Left In Lowell

“As for CM applications, the desire to have a professional will likely require a substantial increase in salary, a contract, or some combination of both-waittilnextyr, April 30, 2006 on LiL

This comment was posted by wait… 2 months before the City Council even began to interview the candidates. It is simple, if you want a career public administrator, you need a contract.

As Lynne mentioned in the previous post, tonight the City Council will take up a vote to extend City Manager’s Bernie Lynch’s contract for another two years. If you followed the discussion during the City Council meeting and watched the Personnel Sub-Committee meeting last night, I think the motion will have the necessary majority to pass.

And if you did not watch last night’s meeting, CM Lynch made a Power Point Presentation, “First Year Accomplishments and Future Goals. (It is on the City’s web site). This was in response to a City Council motion asking him to “meet with the Council regarding his Goal and Objectives pursuant to his contract.”

As CC Eileen Donoghue stated, there is a lot of incorrect information floating around the hysteria that has been generated regarding this issue.

I am sure that tonight, she, Mayor Bill Martin, CCs Jim Milinazzo and Kevin Broderick will reiterate what they said last night. We can than judge if other contracts were extended by this CC; yes, they did. The previous CM requested that a contract that had 2 years remaining on it be extended for another 5 years. Guess what, this current CC voted 9-0.

The terms of the contract do not change. Any CC can dismiss the CM with a severance pay; which is standard in any employee-employer relations.

My favorite b.s. reason why this contract should not be extended is that it encroaches on future CCs authority. I did not realize that at some point the CC becomes lame duck. I did not realize that all of the allocations; approval of labor agreements; loan orders that are passed by sitting CCs are invalidated when a new one is sworn in.

We will not be fooled. Do not tell us you think the CM is doing a good job and then find a dozen excuses why you do not want to extend his contract.

Since yesterday’s Lowell Sun editorial urged the CC not to pass (no surprise there) this motion, speaking for LiL nation and for what is worth I want to urge the CC to pass this motion.

I like the CM’s managerial style; his financial acumen; his organizational skills; his pubic persona; his professional demeanor. This is the kind of administrator I want for this City. It is time for the CC to assure stability in the corner office.

By the way, LTC is streaming the meetings live on their web site. So, you do not need to rush home to watch the meeting on Channel 10; you can sit at your desk and do some work while the video is running in the background.