Opinion: O’Rourke is in breach of contract
To the community,
There is a lot of noise buzzing around the city manager’s search for a new employer. So, for the record, the vote to hire Mr. (Tony) O’Rourke as South Tahoe’s city manager was 4-1. I cast the lone no vote. But I should back up and explain why I did not take part in the interview process for selecting a city manager.
The process was tainted from the beginning because the field to be interview had been reduced to just two candidates, O’Rourke and another candidate. The City Council had selected four to be interviewed. Before the process started two dropped out. At that point, I phoned Mayor (Kathay) Lovell and told her that the list was too short and that the council should open the selection process again. The mayor said no to my request; there would only be two to be interviewed. Because of her response I bowed out. To me it was clear that O’Rourke had a lock on the job because when the council learned that O’Rourke was from Beaver Creak, the glow of Vail lit up the face of more than one councilmember.
Bill Crawford
As said, the above is by gone. History. Presently, after less than two years, O’Rourke is searching for a new job and it is reported that he has been offered a city manager’s job in Washington state. If he doesn’t take that job, I believe he will be in breach of contract with the city of South Lake Tahoe. Clearly, he hasn’t any intention of fulfilling the contract with the city. I think the claim of breach is solid, that he can be fired without collecting a basket full of dough.
From the beginning, the selection process for hiring O’Rourke lacked integrity. It was incomplete. The bias was there and clear. And now the joke is on the city. Also, it is clear that O’Rourke falls short of having integrity. But in fairness to O’Rourke, the City Council majority got what it ordered.
Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe
PS: If according to the current mayor and council O’Rourke is the real deal – good as gold – why are they prepared to release him from his contract?
Bill Crawford’s indictment of the City Council and their hiring practices is a good example of what is wrong with the current Council. Interviewing only two candidates and hiring a new City Manager for $200,000 per year is at best incompetent. Did the City get $400,000 service over the past two years under the new Manager? Could the City have hired someone else who was just as capable at $80,000? And finally, can anyone name just one thing that the City Council has done during that time that has made your life any easier, less expensive or safer? I’ll wait for your answer.
The City Manager did what he needed to do, which none of the insiders seemed to be able to pull off. That was to clean up the financial mess left from years of delaying hard decisions or making bad ones, and some degree of cronyism. Harsh but necessary.
His job wasn’t to make your life easier, less expensive, or safer, although it will be less expensive after the house cleaning. It was to get the town back on track financially, realize it needs to shape up, focus its goals, compete better with other tourist destinations, and improve the aesthetic mess it was becoming. Very basic, and the other services can follow better after that.
At least he provided a path, but it’s up to the stubborn residents to get their act together and keep working hard at it, rather than whining so much, which is how it often comes across.
Tell us what YOU can do to improve it, not just what others aren’t doing in your view. Then pitch in, even if it costs you some time and pocket change. After all, if you’re complaining that the government is the problem, then maybe you need to more directly be part of the solution.
i agree withnot born on the bayou. lot of finger pointers in this town. he may have not been the best but this town like all over the country has to tighten the belt and get rid of the waste thats been there for years. why did bill crawford not do the interviews? just cause he didn’t get his way he stepped out, he seems to have all the answers maybe he should be the next city manager. lets stop crying and get off our butts and help solve the problems, make you voice heard.
I agree too with Bayou and buster. He did the dirty job, that needed done, and no one who lived here could handle doing. Things weren’t always done this way, but I guess in the old days we didn’t hand out such crazy amount of perks and/or we had more balls to lay people off when they were not needed anymore.
When O’Rourke is gone there should be a holiday declared, that man caused more problems than he fixed. When the next run for Council come’s, I hope that we can clear the table and elect someone that has the City’s best interest at heart.
Thank you Bill for your opinion.
X Local – why are you still here? You have moved on physically, but not emotionally or mentally? You’re not part of the solution here, so please stop trying to be part of the problem: CONSTANT COMPLAINING.
I agree with NBOTB, Buster, and Care. I have known a number of CM’s and it is a thankless job. They are directed by whatever council is in place at the time, and while I may not always agree with the council, they give up a lot more time than they are compensated for in order to do the job.
Let’s stop so much complaining and pointing to everyone else and just get it done!
The end is coming for your town no matter what you do. This I promise to you.
I’ll second what JoAnn, NBOTB, Buster and Care have all said.
A FORMER city council person, a FORMER city council candidate, a FORMER resident and a few nay-sayers are continually trying to stoke the fires.
I truly appreciate the tough job anyone in city government has … always have critics no matter what their decisions are. To make a budget you eliminate too many people and services, you’re horrible, eliminate too few, you’re not doing your job.
How would any of you like to work under such hostile work conditions? A job with too few pats on the back?
Does anyone know of a government entity that functions as well as the majority of establish businesses?
The best government is the least government.
What the SLT city council needs is a few more consultants to better cover their behinds.
Spending 800,000 dollars on a general plan is a perfect example of gross mismanagement and incompetence, when the TRPAZI controls all land and water in our community and has the final sayso on all land and water use decisions.
Only anonymous posters still support the City Council, while those who dare to criticize bad decisions and policies give their full names. That speaks volumes about the lack of transparency or integrity of the current City Council and their benefactors.
Some of the city messes have been cleaned up thanks to Mr. O’Rourke. And more scrubbing is clearly needed. Hole in the ground, airport, poor condition of streets, underfunded obligations incurred by prior naive elected officials, and other issues remain unchecked.
Now would be an opportune time to dissolve the city. There is not one thing the city does that more greatly benefits its citizens and taxpayers to justify its extra taxes, fees, surcharges, and duplicity that its residents must fund.
agree. o’rourke was a hired gun. he partially cleaned up the mess those hiring him had not the kahunas to do. now keep the momentum and disband the city charter.
REALLY??! Disband the City Charter? Have you a clue? Clearly not.
WE are the government and we elect our representatives. If you are unhappy do a better job with your vote.
As for Tony, I don’t blame him. What sort of welcome did he receive except to be blasted even before he arrived and nit-picked since he arrived.
NBOTB has it right.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts what a Merry Christmas we would have!
I have to wonder why his job seeking is done so openly, is he a narcissist?
I remember something someone once told me years ago “If we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem”.
Here is a suggestion – Maybe this time we have a city wide panel do the interviews – including staff from local businesses, retired folk, teachers, young adults, and business owners – a cross section of the entire community. A diversified group so as to not hire someone to fit a hidden agenda. The panel result would then be weighed into the normal City’s hiring process scoring process.
Bill, just curious – if you felt the interview process was so tainted, did you voice your concerns at that time to the council – is it a matter of record?
If not, why?
Let Tony go and move on! Best wishes to the O’Rourke family.
He did what was needed and was hired to do (as painful as that has been). Now we need to move on. It’s time and a great opportunity awaits.
I believe that Councilmember Cole’s and Grego’s terms on the City Council end in December 2012 so maybe “Uncle Bill” should take another stab at being elected. He’s been on the Council twice already so maybe in a third term the other Councilmembers would finally agree to appointing him Mayor, for once! Hey, maybe he can get Kubby that City Manager’s job that’s supposed to be vacant soon! Or better yet, maybe Crawford should just get that job and show everyone how great he can manage the City.