The Times take on last night's Council meeting is that it was overcome by controversy because two time Congressional candidate Dan Francis gave lawmakers a tongue lashing over their decision to hire former Ogdensburg manager John Krol as interim manager.
One city resident also referred to lawmakers as "village idiots" for events that led to the retirement of the City Manager.
Having been at Council meetings for years and knowing Mr. Francis, I would hardly say his being outspoken rises to the level of an eruption of controversy.
Watertown Daily Times | Local News, Sports, Features, and Community Information for Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County, and Lewis County in Northern New York
34 comments:
You should be ashamed of yourselves for convincing a former Ogdensburg mayor,renowned for his competence, to come out of retirement to take the helm at the city of Watertown! What were you thinking?
Maybe Danny can run for mayor using this as his core platform? You could have promoted the person with the most time but instead you put the most qualified and experienced guy you could find into the job? What were you thinking? Danny's got my vote!
Sure it stinks. You pay Krol 10 grand to do a search and he finds...........himself!!!
The council is a faint example of how government should work.
Danny Francis ? Where was Middle Class Mike ?
Good moves Mayor. You did what was needed
Guess what, the sun came up this morning, there is the smell of spring in the air, and it doesn't stink at all. Exellent decision by the mayor and council. Time to move on to bigger and better times.
It does stink how Mary came to leave position of City Manager. I hope the residents of Watertown remember this the next time Jeff Smith, Roxanne Burns and Joe Butler are running again for their council seat or for position of Mayor.
Mary Corriveau left the city in top notch condition. Time will tell if the next City Manager will be able to maintain or do better.
If not, remember who did this....
Jeff Smith = Has God complex
Roxanne Burns = Shows bad judgement
Joe Butler = Lacks common sense.
Using the consultant in the process to serve as an interim is seriously flawed logic and questionable in spite of the personalities involved . Just not what you NEED from a PR standpoint frankly .
While Mr. Krol is no doubt an experienced player and a nice person, ANY , even the faintest semblance of possible backdoor politics or cronyism or other seemingly innocent but potentially questionable action is best avoided .
Why isn't the Assistant city Mgr a viable candidate for the interim?
Why is it that Watertown CANT find someone other than its consultant to fill this role ?
These questions BEG answers.
He called the city council members village idiots in the public meeting?
I hope he wasn't wearing a hat.
I would think someone like him could find it easy to take a job and do it. He needs to step in and apply. Give up some of that free money and work some more in his life. Not that he hasn't, he has worked his butt off. But still, if he is worried, apply.
I have no problem with Krol, but it must be a kick in the head for Mary that he is getting paid at a higher rate than she was. $600 per diem seems quite high for someone as you say Mayor is not a deity.
It is amazing: I raise questions about good government and I get blasted. I inquire about the mechanics of government acting on our behalf, and I get ridiculed. I want to know how or why certain decisions are made that impact us and our pocketbooks, and I nearly get tar and feathered; all that remains is ride out of town on a rail.
I love the way so many hypocrites at this forum, who screech about good government, get a blast out of blasting those of us who are really concerned and involved about good government with our inquiring minds and questions and direct action while they sit at home throwing bombs at those of us who question those in government the way we do in front of government. Amazing.
Danny, it's sometimes not what you say...but how you say it. Calling council members 'village idiots' should have gotten you tossed from the meeting. It seems the only people who agree with you are a few at the WDT's, and Nick Darling.
Remember who started this. Burns, Butler, and Smith! The city has to keep running, and the council did what they had to do.
When I saw the WDT's headline this morning I was like, whoa...what happened at the meeting...Then I read the 'story'...What a joke! One persons complaints do not consitute a 'controversy...The Times should know better than to write such a headline...
I applaud the Mayor for keeping the ship on the right course until a replacement can be found.
ADLAI E. STEVENSON: A VOICE OF CONSCIENCE
1900-1965 Per Hotline discussion today.
Mike Flynn 'Middle Class Mike'
If I for a minute thought it was inportant to go and bitch, I would have been there. It was a none issue and you know it. It was your shoot to look important. That's why everyone took a shoot you, you are old news.
No it is not how he says it it is what he says. Face it...Danny just ain't that bright. Nothing wrong with that but he pretends he is bright, and that is kind of annoying to the bright people.
So mayor Graham brilliantly conceived and executed this common sense approach to finding a city manager replacement. And then he brilliantly persuaded the most obvious and bestest choice for interim manager, to reconsider and take the job. And then he built a consensus to execute that as well.
And Danny wants to pretend he could have done a better job.
If Danny were running Coca-Cola, he would change the recipe. If Graham were running Coca-cola he would change the recipe back.
May favorite job title as of late, Consultant.
Consultant= Cant get or hold a real job.
And running a close second is Facilitator.
Very disingenuous of the three who brought this to pass to stand and applaud her,kind of a final slap in the face.Well,let the process go on,done deal..
Anon 10:12 and Anon 1:49 -- Mr. Nick Darling NOT I called them "village idiots..." if you two had been there, you'd get those pesky facts correct. Now apologize to me publicly if you two have the nerve or guts...
Scurry on now.
It's not the appointment of Krol that stinks. It's the fact that we needed to appoint an interim manager that stinks. There is no way that Mary should have been let go. She has always been a professional and has led our city through these very difficult times. Those 3 members should be ashamed of themselves.
I certainly plan on voicing my displeasure in the only way that counts. I will not vote for Butler or Smith. As for Roxie I can only hope that her name will not appear on the ballot as she will resign (or be terminated) from her position. We deserve better than this!
Danny; I do agree with you,this does have stench all over it.First and foremost,Jeff, you went against your steadfast railing of "double-dippers" what is this "triple-dipping"? I am also starting to believe that you voted to keep Mrs.Corriveau, because your vote didn't count, and you didn't want to look like the bad guy.And I am really starting to believe this was a well orchestrated concoction, with two other clowns on the city council, you know, the one that lies to it, the other swears to it.
$600 a day?? Mayor, I don't want to hear you complain about the pay for school superintendents or other public employees again. What a hypocrite.
Dannie, you should be surprised at the response you get every time you run your mouth. You and Middle Class Mike are much the same. You both have the same problem. No matter what the situation, local, national, worldwide, you see everything in light of Democratic party line thinking. It is the single thing that controls all your thinking. Neither of you ever varies from that rule. Just as happens to extreme partisans from the other side, both you and MMM have lost all credibility. Whenever you stand and speak, we all know what we are going to hear. Dannie, you're the clown and Mikey is the stooge. I like clowns and stooges. I'm even going to see the new movie. But don't expect people to seriously listen to what you have to say. Those days are far behind us. You should be happy MMM is around now. He takes the pressure off you as far as being so well-known.
"and now you know the rest of the story" Anon 8:09pm
BUT, DAN! You called people names in front of the paper at a public meeting did you not? I think it's you that owes a sorry I had diaria mouth.
Mary was rightfully let go because of one problem and that problem remains. We have a dyfunctional and out of control DPW. Gene Hayes was responsible for the Parks and Rec fiasco. Mary did not have the gonads to do something about it. Maybe the next City Manager will.
I called no one names in front of the media -- print or other medium. Stick to the truth and you won't have so much to remember...
You are pathetic.
12:oopm; if there is any truth, what about the previous city managers, the city council, the mayor. I seriously do believe that certain people had known about the P and R situation, but chose to look the other way, until it became a headline, then it was finger-point time.That is why Mary was let go,and that is what I believe. One only needs to look at the lies that has come from our current city council,over the past few months.
I agree with 5:19pm; I seriously doubt the mayor is nearly smart enough to pull all that off.
I wonder if the free stuff guy, the hate guy, the Naaaaaancy guy and the gene hayes guy are all the same person. If so it would be nice to get rid of him with one fell swoop. For the betterment of this blog, of course.
Dan never says he's sorry. And he never admits he did wrong.
I agree with 10:09 and Hitler...we should censer those people who we disagree with.
Anonymous 11:47 - why do you pretend to know me - you do not. I you did, you'd be man/or woman enough to use your name and confront me.
I have often apologized for mistakes, here and in life in general. Just because you throw nasty attack bombs and then scurry back under your rock does not mean we didn't see the slime trail you left at this trough of enlightenment.
There goes Dannye again calling this forum a trough of enlightenment,and yet he apparently can't get enough of reading and posting on it.What kind of animal revels in rolling in something it considers putrid?Three guesses,starts with an Oi and ends with a iinnnkkk!Now come back with your self avowed bravery and wisdom at posting your name..
Dannie, you did not see me flip the switch, and I was never here. You paranoid idiot.
I haven't been here at all. I have, however, watched you make a fool of yourself once again. All on your own. No help from me, your favorite fan.
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