board membership is this:

It is a part-time job that requires more than full-time hours and commitment to the position .

 But what does that mean, you ask?  Well, I will explain it from my perspective but first I would encourage the readers to look at this nicely done, easy to read two-pager from the National Association of Counties (NACO).  And then this interesting piece from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG).

Interestingly--both of these publications refer to the job as "part-time" with the caveat that the position is actually "on-call" 24-7, 365--which I can attest to being a true statement.

So here is my philosophy on this issue.  A person that steps up and takes on the challenge to run for an office, win an election, and serve his community should not be "punished" for his public service by having to quit his/her business or resign from his/her career.

Most rational folks understand this.   Yes, the pay for our work is excellent.  But it is set by the state--just as the salaries for School Board Members, Sheriff's, Property Appraisers, and other constitutional offices are set by formula set in statutes.  Candidates are well aware of the pay before they run.  If they win, they get the emoluments of the position--including the paycheck...with neither the expectation that they resign from their careers nor the requirement to do so-which is as it should be.

And this is why the majority of the folks of working-age that serve their communities on Councils, Boards, and Commissions work a regular job as well or own their own business, or are independently wealthy.  Looking at the two county area (Escambia and Santa Rosa)  seven of the ten currently-seated County Commissioners derive income from work outside of their BCC seats (Attorney, Auto Mechanic, Financial Planner, RE Salesman, Navy Contractor Employee, Navy Reservist, Construction Company Owner), two are retired and earn pensions (USAF and Gulf Power), and ONLY ONE (10%) is a true full-time County Commissioner--only deriving income from his BCC salary.

So should a person who has a career or an income from employment outside his elected seat with an employer that is willing to support such an employee's public service be shamed into "quitting" his career for for a 4-year job that does not require the presence of that official from 8-5PM M-F?  Of course not--because to have that mindset would 1.)

Marlette Manipulation 9.0: Dandy the Creeper Clown

PNJ cartoonist Andy Marlette is at it again, making cartoons that are really not funny and difficult to really understand.  I was featured in two cartoons this week thus far, including this one...  So, as I have done for almost a decade, I'm manipulating one he did about me earlier this week, to actually make a cartoon that is funny!  :)

Andy is talented, but many of us--lots of us--feel he is overly abusive of conservative politicians, whereas others get a pass or get light-hearted, schtickish good natured cartoons.

The President is frequently targeted, body shamed about weight and his hands.  The First Lady is a frequent target to....as is Christianity and lots of other subjects that offend lots of people.  I don't really get offended, I just look for ways to make them better  :)

So this is all in good fun, right?  This is satire and humor, right?  So the public figure cartoonist can make fun of me, a public figure, then so far as I'm concerned turnabout is fair play.

A couple of years back Andy Marlette's representative Jeremy Knipper called me and said, "Yeah, Jeff, we're going to need you to take

This is Why Part II

This email, above, is an actual email actually sent from an actual commissioner to our previous administrator Jack Brown.

Now, some may consider this sort of a written assessment of an administrator's employee to be routine.  I can say from my perspective I do not believe it to be. In my 13 years of elected public service locally I have NEVER sent such an email to either an administrator or a superintendent--presuming to thrust my own opinion upon the executive about the performance of one of his employees. 

The administrator is charged with hiring, firing, and discipline of employees---not commissioners, not board members.

Can we discuss concerns?  Sure.  Can we ask for information?  Of course.  But essentially calling for termination--and then putting it in writing?  It is intimidation of not only this particular employee of the organization--but also of the administrator.  Should 1/5 of the administrator's boss (the full 5-member BCC) have this unilateral ability?

No.

From the email above--one can easily see that this particular commissioner had a huge problem with this particular employee--but apparently the administrator felt differently.

Perhaps the administrator had spoken to the other four commissioners, and perhaps the other four commissioners strongly supported this individual employee?  Who knows--but the fact that this particular employee remained on staff despite one commissioner's continual negative assessment (s) over time points to that as a possibility.

And therein lies the reason why the administrator supervises and controls staff.  The administrator is much more cognizant of an individual employee's level of expertise, value, performance, and work ethic (as well as a particular employee's  "fit" within the team.) The administrator is the hour by hour, day to day, week to week "supervisor" of employees---not individual commissioners.  Do we as commissioners have close working relationships with employees?---of course!   Can we work together?--absolutely!

But negative assessments are strictly in the wheelhouse of the executive, the administrator, for the obvious reasons as stated above and also as they are enumerated in statute.

Otherwise an organization will hemorrhage and talented staff will run for the exits......Sound familiar?  (This is the impetus for my bringing a badly needed Non-Interference Ordinance)

In this particular instance described in the above email--regrettably--the employee in question

This is Why, Part I

This email, above, is an actual email actually sent from one County Commissioner to our former County Administrator Jack Brown.  I have redacted names and other information so that readers will not know which commissioner sent this....and to whom this email refers.

In other words, the point here is not to pinpoint names, etc.  The point is to have readers look at this email and ask themselves if this is a reasonable email.  Is it rational, measured, and professional?

Or is it demeaning and threatening?

And is it overly-heavy-handed to demand an immediate meeting with the administrator with the demand that not only the administrator come, but also HR personnel and Legal Personnel?

If I was the employee on the receiving end of a "demand" email like this one---I'd feel like my job was on the line, on the spot, if I did not do exactly as I was being directed by this one commissioner.

And about the veiled threat of  "I'll start making them famous"  at the bottom of this email...What the hell does that even  mean--is that a threat?  Does that mean these employees will be publicly called out, humiliated, and/or demeaned if they do not immediately acquiesce to the whims of 1/5 of the Board??

I think we are going to have a tough time keeping any Administrator or senior staff if they are

On the Radio This Morning

I'll be interviewed on two local radio stations this morning.  I'll be discussing the proposed ordinance I will be bringing on May 2nd.  Folks that are interested in it should check the podcasts later this morning.

I'll be on the radio later this morning, on multiple stations.

I'm slated to talk with Andrew McKay at Pensacola Morning News at 6:35.

Then, I'll be on the top-rated area morning show, Good Morning Pensacola,  at 6:50 with Don Parker.

I'm looking forward to discussing my proposed ordinance that is badly needed in Escambia County.(the one that will provide a mechanism for a local board to sanction an individual board member that acts outside his authority as an individual board member)

I'm also going to be discussing the eerie similarities between some shenanigans that are allegedly happening now in the county right now and the striking resemblance these issues have to the days of Grady Albritton.

Once posted online, I'll link the recordings  here (WCOA) and here (WNRP)