Fine Fellows:
I have never been too particular in respecting the law. Pesky things that constrain my oft Bohemian excesses.
Unless those laws apply to others. Then, naturally, they must be obeyed!
Clearly Mr. Smith is harmonious with me on this point. In his orgy of firings, he has personally done most of them. Quite fun, really.
Problem is that the law designates Department Heads as the appointing authority and the firing authority when insufficient funds exist. It also provides for a bottom up process. Last hired, first fired.
Of course, city employees are subject to civil service laws. These laws provide for a non-political rational process of personnel management. And there is the Civil Service Board that controls the behavior of non-elected appointees like Herr Smith. If the board finds the city acted illegally, then the employees can be reinstated and due back pay. All they must do is file a greviance with the board.
To top it off, Mr. Smith has decided the City needs to hire a third full time attorney. And we hear of additional requests in the wings to hire outside legal services for an additional $20,000 (a request that Ms. Moyer cut from the budget last year). To deal with the on rush of law suits no doubt.
Yet Mr. Smith must be excused. You see, it is jolly fine fun to fire people and retreat into your APD defended cocoon. This lusty activity must be undertaken in situ and in person. No point in following the law and allowing the Department Heads any input or to do it.
And Mr. Smith knows a good attorney is worth his wait in gold. Especially at the right place and at the right time.
Like my 1971 incident with the young lady in Martinique. I swear I was only cleaning the gun. Almost ruined a good excursion.
After all, accountability is so bourgeois.
King of George
Dearest King of George,
ReplyDeleteYou clearly are a well educated Downtowner. Why don't you back up your assertions bordering on the slanderous with facts.
Surely our newspaper, the Capital Gazette, Mr. Marquardt and his journalists would be covering all these alleged financial misdealings in the Capital City if they were true. Surely the eagle eye Paul Foer would be on the case with his radio show, blog and reportage for the Capital.
No I am afraid we see through your facile manipulations of the numbers. We have a 12 million dollar looming hole in the budget that must be plugged over the next year. There are standards of accounting to which Municipal Corporations must adhere.
I would respectfully suggest you read Lloyd Morey's seminal work "Principles of Municipal Accounting" circa 1934 on the matter before slinging any more mud in the direction of Mr. Smith. He is doing a good job.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/238521
Annapolis is not Enron and Mr. Smith has done us a favor by cutting the size of bloated out of control government grown outsized during the boom years. Haven't you heard we are in the middle of the greatest recession of our lifetimes.
We are glad Mayor Cohen has Mr. Smith as his right hand. You may very well need a good shunning to set you on the right path. I will speak with my friends.
The King may indeed have a point. The City does not seem to be following its own code while the powers that be introduce legislation to change the said code.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, The Capital is as biased as they come. If you recall in the primary, The Capital let Paul Foer do all the legwork on Zina Pierre. And only when the news broke, did Mr. Marquardt spring into action. Yes my friends, there is an agenda there.
And for a while, I thought Foer was unbiased (yet full of vitriol and bile) it turns out that he too has an agenda and is holding back any criticism (or investigation) until he hears if his application for Dir of Transportation (or Deputy Director) is accepted and approved. So he will not tip the applecart here--I suspect his begging for donations is not enough to keep his family fed.
Sir:
ReplyDeleteThe King always has a point. Although it is his point and not yours. Certainly. Not yours.
Do you speak of Mr. Foyer? The trust fund baby of Mel & Art? Middle class jewelery hawking ruffians?
King of George
Egads man - this won't do. I thought Mr. Foyer was the man to protect out refined interests but apparently not, perhaps it is time to find another representative.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Greta knows someone at Fox who will do.