Two of the most difficult jobs in the public sector, I have always held, are the superintendent of schools in large urban districts (Fresno Unified is certainly qualifies being the 36th largest school district in the country) and the city manager. The city manager has a delicate balancing act, providing overall management of city employees while at the same time satisfying the policy directives (sometimes whims) of elected mayors and council members.
Andy Souza, with 24 years of service to the City of Fresno (seven of them as city manager), has decided to resign and pursue other interests. After serving on the city council for eight years, with Andy as city manager for many of them, I want to commend Andy for helping to steer the city through the treacherous shoals of state and local politics, high expectations and deep disappointments, egotists and pragmatists, saints and sinners.
Andy could probably write the definitive book on "inside Fresno." My assumption, however, is that he is discreet enough to not tell all. Just think of the mayors and council members that he has known. The stories he could tell about the sausage-making process that passes for policy-making. Imagine the tension and tug-of-war in Fresno's strong mayor form of government between his role as city manager, his boss (the mayor) and those pesky 7 council members with whom he has to sit on the dais every week during those long council meetings.
I wonder what Andy could tell us about Jim Patterson's libertarian say-no to-everything mind-set, the Operation Rezone scandal where some council members went to jail for pay offs from developers, Alan Autry's stem-winding, off-the-wall State of the City speeches and press conferences (some day I will share with you the circumstances of Alan throwing me out of his office), and those annoying council members having the "audacity" to question his or the mayor's decisions.
Andy Souza has been an honest, hard-working, loyal city employee. The citizens of Fresno have been served well.
Even though Andy is Portuguese, I want to send him into his new stage of life with the old Irish blessing: "May the road rise to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face..."
Coming Soon. . .
1. Roses and Thorns awards.
2. Where are our private sector leaders?
3. How many deployments can we expect from our military? Resurrect the draft?
Comments are always welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@email.com
Here's a good deal: Work as a volunteer on Fresno Unified's proposed facilities master plan/bond, and then be selected for a no-bid $187,240 consulting contract to assist FUSD in moving the facility projects forward. That's the deal Dan Fitzpatrick, former City of Fresno Redevelopment Agency Director, and Kay Berken, formerly employed by FUSD, received.
Carol Mills, the only member of the district's board of trustees to oppose the contract, was absolutely correct in both questioning the contract amount and why it was not put out for public bid. As a taxpayer in the Clovis Unified School District (CUSD), I was pleased but not surprised to learn from the recent Fresno Bee article that reported the award of the no-bid contract to Fitzpatrick and Berken, that CUSD does not hire from local citizen committees.
I have generally admired the leadership provided by Superintendent Michael Hansen, the FUSD board of trustees and FUSD staff for improving student performance and for eliminating previous fiscal mismanagement in the district. Unfortunately, recent questionable financial decisions that have come to light have led me to question their decision-making process. A few weeks ago FUSD was accused of inappropriately spending First Five grant funds received from Fresno County. And now this poorly considered award to two very inside insiders just adds to my discomfort.
If the district wants to eventually convince the taxpayers in its service area to vote for a $256 million dollar bond, I would encourage them to be very careful in determining why, how and to whom they are giving their funds.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Thanks, Andy Souza. We will miss you.
2. Where are our private sector leaders?
3. How many deployments can we expect from our military? Resurect the draft?
Comments are always welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@email.com
As a former City of Fresno council member, I thought that I was thoroughly familiar with the city's pension system. During public hearings, the city's pension manager routinely provided council members with an audited report as well as a state of the pension fund briefing. The council was very satisfied with the management and oversight provided by the city's Pension Board. In fact, the city's fund portfolio for most of the time I was on the council more than 10% oversubscribed/paid for and widely recognized as one of the safest public sector pension funds in California due to prudent investments and conservative management. For years Fresno was one of the few cities in California that did not have to tap the general fund in order to meet pension obligations.
The ever-present danger of providing overly generous pension payouts to city employees that could rebound to the city's detriment in later years was always carefully considered by the mayor and council during the course of contract negotiations. We were very aware of the damaging effects of profligate spending, particularly on pensions, of both large California cities like San Diego and small cities such as Vallejo.
I was, then, quite surprised and disappointed to read George Hostetter's recent article in the Fresno Bee showing that 72 of the city's 865 former police or fire employees had annual pensions above $100,000. Only five of the city's 1,402 nonpublic-safety retirees reached the $100,000 level. Unfortunately, those statistics were never shared with the council. I do not know whether former Mayor Alan Autry was aware of the over $100,000 pensions. He should have, however, since the city manager reports to him.
I know that the council would have "gone through the roof" if it had known about the higher pensions. Staff obviously did not share that information with the council. Unfortunately, the council--to include me--failed to ask the right question.
It is quite obvious that Mayor Swearengin and the current council need to fix the problem of the out-sized pensions. This can be done without unfairly reducing the pension outlays for the remaining 95 percent of deserving city employees.
A final thought on the Bee's request to the city for the names of those employees receiving the higher-level pensions: Do it. Salary and pension payments are provided by city taxpayers. Public employees have no legal right to keep this information from the media and/or public.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Thanks, Andy Souza. We will miss you.
2. Where are our private sector leaders?
3. FUSD hires the insiders.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.
I was pleased to learn of the recent thawing of the bitter feelings between Armenia and Turkey. This is not to say that diplomatic relations will be established tomorrow or even the near future. The fact, however, that both countries are gingerly talking to each other is a positive sign. Neither country benefits from throwing rocks.
Armenians have a legitimate cause for disliking the Turks. While it was many years ago, few Armenians can forgive the Turks for the wholesale murders of Armenians. It was and still is a source of friction between both countries.
As a former council member representing Northwest Fresno, I fondly remember the many Armenian families and business persons that were my constituents. They were always so generous in inviting me to their special events. I often kidded my Armenian friends that my surname was really Calhounian, the accent, of course, on the last syllable. It was always good for a good-natured chuckle. (Actually, I think that they thought I was a little goofy and just wanted to be polite.)
My cultural heritage draws principally from Scotland. And Scotland, as any fan of Mel Gibson's Braveheart knows, has a long history of ethnic strife. It has only been a few years since England has granted Scotland a significant degree of self-rule. It is no surprise then that living in Fresno with a large Armenian population that I recognize the Armenian pride in immigrating from sovereign nation, no longer being under the influence of the former Soviet Union. Also, the painful historical Turkish genocide weighs heavily on the Armenian people.
Life goes on, however. Germany and Japan in World War II and North Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict, formerly our enemies, are now our allies. I am cautiously optimistic that Armenian and Turkey can also turn swords into plowshares in order to better improve the lives of the peoples of both countries.
On a personal note, the best of holiday wishes to my former Armenian constituents. We are proud of the contributions you and other Armenians have made to Fresno, California and the nation.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Thanks, Andy Souza. We will miss you.
2. City of Fresno pensions: Who knew what and when?
3. FUSD hires the insiders.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.
I was at last Thursday's City of Fresno Council meeting on an issue related to traffic-calming roundabouts and was surprised to hear that Council President Cynthia Sterling was proposing to rename the downtown Convention Center's New Exhibit Hall after Lloyd Kennedy, the retired director of the City Convention Bureau. This building is the most recent addition to the downtown entertainment complex that also includes Saroyan Theater, Selland Arena, the exhibition building now called Ernie Valdez Hall, and the Robert Schottler Convention Center adjacent to the Radisson.
The proposed naming request raises a number of issues. Foremost is the questionable recent practice of naming Convention Center buildings after former City of Fresno employees. Robert Schottler was the Convention Center's former City department head. He was then followed as Convention Center department head by Mr. Ernie Valdez for whom another building was named. Now some council members are proposing naming the lone remaining building after Mr. Kennedy. Why? Apparently because he was the long-time Convention and Visitor Center manager. It begs the question: Should a building be named after someone based on the criteria of having managed its operation for a number of years? I thought that good management was what is expected of staff.
Naming a building after someone should be a carefully thought-out process. Just think about the other two individuals that have their names on Convention Center buildings. One is William Saroyan. Is there any question about the pride Fresnan's have for this native son? The other is Arthur A. Selland, Mayor of Fresno from 1958 to 1964, whose vision and leadership led to the development of the downtown Convention Center as well as many other contributions essential to making Fresno known throughout California. Saroyan and Selland left their mark. They deserve to have buildings named after them.
I would encourage the Council to not rush into making a decision on naming this building. Let's wait for the next Saryoyan or Selland before we put another name on the Convention Center.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey?
2. City of Fresno pensions: Who knew what and when?
3. FUSD hires the insiders.
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.
Should everyone own a home? That was apparently the thinking from approximately 2003 to 2007 when the housing market boomed and then abruptly collapsed. It's no secret today what happened during those hyped years of unbridled greed and foolishness when sub prime loans and other shady deals were the norm.
Okay, so the funny-money game is over, and we can now wait for the housing market to take its natural course of reward and punishment for the thrifty, prudent, foolish and gullible? Not quite. Instead the President and Congress are providing at taxpayer expense $8,000 first time home owner "bribes" and, more recently, $6,500 "bribes" to assist current homeowners buy another home if they've lived in their home for 5 years.
These housing inducements don't come free. They come from us, the taxpayers. The Treasury has committed up to $400 billion to keep Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (primary lenders to homeowners) solvent and, therefore, able to keep the lending spigot wide open. Why? Because the housing industry wants it. The irony is that people don't have to be given money up front to buy what they would be buying anyhow.
Can't we be satisfied with the ability to write off part of our mortgages? Do we need more? What about the effect on the deficit? What about the precedent it sets? And even more so, what message does it send to those Americans that bought their homes without the upfront "bribes?"
I fully recognize that this country is in a real financial pickle. The Stimulus Program is not without some problems, but it has been necessary to prevent a full-blown depression. Bailing out the automobile industry probably was a prudent move even though we had to hold our nose (and our breath hoping that taxpayers won't be skinned). But plowing billions into the housing market?
The housing subsidy was not made on its merits. Instead, it was a purely political ploy. The reality, however, is that neither the President nor the Congress will be rewarded by fawning constituents. It's jobs that people want; not subsidized homes.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey?
2. City of Fresno pensions: Who knew what and when?
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.
A festering issue that just won't go away is what level of City of Fresno services should be provided to county islands. Some county islands are relatively small. Others like Old Fig are large.
The City has provided water and sewer to county islands for many years. While I was serving on the City Council, the city extended fire protection services to county islands. These services were not forced on the residents but rather, were requested due to superior fire protection services that the city could provide.
And then there is police protection for county islands. Police protection is currently provided by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. This is unusual since the county islands, particularly Old Fig, are surrounded by the city. County island residents must, of course, pay for the Sheriff deputies to patrol the area. Many residents feel that the level of protection provided by the deputies is inadequate. These same residents, however, are not about to pay for more protection.
Enter the City of Fresno's offer to provide police services to county islands. It makes sense since Fresno's finest have always responded to calls as a means of augmenting the limited presence of deputies in the county islands. The union representing the deputies is adamantly against the city providing the service because they fear the loss of deputies.
I was both sympathetic to and amused by the recent Fresno Bee op-ed by Mayor Ashley Swearengin complaining about the union's misrepresentations of the city's intentions to residents of county islands. Instead of complaining about the union's tactics, the mayor should instead call their bluff and prohibit the city's police from responding to calls in the county islands. The residents can then decide for themselves if they are willing to accept sole coverage by the deputies.
One would think that City of Fresno taxpayers would be miffed to know that their police department is subsidizing the Fresno County Sheriff''s Department.
This county island issue is just another in a long list of examples of the intransigence of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in consolidating City of Fresno and County of Fresno services. The inefficiency and ineffectivenes of duplicating public services should be an affront to all city and county taxpayers.
Coming Soon. . .
1. Why not buy a house? We taxpayers are paying for it.
2. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey?
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail .com.
