(Picture: J. “Dallas” Breen, Ph. D)
At the invitation of A Better Columbus, J. “Dallas” Breen, Ph.D. spoke to our community at the Lee Home on January 24, 2022. Breen, Executive Director of the Stennis Institute, gave a presentation on the topic; “How Municipal Government Works.” This information is needed at every level in Possumtown. To their credit, Councilpersons Pierre Beard, Rusty Green, and Jacqueline DiCicco attended and participated in the question-and-answer session at the end of the presentation. The other council folks were probably really busy, like the lyrics from a Prince song, “Busy doing something close to nothing but different than the day before.” Whatever the reason, they should have been present.
The main focus of the talk was on the “weak” mayor style of government. However, the term “weak” is a bit of a misnomer. This form of government does not mean that the mayor has no power. It simply means that the mayor does not have absolute power, although anyone who observed Robert Smith in action over the years knows that a person can be obnoxiously strong in a weak mayor system. That is a leadership style that Columbus never needs to experience again.
However, the mayor must take control of the day-to-day operations and control the overall functions of the city. There is nothing weak about this responsibility. The mayor may not have the ability to hire and fire, but he does conduct the evaluations of every department head. Add to that the fact that the council cannot address city employees and it is easy to see that a full-time mayor is indeed a powerful person. To be a functional mayor requires 40-60 per week, at a minimum. It is this full-time status that gives the mayor power.
During his remarks, Breen repeated numerous times that the only way a city can function is with cooperation between the mayor and council. Good luck with that, Columbus. Over the past few months, we have seen a 4-2 vote on many occasions. It does not mean the mayor doesn’t have power; it just means he has to find ways to work around this situation.
Here is a quick fact: Most of the conversations at any city council meeting between council members are just individuals who want to hear themselves talk and try to appear intelligent. Take it for what it is – noise. The mayor needs to avoid getting lost in the shenanigans of members who do not even take the time to review the agenda and are only there to share their harebrained ideas. Let the stupidity pass and it will expose those who are not in their position to ensure that the city is running at peak performance.
The full-time mayor is a position of power, and anyone who has that privilege needs to do what is best for the city. If you can’t get a much-needed audit approved, make sure the next person hired to manage the city’s finances is watched with great care. The moment you become aware of questionable activity, document it, take the appropriate corrective action – including recommending disciplinary action or termination – and share this information with each councilperson. Then, document each councilperson’s response. If the problem grows into a criminal or personnel matter and outside agencies are called in, share all of this, including the responses of any parties who may have been derelict in their duties, with the investigator. This applies to all matters. Document, document, document.
In addition, a new mayor must understand that, if they have never been in public service before, they likely have no idea how any of this works and that learning it “on the fly” is dangerous and ignorant. If you have spent your most of your life in academia, it is time you realize that you are “Not in Kansas, anymore.” It is time for you to get a mentor or mentors. Without that, you’re doomed. Get together with other full-time mayors, past and present, from other jurisdictions and brainstorm with them. You are not going to figure this out on your own.
The other element of this is the citizen. Whether there is a strong mayor, a weak mayor, or a mayor whose whereabouts are sometimes unknown, the citizens are in charge. WE are the ones who set the real agenda. Citizens must set the record straight. WE are the ones who must demand accountability. It is through the sacred ballot box, letters to the editor, and other communications with mass media that we can get the message across. It is a never-ending call for responsibility that must be maintained. We, the citizens, can never let up.
There are times that it appears that the city leaders have been free to do what they want for too long. For things to get better, this must stop, and it must stop now. WE must demand excellence.
Giving credit where credit is due, Councilman Beard should be acknowledged for posing the best question of the night. He said that it was texted to him, and that it dealt with the council censuring the mayor if they were not happy with his performance. NEWSFLASH! Once upon a time, in a little city, there was an incident where a mayor whipped a councilperson’s a$$ while he was at city hall working. And guess what happened. The mayor lived happily ever after, and no one did anything. It is going to be hard to top that lack of performance, especially when you consider that people who are in power now were there then, when nothing was done about it. It’s hard to give your blessing to censuring a mayor, after you did nothing when a councilman got mauled.
