The commenters before me have eloquently and comprehensively addressed the problem with this action. I join them in opposing it. Unless the commissioners behind this move can unequivocally show corrupt behavior by him today, I am shocked that they would choose this route after Mr. Childress received a very positive evaluation recently. The way it has been presented to the public indicates to me a cover up of the real reasoning behind this action.
As a full-time resident in District 1, I am appalled at the internecine chaos and irresponsible disrespect for the community created by four commissioners, including my own, and aided and abetted by the city attorney, in their attempts to terminate the city manager's contract. If there is cause for the termination, prove it. Hiding behind the "no cause" termination provision is cowardly. You owe this island your respect and the leadership to do the right thing. Terminating this contract, leaving the city rudderless, is wholly unacceptable.
It has become apparent that overwhelming public opinion is against the firing of the City Manager. Thanks to recent email communications that have been revealed to the public, it is also clear that the City Attorney and (at least) two Commissioners have acted in bad faith on this topic and have put private self interest over their responsibilities to the citizens of Key West. Their collusive and secretive behavior is shocking and beneath their offices. An apology to TJ and others they have deceived should be followed by their resignations. The measure to fire the City Manager should be tabled.
That some of our commissioners are calling for the ouster of an administrator for doing his job is beyond appalling. And, if it is true that they colluded to do so in secret, they should be prosecuted for violating the law.
After all of these hijinks, I cannot imagine why Mr. Childress would stay on. Please do the right thing and vote no.
Not only I have I opposed the termination of the City Manager to each commissioner and the mayor, but I have contacted the state attorney to look into allegations of collusion between the city attorney and certain commissioners regarding the termination. Hopefully this little disgrace won’t become a full-fledged scandal. Do not terminate the City Manager
I regret that I am unable to attend today's special meeting, but I would like to register in the strongest possible terms my opposition to the movement to terminate the contract of our city manager, Albert Childress.
Despite his relatively short tenure, I think he has proved to be equal to or better than the predecessors I've lived through in my 25 years here. His tenure has brought progress on many thorny city issues, and he deserves a chance to continue at least through the end of his contract. Firing him without hard evidence of serious misconduct would be a dreadful and costly mistake.
I am strongly opposed to firing The City Manager. We are entering peak hurricane season and there is no succession plan or assistant City Manager in place. It also seems obvious that this is a rushed effort completely out of synch with recent performance reviews. I am also very concerned by the recent texts received that show the City Attorney having private conversations with Commissioners in a clear attempt to influence this decision and even influence the upcoming election by keeping this meeting a secret so another candidate does not join the race. The Commission should be discussing firing the City Attorney, not the City Manager if these texts prove to be what they seem. Thank you.
Given the information that has been made public regarding this situation,we are strongly opposed to the proposed the firing of Mr.Childress.In fact it appears that if anyone needs to be terminated it is the City Attorney and possibly others.
At this time Key West needs open communication with our elected officials and honesty and integrity in our government.We can no longer be a wink and nod government of days gone by.Reading the emails between the City Attorney and Commissioners makes us wonder how many other incidents like this are conducted in a years time within the operation of our government.
Commissioners -
I oppose the resolution to terminate the contract of the City Manager. At hiring, I was a fan of hiring Mr. Thadeus Cohen for the City Manager's job, so I have no skin in game. The sudden need to terminate Mr. Childress is silly on its face when you just gave him a good review. I regularly talk with City staff and absolutely none of them have voiced any displeasure with him and many sing his praises. Morale is high. In interactions I've had with him I find him thoughtful, attentive, the consummate professional and willing to listen to everyone. Everything I've heard from others leads me to conclude we are lucky to have him as he's doing excellent work. Let him continue.
It is my understanding that five of the six City Commissioners and the Mayor gave the City Manager a good performance review. So what changed in the short time since the review. Three of the six current Commissioners are term-limited and the Mayor did not run so they will be out of office after the August 20 election, when three new Commissioners and a new Mayor will be sworn in. Why would the City Commisioners want to terminate the City Manager now? These same City Commissioners know it is not an easy task to find a City Manager so why would thay want to put that on the new City Commissioners and Mayor right out of the gate. I think the City Manager is doing a good job.
Hiring and (potential) Removal of the City Manager (CM) are among the most important actions the Commission can undertake. Both require the same level of thought, transparency and rigour. This action to summarily remove the CM without the slightest public review and debate of his alleged performance shortcomings is nothing short of juvenile. This city deserves a full & transparent review & debate PRIOR to a vote to remove. This cannot be done in a couple of hours. Personally, I think the CM has been doing exactly what you asked him to do and doing it well. If you are unhappy with that, you need to turn the mirror first at yourself and then adjust your guidance.
The commenters before me have eloquently and comprehensively addressed the problem with this action. I join them in opposing it. Unless the commissioners behind this move can unequivocally show corrupt behavior by him today, I am shocked that they would choose this route after Mr. Childress received a very positive evaluation recently. The way it has been presented to the public indicates to me a cover up of the real reasoning behind this action.
As a full-time resident in District 1, I am appalled at the internecine chaos and irresponsible disrespect for the community created by four commissioners, including my own, and aided and abetted by the city attorney, in their attempts to terminate the city manager's contract. If there is cause for the termination, prove it. Hiding behind the "no cause" termination provision is cowardly. You owe this island your respect and the leadership to do the right thing. Terminating this contract, leaving the city rudderless, is wholly unacceptable.
It has become apparent that overwhelming public opinion is against the firing of the City Manager. Thanks to recent email communications that have been revealed to the public, it is also clear that the City Attorney and (at least) two Commissioners have acted in bad faith on this topic and have put private self interest over their responsibilities to the citizens of Key West. Their collusive and secretive behavior is shocking and beneath their offices. An apology to TJ and others they have deceived should be followed by their resignations. The measure to fire the City Manager should be tabled.
That some of our commissioners are calling for the ouster of an administrator for doing his job is beyond appalling. And, if it is true that they colluded to do so in secret, they should be prosecuted for violating the law.
After all of these hijinks, I cannot imagine why Mr. Childress would stay on. Please do the right thing and vote no.
Not only I have I opposed the termination of the City Manager to each commissioner and the mayor, but I have contacted the state attorney to look into allegations of collusion between the city attorney and certain commissioners regarding the termination. Hopefully this little disgrace won’t become a full-fledged scandal. Do not terminate the City Manager
Dear Mayor and Commissioners:
I regret that I am unable to attend today's special meeting, but I would like to register in the strongest possible terms my opposition to the movement to terminate the contract of our city manager, Albert Childress.
Despite his relatively short tenure, I think he has proved to be equal to or better than the predecessors I've lived through in my 25 years here. His tenure has brought progress on many thorny city issues, and he deserves a chance to continue at least through the end of his contract. Firing him without hard evidence of serious misconduct would be a dreadful and costly mistake.
Please vote no on firing him.
— John Teets
827 Center Street
I am strongly opposed to firing The City Manager. We are entering peak hurricane season and there is no succession plan or assistant City Manager in place. It also seems obvious that this is a rushed effort completely out of synch with recent performance reviews. I am also very concerned by the recent texts received that show the City Attorney having private conversations with Commissioners in a clear attempt to influence this decision and even influence the upcoming election by keeping this meeting a secret so another candidate does not join the race. The Commission should be discussing firing the City Attorney, not the City Manager if these texts prove to be what they seem. Thank you.
Given the information that has been made public regarding this situation,we are strongly opposed to the proposed the firing of Mr.Childress.In fact it appears that if anyone needs to be terminated it is the City Attorney and possibly others.
At this time Key West needs open communication with our elected officials and honesty and integrity in our government.We can no longer be a wink and nod government of days gone by.Reading the emails between the City Attorney and Commissioners makes us wonder how many other incidents like this are conducted in a years time within the operation of our government.
Commissioners -
I oppose the resolution to terminate the contract of the City Manager. At hiring, I was a fan of hiring Mr. Thadeus Cohen for the City Manager's job, so I have no skin in game. The sudden need to terminate Mr. Childress is silly on its face when you just gave him a good review. I regularly talk with City staff and absolutely none of them have voiced any displeasure with him and many sing his praises. Morale is high. In interactions I've had with him I find him thoughtful, attentive, the consummate professional and willing to listen to everyone. Everything I've heard from others leads me to conclude we are lucky to have him as he's doing excellent work. Let him continue.
It is my understanding that five of the six City Commissioners and the Mayor gave the City Manager a good performance review. So what changed in the short time since the review. Three of the six current Commissioners are term-limited and the Mayor did not run so they will be out of office after the August 20 election, when three new Commissioners and a new Mayor will be sworn in. Why would the City Commisioners want to terminate the City Manager now? These same City Commissioners know it is not an easy task to find a City Manager so why would thay want to put that on the new City Commissioners and Mayor right out of the gate. I think the City Manager is doing a good job.
Hiring and (potential) Removal of the City Manager (CM) are among the most important actions the Commission can undertake. Both require the same level of thought, transparency and rigour. This action to summarily remove the CM without the slightest public review and debate of his alleged performance shortcomings is nothing short of juvenile. This city deserves a full & transparent review & debate PRIOR to a vote to remove. This cannot be done in a couple of hours. Personally, I think the CM has been doing exactly what you asked him to do and doing it well. If you are unhappy with that, you need to turn the mirror first at yourself and then adjust your guidance.