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June 18, 2009 Opinions |
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—Editorial—
Split Council
The recent firing of Baker City Manager Steve Brocato by a council vote of four to three during their June 9 council meeting appeared to be as much of a surprise to some of the councilors as it was to the media and the public.
Although we don’t think the councilors who voted to fire Brocato presented well thought out or very justified reasons for his dismissal, according to city charter they were within their right to do so. However, why did they give Brocato such high ratings in his recent evaluation if they were so unhappy with his job performance?
Councilor Clair Button, after rating Brocato at 4.26 on a scale of one to five on his evaluation made the motion to fire Brocato. Aletha Bonebrake, one of the most outspoken councilors in favor of firing Brocato gave him a score of 3.49. Brocato’s overall average rating was 3.89. The only councilor who gave an evaluation rating anywhere near worthy of firing Brocato was Beverly Calder who had given him 2.36.
During the meeting when the evaluation scores were given, no mention of Brocato’s firing was made and no warnings that we are aware of were given to Brocato about his job performance. Obviously there was no opportunity given to Brocato to improve the areas of his job that councilors felt needed improvement.
So now the big question is, what happened between the May 26 meeting where evaluations on Brocato were given and the June 9 meeting when he was fired?
Since councilors aren’t saying – it’s anybody’s guess. We don’t know if this had any bearing on their decision or not, but one thing that happened during this time is that Brocato had asked Shannon Regan, police code enforcement officer, to inspect all of the councilors’ properties in preparation of the proposed property maintenance ordinance to ensure councilors comply with state ethics laws.
The firing of Brocato, however, is their option since as the city charter says he may be “removed at the pleasure of a majority of the council.” But what is really upsetting about all of this is that the council was so divided, and they still are over this issue.
How will they be able to come together to make decisions for the betterment of the community if they are so at odds with each other now over the firing of the city manager? (DS)
—Guest Opinions—
Citizens Are Encouraged To Comment On The Draft Environmental Impact Statement For The Travel Management Plan On The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
By Steve Ellis
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Supervisor
As many of you may know, over the past several years the Forest Service has been engaged in a public process to designate roads, trails, and areas for motorized use on all national forests throughout the country. The use of motor vehicles, particularly off-highway vehicles, is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation on national forest lands. The efforts are focused on looking at a system of routes that provides recreational opportunities and access for public motorized use, while providing protection to national forest resources.
Here in Eastern Oregon, many of you have pitched in with your time, wisdom, and local knowledge to help out in this process for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. I have been very impressed and encouraged by the hard work of community members who have come together to provide information and to help in the development of alternatives to address this issue.
I have a great respect for the human history in this area and the long-standing traditions, activities and uses that give special meaning to so many of the unique and beautiful places on this national forest. Accordingly, I want my ultimate decision about which roads, trails, and areas to designate for motor vehicle use to be as responsive as possible to these traditions, activities, and uses.
My specific goal is to develop a sustainable, designated system of motorized roads, trails, and areas that protect natural resource values while maintaining the quality and variety of recreational experiences for all users of this national forest. In achieving this goal, we used your input to develop the alternatives that are analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Motorized Travel Management on the Wallowa-Whitman. This DEIS will be out for public review and comment June 19. Comments will be accepted through August 18, 2009.
I want to stress how important it is to me that we hear from you. I have heard a broad range of perspectives on the plan. The DEIS proposes six different transportation system alternatives. I do not have a preferred alternative at this time; I have not yet made a decision. The information you provide during this comment period will help me in making a final decision.
The challenge is to find a balance. While finding that balance will be difficult, I believe we can achieve this task. I say this because - despite different opinions of those who live, work, and play here - we all value the Wallowa-Whitman for many of the same reasons. We are fortunate to live in an area that has such exceptional scenery and unparalleled recreation opportunities. Whether you are lucky enough to live here, or are one of visitors who return year after year, it is our common appreciation of these surroundings that brings us together.
In making the final decision, I will be following all of the laws, policies, and regulations that guide the management of national forest lands and resources. But let me emphasize, and again, encourage you to comment on the DEIS, because within these parameters I will be considering the diverse interests and concerns of local communities and visitors to the national forest. I need you to comment on the alternatives in the DEIS to enable me to understand as much as possible about those interests.
We have scheduled public meetings for July 7, 8, and 9 in Enterprise, La Grande, and Baker City, respectively, to provide opportunities for you to get and provide information. With your help, I believe we can create a sustainable road and trail network that achieves the necessary balance between motorized recreation access and resource protection.
Councilor Explains Firing Of City Manager
By Aletha Bonebrake
There has been a great deal of concern and criticism expressed by members of the public that the process for terminating Mr. Brocato as City Manager was abrupt and that no meaningful reasons were given for the action. I believe the public is entitled to such information and I offer my own opinions for this purpose.
One concern I’ve heard that deserves explanation is how Mr. Brocato could have received high evaluation scores and still be terminated within two weeks. It has to do with averaging. Mr. Brocato’s evaluation was a true measure of what each of us believed.
Mr. Pope, Mr. Bass and Mr. Bryan gave him the highest marks in every single category, which moved the average into the high range. My evaluation gave him high marks for administration and very low marks for PR and communication. The other three Councilors gave a similar range of marks.
I regret that we were not more specific stating our concerns publicly at the Council meeting two weeks earlier, but I believe Mr. Brocato had seen the evaluations prior to the meeting and, in my case, knew the problems that I cited from previous conversations and, in the past, had either denied that they were problems or blamed others. The evaluation was given in public at his request.
He was not amenable to listening or altering his behavior. In my evaluation I said that his temper, if not controlled, was a “deal breaker” for me. I gave him ample opportunity and encouragement to work on it. He never changed.
I ran for City Council knowing that there was great dysfunction among the Council members and between some Councilors and City Management. At the time I had no idea what the cause might be, and I wanted to help resolve some of the issues. There were so many conflicting opinions that I couldn't perceive what was true and what was not. I entered into the process with an open mind, good will and the desire to help create a more professional environment.
Before I took office Mr. Brocato was very gracious to me and went out of his way to help the new Councilors get oriented to the staff and the many responsibilities of the City. I had a very positive view of his involvement and concern.
The first thing that went wrong was a heavy lobbying effort by Mr. Brocato as to who would be mayor. By Charter this is a Council matter. Mr. Brocato is forbidden by the ICMA Ethics Code from interfering in election of Mayor, which I told him. Nevertheless, he persisted trying to recruit me to run for mayor after learning that Mr. Bryan did not have the votes to be elected.
Mr. Brocato’s stated purpose was to prevent Mr. Dorrah from being elected. He kept telling me extremely negative things about Mr. Dorrah, which I then researched and found not to be true. I told him of my findings. He argued. I told him I was satisfied with reports I’d received of Mr. Dorrah's leadership skills and thoughtful decision-making. The lobbying against Mr. Dorrah did not stop.
After asking me to run for mayor and Mr. Pope asking Mr. Button , Mr. Brocato recruited Mr. Pope. Mr. Pope asked me to vote for him. It seems that when Mr. Pope learned he didn’t have the votes, he withdrew at the 11th hour. In the end it appeared to the public that electing Mr. Dorrah was a calm and unanimous action. However, Mr. Brocato tried to manipulate the entire process in a clear breach of ethics.
Then there was a two-day team-building session in March with an out-of-town consultant which Mayor Dorrah and Councilor Calder were unable to attend because Councilors had failed to receive confirmation of the proposed date until the day before, and never received the agenda which had been promised for two weeks earlier. Besides it was the weekend of the basketball tournament playoffs and a gun show, which kept these two councilors at their businesses. And Mr. Button was out of town.
For the two days we met, Mr. Brocato repeatedly stated that Mayor Dorrah and Councilor Calder intentionally boycotted the training, that they were non-team players and that they were the source of all the contention on Council, past and present. I explained that I had visited both during the first break to encourage them to come for any part of it, and that both were completely tied up at their businesses. Mr. Brocato scoffed at my statement with intemperate language and said that they could have been there if they had wanted to.
Mr. Brocato continued to criticize their characters several times over the two-day session. The consultant acknowledged that he had been told these same criticisms of Mayor Dorrah and Councilor Calder before the session even began. I realized then that Mr. Brocato engaged in strident character assassination of particular councilors at every opportunity. And this character assassination has been visible at Council meetings as well.
I had also heard stories that Mr. Brocato has treated members of the public in a very disrespectful manner. I took the time to track down the truth of these stories and found them to be believable.
Mr. Brocato has been unwilling to accept responsibility for his bullying tactics and displays of temper toward citizens and Councilors. This behavior denies the inherent rights of the people to civil discourse. It also serves as a method of dissuading Council from fully exploring issues, as is its duty. He denies the reality of this problem by claiming that Council members are attempting to micromanage administrative matters. I am well versed in the differences between administration and policy and I see no truth in this claim.
Mr. Brocato expects the Council to not question anything presented, but to just pass it on through. Mr. Pope and Mr. Bryan encourage this conduct. We are pushed to approve matters that need more study. A Councilor who asks questions is accused of "not trusting staff" and often receives public criticism for doing so. It appears to me that this belief and conduct encourages staff to think likewise.
This is the culture that has been created and encouraged by Mr. Brocato and is, in my opinion, the foundation of the dysfunctional relationship between management and Council. Asking questions and evaluating data to set policy is not micromanagement. It is acceptable, it is democratic and it is the duty of the governing body.
From my experience, I concluded that Mr. Brocato had an uncontrollable temper that was unsuitable for a person in a position of this stature, that was damaging not only to individuals, but also to the conduct of public business. Outburst of temper was a tool he used frequently.
I had discussed these concerns with Councilor Pope and Councilor Bryan on more than one occasion in the hope that they could exert some influence.
This was not a sudden decision without process, but the result of Mr. Brocato’s denial over time that any corrective course in his behavior or relationship with Council was appropriate or necessary. A formal plan of correction would not have been useful or productive. His temper and philosophy of city governance are incompatible with public service.
When a majority of the Councilors do not believe the City Manager is effective in relating his role as administrator to the Council’s role as governing body, they have the right and the duty to remove him.
—Letters To The Editor—
Democracy Has Prevailed
To The Record-Courier:
Democracy has prevailed. The four duly elected city councilors who voted to discharge the city manager are well respected, honorable, concerned citizens of this community.
The talk of a law suit or a recall of them is totally appalling and unacceptable.
Please let us all group and work together to make our city once again “The Queen City on the Oregon Trail.”
John and Frances Burgess
Baker City, Ore.
What About Public Input?
To The Record-Courier:
I attended the city council meeting on Tuesday, and I was appalled and disgusted at what I witnessed. The council absolutely stonewalled the public on the announcement that they were going to fire Mr. Brocato. No reasons were given other than what I could only gather as “lack of information sharing” and “personality conflicts.” They refused to hear public comment until screams of “RECALL” went through the chambers. Some of these councilors were councilors that ran for election on the premise that the public would be heard. In the April 29, 2009, Record Courier, Councilor Clair Button submitted a letter to the editor regarding the council meeting that dealt with outsourcing to private agencies. He wrote, “If you listened, you would recognize that the councilors expressed honest differences of opinion and a willingness to listen to the opinions of citizens. But, what matters more to me than perception or my own feelings is quality of service, continuity, and competence. I believe in loyalty to good employees as well as employees loyalty to the city.” (Button, April 29, 2009, Retrieved June 10, 2009, from www.therconline.com.) What happened to this approach to doing business on Tuesday night Councilor Button, when you immediately made a motion to terminate Mr. Brocato and would not accept or listen to any public input before voting? I believe Mr. Brocato has done some great things for this city in his tenure; knowing full well that he may be abrasive to some people. I think this situation could have been better dealt with through mediation or some sort of third party involvement to rectify personality conflict between Mr. Brocato and these four councilors.
With the overwhelming support of Mr. Brocato’s employees at Tuesday’s meeting, one would think there would be some testament to his managerial style. I have been in a leadership position in the military for over 15 years, and I learned the hard way that you do not get the kind of support from subordinate employees that Mr. Brocato had on Tuesday night by being the person that these four councilors would have the public believe Mr. Brocato is. I would venture to guess that over half of the city employees showed up last night to support Mr. Brocato and show the councilors that he was doing great by them. Yet, every city employee that was finally allowed to offer their comments were met at the podium with intimidating looks and the scowls of four councilors as they attempted to make a case in support of Mr. Brocato. Even with the overwhelming support of the employees, of which one of the councilors commented she had the utmost respect for, and called them “stellar employees,” the four councilors, including her, chose to cut the head off this city staff. This is not a decision that is made if you truly care for your “stellar” employees. I cannot believe personal agendas have become so prevalent in our council.
Whatever happened to credibility with elected officials? By their own actions, two of the four councilors in my view have just completely destroyed their credibility. Just a few weeks ago, the Baker City Herald published the article regarding Mr. Brocato’s annual evaluation. Here is what the paper, and the councilors, said, “Baker City Manager Steve Brocato earned a 3.89 average out of a possible 5 points when the City Council made public his evaluation during Tuesday’s regular meeting. Mayor Dennis Dorrah, who assigned the city manager a score of 3.15, said he rated Brocato highly for his ‘outstanding relations with staff, his great organization and leadership skills and his fine work ethic.’ To Dorrah, Brocato is also ‘highly motivated and very goal-oriented’ and he ‘seeks to lead the city in a positive direction.’ (The Herald does say that Mayor Dorrah lists communication with council as an improvement he would like to see in Mr. Brocato.)
“Clair Button, another freshman councilor, said he would limit his evaluation of Brocato to the time Button has served, since January. Button’s score was 4.26. ‘During the time I have seen Steve work hard to communicate with me and Aletha (Bonebrake) and others I know,’ Button said, ‘I know we all have some remaining issues to work out, and we have to evaluate ourselves. We all need to work on our diplomacy skills.’” (Baker City Herald. May 28, 2009).
I would venture to guess that scores of 3.15 and 4.26 out of 5 would indicate overall happiness with a person’s performance.
What appalled me even more was the process at which these four councilors chose to conduct themselves. I am disgusted at the apparent back door meetings that had to have occurred to come to this decision, and yet the councilors assured the public that this did not occur. My question – How do you come to a conclusion so strongly like this without talking to each other? Add insult to injury by not allowing any public comment? I do appreciate that they finally did allow minimal public comment, but it appears that they did not even listen. I think the process was wrong and embarrassing to the council and the City. I commend Councilors Pope, Bryan and Bass for trying to explain the grave error that the other four were about to commit in their attempt to defend Mr. Brocato, and I hope that the four councilors can see the error of their ways.
As a citizen of this city, I cannot believe that the four councilors did not heed the warning of Councilor Pope. He vowed to sue if they went through with this vote. While I think a lawsuit against these councilors has the potential to damage the City’s reputation, I believe more strongly that it is long overdue to hold these councilors responsible for their actions which have also damaged the City. I support Councilor Pope’s comments, and I hope he makes good on his promise to hold these four councilors accountable. I cannot begin to understand how these four councilors can think for one second that they have made a decision that will take this city forward in the days to come. The City Manager may serve at the pleasure of the council, but the council seems to forget they serve at the pleasure of the voters of Baker City. I urge each and every member of the community to contact their councilors and let them know how they feel; good or bad, and then maybe they will see just how big of a mistake they have made. If he would come back, I would like to see Mr. Brocato re-instated. If communication is a problem, I would suggest both sides sit down and try to work out their problems-for the better of the City in the long run.
Wayne Chastain
Baker City, Ore.
Kitchen Robots?
To The Record-Courier:
Isn’t this weather just something else so unpredictable and mild and not to mention the humidity being at its best this year for our gardens. My potatoes are already flowering, etc. Just keep finding out more and more that I am doing things right in this garden of ours and am glad that it has worked out the way that it is.
Lately on the news, once again mentioning the robot issue, seems like now they are creating a kitchen robot to work in the kitchen, and all so wasn’t too far from that issue at that, so wives may be our time in the kitchen will be replaced by these make believe humans. But I do know they are still some if not most or all of us that don’t mind being in the kitchen making all of those wonderful favorite recipes of ours. Wonder how they manage to see about how they would keep the kitchen clean etc. at that. Wouldn’t that be a job for the inspectors—ha.
Can you imagine robots in the restaurant? My oh my, what else is new these days? She or he would probably make you put your money in to their machine and all making sure one pays up. Awk!
Now another issue that I would like to touch in on slightly, is that I happen to read an article that was questioning the Bible, which most of us like to read and study etc. .no matter what. So does this mean that we can question other Bibles as well for their fact or fiction? And can they be proven to work beyond the shadow of a doubt? And can we trust the ground in which they stand on to be a sure thing? I am amazed at the fact that our government has not made our courts in serving jury duty, etc., have not tried to oust the Bible in swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but truth and laying their hands on at it at that. Wonder when that time will come, and also when marriages etc. take place. So how far can one go on this issue whether it be truth or fact or fiction? For me I feel this is a personal and private thing and a matter of respect from one person to the next of how she or he believes without trying to prove themselves to be any different of sorts.
Now the economy, yes our other paper is cutting back to three times a week and we stopped taking the paper with the understanding to still pay the full price minus the two days. Why get the paper if we can’t get our money’s worth? It wouldn’t surprise me if they have had several cancellations on this account. I do enjoy this paper because you get more news and all! Our family does the recycling thing and we manage to get the papers in between and do a catchall at that. And then they make great fire wood starters.
Coffee anyone?
Brenda Dickison,
Baker City, Ore.
Good Job City Council
To The Record-Courier:
Good for you Baker City Council. Brocato needed to go. I believe you have taken a responsible step in the governance of Baker City.
I herby publicly request that Jennifer Watkins make available a complete copy of the e-mails that were exchanged when Brocato got here and I wanted to see a copy of his application. It turned out that Mr. Brocato never filled out an application. He did not sign any document that said what he said was true. They didn’t have enough information about him to even do a background check. The resume he did give was unsigned. We had a multiple e-mail exchange, and my ultimate conclusion was that the hiring of Brocato was the poorest example of hiring that I had ever seen. So, Jennifer Watkins, please make available to those interested the entire group of e-mails.
That was a very impressive group of city employees who are giving such solid support to Brocato. Jennifer, would you please let us know when each of those supporting employees were making before Brocato got here and what they are presently making. I seem to recall that some whopping raises were passed out.
Richard Harris
Baker City, Ore.
Weigh All Options First
To The Record-Courier:
From newspaper accounts, observance of council telecasts and from informal conversations it appears to me that despite Mr. Brocato’s obvious management skills (recognized by 6 of 7 council members in his recent evaluation) four of his employers have been so shaken by his management style that it was impossible for them to arrive at any solution but his dismissal.
It might be helpful if present and former employees of Bellas, Yorks and the County Library could tell Mr. Brocato what form of behavior has been or was necessary to avoid offending the delicate sensibilities of those employers. Armed with this information, Mr. Brocato could avoid offending the psyches of future employers.
Being unaware of Mr. Button’s management background, I can only suggest he weigh all the options and ramifications of such major decisions in the future. In my view, his last decision will have lasting and catastrophic consequences for our community.
John G. Heriza
Baker City, Ore.
Axe-To-Grind Politics
To The Record-Courier:
After attending the Baker City Council meeting of June 9, 2009, I am compelled to write my second letter in 44 years to the citizens of Baker City. I am deeply grieved and concerned regarding the firing of city manager, Steve Brocato, by four City Council members who apparently met sometime before the June 9th City Council meeting and agreed to fire Mr. Brocato. Does not State law require all council decisions to be made in an open public meeting by all council members? What kind of secret club do these four council members have? Yet, Aletha Bonebrake, Clair Button, Beverly Calder, and Dennis Dorrah denied meeting for the purpose of firing City Manger Steve Brocato before the scheduled meeting of June 9th. They likely have violated the Oregon State Open Meeting Law as reported by councilman Milo Pope. It is very obvious these four council members have not thought of all the ramifications of their decisions. Thousands of dollars of taxpayer’s money will be spent on the hiring of a new city manager. Our city will experience irreversible damage to come because four council members have an ax to grind and some petty excuses concerning Mr. Brocato’s management style. Mr. Brocato has led this council and the previous council into making good improvements for the betterment of Baker City. Apparently the City Council on May 26th gave Mr. Brocato a 3.89 average out of a possible 5 at his public evaluation. The headlines of Baker city Herald of May 28th quotes, “Brocato gets high marks on evaluation”. What has transpired in 14 days to change the three council members, Bonebrake, Button and Dorrah along with Calder (who gave Mr. Brocato a low score previously) to fire Mr. Brocato?
Mayor Dennis Dorrah called for the vote of firing Mr. Brocato before any citizens’ views were heard. My thinking of this maneuver was to get the necessary vote to fire Mr. Brocato before any of the four council members could change their mind after hearing citizen comments. As a matter of public record, all seven city council members ran on a platform of increased citizen awareness and participation. Obviously Mayor Dorrah violated this council promise.
We have sufficient problems in our lives today without adding more by an ill-advised decision by “The Axe-to-Grind Quartet”. It was discussed at the June 9th council meeting about having “guts to do what is right for the City of Baker”…Council members Bonebrake, Button, Calder and Mayor Dorrah, do what is right for Baker City and resign before further damage is done to Baker City.
Robert L. Stanton
Baker City, Ore.
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