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Preparing a comment to add to Mary’s newsletter “Loyalty Oath?” post, I came across an Association of Idaho Cities publication titled Roles & Responsibilities Manual.
Its 45 pages serves as a pretty good introduction to the roles and responsibilities of Idaho’s elected and appointed municipal officials. The manual includes references to Idaho statutes from which the manual derived specific content. One caution, though: The manual is undated, so some of the statutory citations may have changed with legislative amendments since the manual was produced.
Mary, I commend you for providing a link to the Idaho Association of Cities (AIC), but, need to point out that AIC is not a governmentally mandated or even legally recognized entity; it is a non-profit corporation that essentially works as a political action committee (PAC)to further the interest of small City law-makers, not neccesarilly or always in the the interest of the City residents as one would assume.
If you do a little more research into the current and past Presidents, (second, and third Presidents), Chairs, Committteeman, Members, affiliate Members or past recipients of the numerous awards that AIC is proud to hand-out, you will find that AIC is composed of pretty much the same people who you don’t seem to trust.
The cute 45 page guide that you cited in regards to how to be a good politicion in Idaho is a fair beginning, but at the same time most of the City Council and Mayor have already (literally) graduated from that school – at the taxpayers expense and more than likely walked away with a certificate, award or chair proving that they “understand” the basics as taught by AIC.
Don’t get me wrong, AIC can be a great learning venue for some of our smaller cities who are still converting their books from pencil to computer, but CDA should have evolved beyond needing an adopted “Standards and Norms” as signed by the Mayor and City Council. The “Standards and Norms” (oath, as you put it) as signed by the Mayor and Council become most laughable when you exchange a simple positive to the negetive. For example:
#2, “I will [not] show respect to Department Heads,”
#7, “I will [not] search for the truth,”
#9, “I will [not] be accoutable,”
#11, “I will [not] look for solutions,” – and my m
ost favorite,
#13, “I will [not] tell the truth.”
When read aloud, the City’s Standards and Norms “Oath” sounds like a Walmart sales mantra or borderline religious cult. “I will tell the truth, I will tell the truth, I will…will promise, here’s my signature.” What on earth was happening in this City when that document was drafted and which neccessitated the need for all of those elected officials to do what most of us learned in grade school?
Perhaps they were still coming out of the ether of an AIC training seminar, or worse, the “Oath” was the product of AIC training. Regardless, AIC training, ongoing support from this non profit corporation (who will also take financial support from other corporate forms), and the City’s “oath” are not making for a better city. There are 4 out of the original 7 who signed that “Oath” still on the council (including Mayor B.) and still don’t act in a manner to implement principles taught by AIC or clarified by the “Oath.”
We can do better.
Comment by old dog — March 29, 2012 @ 8:26 pm
old dog,
I’m Bill, not Mary. It was I and not she who wrote the post including the reference to the AIC, and I’m well aware of who and what the Association of Idaho Cities is and does, including hiring four lobbyists to represent its interests in Boise. I’m also well aware that the AIC does not necessarily represent the best interests of the people whom its members supposedly represent.
Regardless, the 45-page manual I linked to (blame me, not Mary) gives a reasonably accurate description of key city officials’ duties and responsibilities. A surprisingly large number of people, including at least one City of Coeur d’Alene department head, did not know that Mayor Bloem is part of the executive branch and that her statutorily prescribed duties are to preside over Council meetings and vote to break ties in those meetings. The Council is the legislative body. Given the timidity and ignorance of some of our council members, one might conclude that they believe the Mayor’s job is to write municipal legislation and the Council’s job is merely to rubber-stamp it, often without comprehension or question.
Comment by Bill — March 30, 2012 @ 6:41 am
Bill…. It makes little difference how the system is supposed to operate when all of the operatives are anxious to row the canoe in the same direction. When coupled with election oversight and sloppy electioneering (to put that nicely) you have what we have here, a purpose driven dynasty. This group is so arrogant that they wrote their own oath as if they were elementary kids in a tree house club. And aside from the $million$ they spent, that is how they have conducted themselves.
But they got too big for their collective britches and tipped their hat once too often. The cat’s out of the bag, electioneering is back on track and soon this dynasty will join the pharaonic ones. Then we will see how the club president ran the books and can closely examine the fresh skeletons in the tree house closets.
Comment by Wallypog — March 30, 2012 @ 7:07 am
Wallypog,
Yes, that document was an insult to every councilman asked to sign it. Its language and message was appropriate for parents or teachers discussing ethics with children in their formative years around first or second grade.
But it’s worse than just an insult; it’s also a not so subtle effort to intimidate subordinate City employees. Item 22 reads, “I will acknowledge and support the City Administrator’s authority to make decisions.” How likely is it that an employee with a legitimate grievance against a City department head or higher will pursue that grievance, knowing that the Council has already agreed to support whatever decision the City Administrator makes?
If you want to see something really disgusting, look first at the names of the Councilmembers on the linked “Standards and Norms” document. Then compare that with who is on the City’s civil service commission.
Comment by Bill — March 30, 2012 @ 7:37 am
Maybe some despairingly discharged city employee will connect the dots and we can have yet another pending judgment?
Comment by Wallypog — March 30, 2012 @ 7:46 am
Wallypog,
I think quite a few City employees have connected the dots. Now they’re just waiting for a Mayor and Council and some department heads who aren’t committed to erasing the connecting lines and dots. So far, we have two City councilmen whose toolboxes do not include erasers.
Comment by Bill — March 30, 2012 @ 7:52 am
At some point in time, perhaps not too far distant, the council will be in a position to draft a new and hopefully different named Standards and Norms. It should be a statement of what our elected representatives, our city council, deems are the responsibilities and expectations from staff, not the other way around as currently under discussion.
It is interesting to note that the mayor was at one time an elementary school teacher and the S&N’s may have as its genesis school rules like:
Do not run in the hallways. No talking in the cafeteria line. Take you lunch remains to the garbage container. Do not address the teacher by name, only Mr. or Mrs….and so on.
I can’t believe grown up leaders of the community would allow themselves to be herded into such a mind set of group think.
It is very refreshing to have a couple of grown ups that reject this silly approach to governing.
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 30, 2012 @ 10:32 am