Thursday, April 06, 2000
Manager on ropes, but not out door
Shirey due for review this month
BY ROBERT ANGLEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
If votes were counted for dissatisfaction, then Cincinnati council members would have enough to send City Manager John Shirey packing.
City manager John Shirey at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
(Glenn Hartong photo)
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They are dissatisfied with the way he has monitored city contracts, with his failure to bolster economic development and with the number of recent scandals peppering his administration.
And while there has been talk about replacing Mr. Shirey, a majority of members said this week they are not ready to vote him out of office.
“There has been issue after issue coming up that raises red flags,” said Councilman Paul Booth. “There is a growing concern with the way the city manager has responded to those issues ... There is a growing dissatisfaction about the city manager's performance.”
Mr. Shirey said Wednesday he is aware of the complaints — and has heard the whispering behind his back — but no council member has talked to him directly about poor performance.
“Certainly I've been aware that some members of council have not been expressing strong support for me,” he said. “If there is dissatisfaction, I wish they would talk to me.”
Hired in 1993, Mr. Shirey oversees the daily operation of the city's 7,000 employees. But for at least a year, his $149,000-a-year job has been see-sawing between complaints. Last June, the council voted to give him a pay raise but suspend his evaluation until December to give him time to address six specific problems.
Although the council then voted to keep him, members gave him another series of issues to fix before a review scheduled for this month.
“There are good things happening in the city,” Mr. Shirey said. “I would ask that you look at the positives and all the things we have going.”
He ticked off a list of accomplishments, including Fort Washington Way construction, riverfront development, a record year for snow removal service and a recent citywide survey that found 89 percent of residents are satisfied with city services.
Councilman Charlie Winburn has his own list. Starting with problems in the Metropolitan Sewer District, it ends 22 points later with “the inability of the city to downsize its bureaucracy.”
It notes “scandals” involving the neighborhood services department, race relations and “Street Gate,” which is how he
refers to the recent discovery that city engineers diverted $15 million slated for street maintenance over seven years and lied about the amount of work actually completed.
“It is a list of all the areas where the city manager has failed the taxpayers,” Mr. Winburn said.
Other council members reluctantly admit having discussions about Mr. Shirey's performance as recently as last week's Democratic caucus meeting attended by Mayor Charlie Luken, Councilman Todd Portune and Mr. Booth.
During the private meeting, Mr. Portune said possible replacements for the city manager were discussed.
“There is an evidence of a lack of control,” he said, adding he would not evaluate the manager in public. “The subject arose in caucus, but I won't comment on the nature of discussions.”
Mr. Luken also said the manager's performance should be discussed in private.
“I have a view of how the city manager should be treated,” Mr. Luken said. “This is an example of the way it should not be done.”
He acknowledged dissatisfaction among council members, but said some of that relates to years-old problems that were more likely the result of council actions rather than something the city manager could control.
“I talk to him every week,” he said. “He has demonstrated a willingness to do work, and do the things council wants to get done.”
Downplaying the significance of caucus discussions, Mr. Luken did not say whether he is considering a replacement for Mr. Shirey or whether he will seek the manager's resignation.
Mr. Booth said he has not made up his mind about Mr. Shirey or about how he will vote during the manager's annual review. He said he wants to look at the benchmarks that council set for the manager before making a decision.
Councilwoman Alicia Reece agreed, saying she is nowhere close to reaching a decision on replacing the city manager. Her decision will be based on how Mr. Shirey responded to the council's directives.
Councilman Phil Heimlich said that before he votes to replace the manager he wants “to see a commitment by council for significant restructuring” among city departments.
Mr. Heimlich, who has been critical of Mr. Shirey's oversight of city money and economic development programs, said the manager has also been blamed for the council's mistakes.
Councilman Pat DeWine said he also has concerns about the lack of economic development and oversight of administration programs that have led to at least two FBI investigations and private audits of city departments.
“I am certainly upset about the number of problems we have had,” he said, adding that while he is dissatisfied with the manager he is not ready to ask for his resignation. “If there is some raging debate here about the city manager, I'm not a part of it.”
Mr. Shirey acknowledged that the council's dissatisfaction could translate into a question of his ability among employees. But he said he has strong support of staffers.
Although Mr. Shirey said he still has a lot to contribute to the city, he would not directly answer questions about whether he is looking for another job. He said he has twice been a finalist for jobs in other cities and is frequently approached by headhunters.
“I like working here, I like living here. My family also likes living here,” he said, dismissing the talk of being replaced. “I don't do my job listening for the footsteps behind me. I don't.”
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