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What is this?
City needs a confident captain
Published Sunday, October 11, 2009
The turmoil inside the City of Natchez and its baffling decisions by the board of aldermen have been the subject of much talk over the last few days.
The talk on the street ranges from taxpayers who are shocked and upset by the seemingly lack of direction for the city to a verbal throw-up-the-hands mentality over the whole debacle.
Both extremes — those who care passionately about the city and those who sort of chalk the shenanigans up to simple ineptness of government and worthy of only sarcastic humor — are worrisome.
They both stem from an overwhelming sense that no one seems to have his hand on the rudder steering the city.
Recent terminations of a number of city employees were touted as saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then, days later, the city announces plans to hire people to fill similar positions to the ones that were terminated.
There goes the savings, huh?
It all leads to the question: Who’s driving the bus here, the mayor or the board of aldermen?
While there may be a few aldermen who can cast aside personal views and politics for the sake of the greater good, many cannot.
No one seems to be able to predict the aldermen’s collective actions ahead of time and fewer still can understand their moves in hindsight.
While we have a strong board, weak mayor form of government, the mayor can — and in the past has — led the city by simply coming to the table with a plan of action and showing confidence and vision.
It’s easy to simply hold up a hand and say, “the board did it,” regardless of what “it” is.
But that would be shortchanging the key role a mayor for the city can — and should — be.
First, he should exude confidence or at least publicly pretend to be confident.
I doubt former Mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown always had his plans in concrete before he spoke.
No, Butch simply dreamed up things and worked out the details later.
And a big part of that vision was an overwhelming sense of confidence that whatever notion was being dreamed up and no matter how crazy it may have seemed at the time, not only could be accomplished, but that it would be accomplished.
Second, the mayor should be smarter than the aldermen and simply come to the table with a plan before they create one. Nine times out of 10, doing this will get your plan adopted, or at least most of it.
The mayor can come up with ideas and publicly challenge the board on theirs, if necessary. Think the grants coordinator shouldn’t have been on the chopping block?
Then rather than sit by and watch it happen, why not create a list of grants that the position secured for projects, split out by each alderman’s ward and present it to them publicly. Wouldn’t that likely have quickly explained away the silliness of this act?
What the city seeks — even craves — is someone who seems to care about being smart with government, not simply being a punching bag for critics and for aldermen.
All we ask for is a confident captain at the helm during the storm. Natchez has certainly had its share of small storms recently.
Despite the fact that most of the gusts and rain have been self-inflicted, all we need is a little confidence that the captain will see us through this. Natchez cannot wait for the next “Jake ’08.”
We need the one we’ve got to step up and publicly take charge and rebuild our confidence before the next storm cloud appears.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.
Comments
Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 1:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's the "Short Bus," and no one is driving. They are all too busy licking the windows as it roll down the hill.
You're right, Kevin. Someone needs to be in the driver's seat. It's a damned shame that we don't have leaders. All we have is a city full of taxpayers standing on the side of the road watching the wreck as it unfolds.
We know it's gonna be bad. We just can't turn our eyes away. We can hardly wait to see what's next.
Posted by boardwalk (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well we can't count on Jake '08 to step up to the plate as a leader. And that is for sure. He has no plan, other than to hide behind his "the board did it" position.
And Kevin, Jake can't be smarter than the aldermen and he won't publicly challenge them to adopt his vision. He has no vision for the city.
He is merely a political animal, and a poor one at that. He plays the middle ground in his "nice guy" cloak. He won't fight for a vision. He can only see as far as "We all need to get along"
He won't lead as a real mayor, but he'll watch as a glorified clerk. That's all he did for the 15 years I knew him as an alderman. He watched. He kept his cover. But he never led. ("the board did it")
He will continue to cave in to pressure from Dan Dillard's conflict of interest to have a weak planning department and to dismantle preservation requirements.
And he will continue to let Joyce run the show, using Tony Fields and Ricky Gray to carry the vote for her with the assistance of Dan Dillard
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 7:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Make hay while the sun shines. I reckon Spanky is gonna be putting up his trailer after all.
:)
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on October 11, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
An analogy might be a competitive cigar boat.
Our boat hull is not the latest, greatest design and our driver may not be world class.
However, our 6 outboard motors are not the same make, model and horsepower. Even, the propellers are not the same brand, pitch or harmonically balanced.
We do not have an option to replace the motors or the driver until the next election. The hull could be modified but we do not have the money.
Posted by grungebob (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Everybody talks about the whether (or not) but nobody does anything about it.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on October 11, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
grungebob, the boa thinks it is invincible. It does not want or respect public opinion.
If you noticed at the meeting for approval of the budget and the millage, the public was not offered a chance to comment.
If you noticed................
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've been in several organizations where I was "over" people and had no real voting power on subjects. I thought out and made a plan the best I could. Then I got a few of the more outspoken people who were good leaders in on the plan with me. Then I brought it before the whole body and with the help of the ones I had confided in (who had also thought the subject out and given their ideas) I usually carried through with a successful plan of action.
The folks who may not have particularly liked me personally probably liked one of my confidants and they encouraged the rest of the folks that this was a good plan.
One place where it was just the opposite was when I was a Marine Platoon Sergeant. It was easy then. I had to follow the officer's orders but I made the decisions after that and the troops carried out my orders. I got two meritorious promotions for initiative and leadership. Then I got an MBA.
I'm not running for anything but I know how to get things moving and I don't see any leadership in the city or county. Kevin is right. The boat is drifting along. Before long it will hit an object or run aground. Let's vote out incumbents.
Posted by grungebob (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 12:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gary, Mathis set the tone when she told Cooper she didn't accept advice from anyone who wasn't elected to office.
And she is right. We voted these morons in. Why should they compound our mistake by listening to our opinions?
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on October 11, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"And she is right. We voted these morons in. Why should they compound our mistake by listening to our opinions?"
???
My alderman is office without my vote!
Apparently, it has not occurred to the boa members, that their reelection in predicated on listening to the public.
I do believe that some folks in the other three wards thought they would see some positive change. Instead, it is more of the same old, same old.
Posted by grungebob (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For the record, so is mine. I was referring to the we that is them.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on October 11, 2009 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Keep beating the drum, Kevin.
Posted by treeclimber (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent editorial.
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 8:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Folks getin robbed at gunpoint and shootings everyday,somebody needs to get a handle on crime before they take over the whole town.
Posted by kooncat (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 9:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
this is just a test.
Posted by kooncat (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 9:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The termination of our City Planner and our Grants writer was an unwise move by our BOA. But more layoffs need to continue at City Hall. Without a doubt there is lots of fat which can be trimmed. It is unfortunate that it will cause hardships to the persons whom are layed off, but it will certainly be worth it in the long run. We must get lean and mean to survive without borrowing more money to keep City Hall operating. How many cell phones does the City pay for? My guess is it is a good chance the taxpayers pay for too many. We must keep cutting the fat!! Let's hear some other reasonable cuts that can be considered.
Who is driving the bus?
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kooncat, concerning --> "We must keep cutting the fat!! Let's hear some other reasonable cuts that can be considered."
Our aldermen are among the highest paid in the state for towns of any size. That sounds like a wonderfully fat place to start trimming. I think it was the mayor who informed us that McComb aldermen make about $6000 per year. I'll vote for that. And and maybe less.
But as the editorial says, Natchez needs a captain (leader, mayor, etc.) And our current non-functioning captain was on the board of aldermen when they jacked their high salary even higher. Yeah, he says he was against it. He just forgot to fight it, I reckon.
Posted by kooncat (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OGD,
Unfortunately the only votes that count to lower their salaries would come from the BOA and they would never do such a thing. They all think their leadership roles warrant the high salary. $6,000 is more than plenty!! If they really want to help keep our city from going broke they should lead by showing good examples. Did the BOA run for office to serve our city or was it just for the pay check and a way to make a living?
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
kooncat, concerning --> "Did the BOA run for office to serve our city or was it just for the pay check and a way to make a living"
I think you already know the answer to that one. The only solution is gonna be electing folks that vow to lower the salary and promise to work for us (citizens) instead of their own interests. But I suppose the old tar & feather routine might be an option also. Of course, we'd need the Historical Society to oversee that option and make sure that it was done correctly.
As long as Kevin is talking about captains, I'll bet that Jake used to listen to Grand Funk. Perhaps Joyce is the "stranger" in his life?
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
Im your captain, Im your captain,
Although Im feeling mighty sick.
Ive been lost now, days uncounted,
And its months since Ive seen home.
Can you hear me, can you hear me,
Or am I all alone.
If you return me, to my home port,
I will kiss you mother earth.
Take me back now, take me back now,
To the port of my birth.
Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming,
To take my ship away from me?
Youd better think about it, I just cant live without it.
So, please dont take my ship from me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah ...
I can feel the hand, of a stranger,
And its tightening, around my throat.
Heaven help me, heaven help me,
Take this stranger from my boat.
Im your captain, Im your captain,
Although Im feeling mighty sick.
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on October 11, 2009 at 10:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OGD--don't think I've ever seen Grand Funk invoked in a political thread--love it!
Posted by kooncat (anonymous) on October 11, 2009 at 11:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh that brought back some old memories. I am afraid we have no one aboard our ship who has the "know how" to right the ship. With the help of Kevin etal at the ND and gettinig a house full at the BOA meetings every time they meet there may be a chance to help get this group steered in the right direction, but I will not bet on it. However it is worth the effort to keep tring to teach these elected leaders how they are suppose to act. These guys have to remember they work for us, and all of their actions have to be accounted for and recorded. What will it take to get the Board meeting room full of taxpayers each time they meet and acting as a watchdog?
Posted by mrmojorisin (anonymous) on October 12, 2009 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OK, OK, OKay!!
Everybody has great ideas how to fix everything...where's the action?
Jake is in the arena, and I do believe he has had his fill of the insubordination, the mutinous, the seditious Board of Aldermen we elected. He is starting to move...I believe he will stand up.
Even Machiavelli, in "The Prince", tells us that upon gaining power, the new prince must take his time and observe the arena. Learn who is with him, who is kissing up, and who is blatanly against him...
Machiavelli's principle cast of action was ... "principe nuovo", that a new prince has a much more difficult task since he must stabilize his newfound power and build a structure that will endure. This task requires the Prince to be publicly above reproach but privately may require him to do things of an evil nature in order to achieve the greater good.
Keep the people that are behind you, fire the people that oppose you, and sift through the a**-kissers to keep the ones you can trust....replace the ones you fired with your own trusted people...the end justifies the means, However, Machiavelli does not dispense entirely with morality nor advocate wholesale selfishness or degeneracy. Instead he clearly lays out his definition of, for example, the criteria for acceptable cruel actions, it must be swift, effective, and short-lived, you don't leak it out, get it done.
Quit worrying about getting elected next time, Jake. If you stand up and do the job, you'll be elected before this term is up. All of our city wants you to do is stand up and swing back, take charge and start getting in the first punch. there are a lot of concerned people out here with some very good ideas...why not hold a town hall meeting to discuss what the people want, while you and the BOA listen and take notes. We live in a Democratic Republic...that means we elect politicians through the democratic process...the guy with the most votes wins, then their only job is to represent us...not themselves.
--mojo
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 12, 2009 at 11:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mojo, concerning --> "Jake is in the arena, and I do believe he has had his fill of the insubordination, the mutinous, the seditious Board of Aldermen we elected. He is starting to move...I believe he will stand up"
Thy faith is great. I'd like to believe you. But Jake (the "captain") IS an alderman. It may have been in his blood for way too long. Maybe a transfusion is needed to jump start him?
Posted by sandyman7 (anonymous) on October 12, 2009 at 2:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OK all you folks thas writing comments...and of course Mr. Editorial writer...Hitch up your britches and run for office...such as mayor or a supervisor...I mean run a campaign that means something..get elected.. and then lets hear and see all these great programs that you all seem to have in hand.....GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!
Posted by trjnreb (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is Jake able to stand up? I hear not.
Posted by Intrepid (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand Jake making some mistakes as he feels his way along in his first term. While we should expect some mistakes I'll NEVER support some of these crazy decisions that the simplest mind should know better than to make. The statement about wanting someone younger and single...??? What?!?!? You might have well said you want a gorgeous young blue eyed blond who looks nice in a tight sweater. I know that's not where he was going with that but the statement he made was just as discriminatory.
Jake ran for office made all the usual political promises and we elected him. We wanted to believe in him to bring positive changes to Natchez. On the other hand, Joyce and Ricky have ALWAYS enjoyed causing controversy and wreaking havock on our city. Why, why, why do they keep getting securing enough votes to return to the office when we know what to expect from them?!?!? Don't we know better by now? It's like SMACK! Thank you Sir may I have another? SMACK! Thank you Sir may I have another? SMACK....
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Intrepid, concerning --> "Jake ran for office made all the usual political promises"
Yes he did. A free month of water. Bring jobs to town. Pro recreation. Mumbled approval about some vague consolidation and turning St. Catherine Creek into a stagnant ditch. This stuff has been around the block for way too long. Your last few sentences also apply to Jake and not only Joyce and Ricky.
Posted by time4change (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe some of you who think you know exactly what needs to be done should volunteer to help solve Natchez problems. Donate one day a week, or a month, to help Jake get Natchez on the right path. Kevin should be first to help.
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