Strategic Planning Committee Criticized

Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 5:09 PM
To: Brian Tobin
Cc: Susan Feiszli; mayor; Linda Ferguson; Dan Quail
Subject: "City dept. heads question intern questioning" - page 3 Cortland Standard

Dear Mr. Tobin -

I'm upset by the article in today's Cortland Standard. At the January meeting of the Strategic Planing Committee held in the Mayor's Conference Room - the first that you chaired - I raised concern that the department heads might not be comfortable with questions asked to them by interns. At the time you discounted my concern, but you did allow that you would "work with the Mayor". I took you on your word.


If you have spent any time working in government, you would know that minus some sort of approval from leadership, department heads are not going to speak freely with interns who may be unknown to them - especially in a politically charged City Hall. If you had worked with the Mayor as you indicated you would, she could have let department heads know that it was OK to speak with the interns and even let department heads know their names. The students who were trying to help us out would have had a much easier time, if you had put politics aside and done the right thing.


I asked to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee under Mr. Quail's
leadership because I felt his concerns were genuine and sincere. I too pay
taxes in our City and I'm deeply concerned. I even used my professional contacts to bring Deb Warner and Vito Shisciole to Cortland at no cost to the City. Ms. Warner and Mr. Shisciole have been involved with government consolidation for many years in Syracuse and Onondaga County and I thought they would bring a helpful perspective. Based on feedback I have heard, their comments were well received.

Under Mr. Quail's leadership, the Committee was insightful, interesting and, I believe, filled with good intentions. I actually thought we might be able to make a difference.


Under your "leadership", it was clear from the first meeting you chaired you
were there to steal ideas and use the Committee for personal/political gains for yourself. Given your announcement last week, I see that I was right about your aspirations. You have shown me that you will stop at nothing to further your personal/political agenda. You will use citizens, business leaders, whatever it takes. You will even jeopardize the integrity of a SUNY educational experience for two students for your gain. Shameful! In a few short months, you took something worthwhile and turned it into a disgrace. In the beginning, we had concerned residents and business people, their involvement has trailed off. I understand Hugh Keegan (who owns and runs a business in our City - and has for 20 years) has thrown in the towel. In general, people do not like to be used - I'm no exception. From the article in today's paper, I understand the word "deceitful" was used to describe your actions. I'd use the same word, but I'd add disgraceful and dishonest to the sentence.


I understand politics; I've been involved in successful political and issue
campaigns at the local state, and federal level since 1989 so I get it!
Citizen's count on our elected officials to separate the politics from the
governing. You have failed to do that. The primary is four months away and
there is important City business to be done. How about showing some governing?


In frustration,

Editor's Note: The concerned citizen who sent this email authorized publication but requested name deletion.

City of Cortland Strategic Planning Committee Misdirected

-----Original Message-----
From: Hugh Keegan [mailto:hkeegan@keeganinc.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 11:55 AM
To: Susan Feiszli
Subject: Email


Hello Mayor Feiszli:

I read in the paper that the Strategic Planning Committee is somewhat on hold until further discussion and that people willing to participate should notify you and the Common Council.

I would like to continue to be involved however I have some thoughts.

1. I have not attended the last 4 or 5 meetings because I thought the
direction the committee was taking was not the original intent of the
Committee and I was un-willing to participate in that new direction.

That is the problem. Any further continuation of this committee (or any other ad hoc citizen committee for that matter), should have
clearly defined and very limited objectives and goals. I don't think this
committee ever had that.

2. Regarding those objectives for this one particular committee, it is my
opinion that the objectives should be to review the City's current financial
situation and make recommendations to the Mayor's Office and the Common
Council that would improve the City's financial situation. It would then be
the responsibility of the Mayor and the Common Council to take action on any
of the recommendations they deem necessary.


Regards,

Hugh Keegan

Editor's Note: The Strategic Planning Committee was tasked to find alternative solutions, including dissolution or consolidation, to address ongoing city fiscal problems. The committee was initially chaired by Alderman Dan Quail. In 2011 Alderman Brian Tobin assumed chairmanship of the committee. The ad hoc committee was never legally established by resolution of city council.

Who Am I? (Number 2)

     I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina during the Civil War. My father was a medical doctor, and I became a licensed pharmacist at age 19. I moved to Texas in 1882.
     I was employed as a rancher, a draftsman, and a bank teller. In 1894, I was accused of bank embezzlement at The First National Bank of Austin, but I avoided immediate indictment.
     I created a humorous weekly newspaper called Rolling Stone and earned some money with it. But it failed in 1895, and I moved to Houston and went to work for the Houston Post.
     Federal prosecutors were hot on my trail and they indicted me in 1896 for embezzlement from the Austin bank. My father-in-law put up bail, and I left Texas for Honduras. While in Honduras, I coined the term "Banana Republic." I also wrote a collection of stories called Cabbages and Kings.
     I returned to Texas in 1897 because my wife was dying of tuberculosis. I was arrested by federal authorities but I obtained a temporary release on bail. My wife died in the summer of 1897.
     I was found guilty of embezzlement in 1898 and sentenced to five years in an Ohio Penitentiary. I resumed the occupation of pharmacist and worked at the prison hospital while in jail. I also wrote some stories for magazines. I was released after three years for good behavior.
     I moved to New York City in 1902. "I was glad to be in a city so great, so complex, and diversified." Over the next eight years I wrote 381 short stories. Some were published in a collection called The Four Million. I tagged New York City as "Bagdad-on-a-subway," and I found unlimited material for stories in this vast melting pot of human struggle and existence.
     I am remembered for a terse writing style, plot twists and surprise endings. During my career, I wrote Gift of the Magi, Ransom of Red Chief, The Cop and the Anthem, and Tobin's Palm.
     I was an alcoholic, and died of cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes and heart complications in 1910. I was buried at Asheville, North Carolina. My daughter is buried there too.
    Most of my stories are signed O. Henry but my real name is William Sydney Porter.
    Read Gift of the Magi and Tobin's Palm at Google books:   http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=1kxbAAAAMAAJ&as_brr=4&printsec=frontcover&output=reader

   Read Ransom of Red Chief at Google books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=DWcXAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA462&dq=ransom+of+the+red+chief&hl=en&ei=woWwTtK7Aujo0QGz0pTLAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFoQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=ransom%20of%20the%20red%20chief&f=false

Read The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein at:  http://www.literaturepage.com/read/thefourmillion-75.html

Best Man For This Job Is A Woman

10/31/2011

To the Editor:

After observing the two gentlemen running for the office of Cortland Mayor at the Chamber of Commerce /League of Women Voters Forum last week, a large group of citizens in Cortland have decided to give our voters another option, and will mount a grass roots campaign to write-in the name of the only really experienced and knowledgeable candidate to be mayor – Susan Feiszli.

Our present Mayor is a person who really works for all of the people of our City.

Susan Feiszli has paid more attention and given time to our City’s problems and tried to resolve them then anyone for at least the last twenty years.

Do we still have issues?  Of course, but I do not see how much will be accomplished to solve them unless we re-elect Mayor Feiszli to continue to really work as she has done these past two years.

She has worked tirelessly these last years to make our City better, business’s better, taxes under control instead of  continuing the past "good old boy" network.

She started with a negative fund balance and we have a surplus.

Mayor Feiszli has made difficult personnel changes to make city government more accountable.

Code has gone from 5 days a week to 24/7.

Mayor Feiszli has hired new consultants to get a fresh set of eyes on everything from Health Insurance to Labor Contracts to cut unnecessary expenses.

Mayor Feiszli is working with surrounding towns to try to save money.

Money has already been set aside in the 2012 budget to complete the retention pond to help prevent flooding.

Our aquifer is being protected through adopting the wellhead protection law.

Mayor Feiszli appealed the FEMA flood maps which took 500 properties off the maps, saving homeowners from unnecessary flood insurance.

Mayor Feiszli has hosted Educational Seminars along with tours of departments.  Attorney Generals Office and NYCOM have come to Cortland to talk about consolidation and shared services, Personal and Home Safety.

Mayor Feiszli and this Common Council have worked diligently with the New York State Comptrollers Office to correct their complaints regarding failures of past administrations to follow proper procedures. They have had the help and cooperation of our hard working city workers to rectify these problems.

Mayor Feiszli has experience handling our 18 million dollar budget-neither gentlemen have that experience.

Mayor Feiszli has the experience of visiting various areas of our State to find out how other cities handle problems similar to ours-neither gentleman have this experience.

Mayor Feiszli has often worked for all of us 65 plus hours a week, not 20 or 40 hours as the two gentlemen suggest they will.

This is an exciting yet critical time.  We need an experienced person to continue to make our city accountable and working; not get on-the-job training.

Join our grass roots write-in for Mayor Susan Feiszli and re-elect a real Mayor.

The best man for this job is a woman – Write-in Susan Feiszli.

Anne Doyle

Cortland

Zombie SUCC Student Arrested and Jailed

    According to campus police, it was a Halloween prank that went awry.
    Late last night near the Cortland Rural Cemetery, a female student was chased and bitten by her boyfriend, who was dressed in blue surgical clothing and wore a zombie mask.
    "She didn't recognize him," said Lt. Herman Cain. "She told us that he shouted 'I'm gonna suck your brain out of your head' before he grabbed her and bit her on the neck. She ran to her dormitory and related the story to her roommates. They called police. We questioned her at the infirmary, where she received treatment."
    Campus police say the girl's boyfriend voluntarily turned himself in. Vlad Volpe, age 20, a third year student of Socialist Paraphysics, admitted that he bit his girlfriend on the neck. "Just a love bite, " he said. "Happy Halloween."
    Police arrested Volpe and booked him for felony assault, harassment, medical procedure without a license, and impersonating a medical professional or zombie. He was arraigned before city court Judge Judy Munster, who ordered a psychiatric examination for Volpe, and sent him to county jail.
    "He is clearly a danger to society," said Judge Munster. "We will not tolerate ersatz zombies in the City of Cortland, except for licensed medical professionals, registered Republicans and registered Democrats. Next case."
    "Flasher, your Honor."
    "Bring him in."
    "Sorry, your Honor, he escaped again. The police had him in custody until a few minutes ago, then he got away. He seems to know his way around City Hall."
    "I want to speak to Sgt. Pepper. Next case."

Was Shakespeare a Fraud?

     A recent CBS news article is captioned to stir up a hornet's nest. Anyone who suggests that Shakespeare was a fraud and didn't write all those exceptional plays and sonnets is criticising The Bard. Bard-bashers abound, however.
     Hollywood Director Roland Emmerich wants to destroy 400 years of pious literary teaching with his new movie "Anonymous."
     "The more and more I read, the more I think that William Shakespeare has not written these works, and actually had nothing to do with it," claims Emmerich. He suggests that the real author was the 17th Earl of Oxford.
     Columbia University Professor James Shapiro, who wrote "Contested Will," suggests that the film does not present any evidence. "We're an America that loves conspiracy theory," Shapiro explains. "We love to think there's a mystery, when the facts as we have them are far more extraordinary."
     When it comes to evidence, the argument is tilted on the side of the doubters and naysayers.
     Writers like Mark Twain--who argued that there was no evidence that Shakespeare had the education, especially the legal education, to write the famous plays--suggested firmly that he was not the author. Twain opined, admitting no proof, that Francis Bacon was the author. Other critics claimed that Christopher Marlowe was the author.
     While there may be controversy over authorship, there can be little argument over the beauty and majesty of English language, allegory and metaphor, in the works attributed to Shakespeare.
     Listen at YouTube to lines taken from Hamlet, adapted and applied to the musical Hair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChTBKjtfd2w

Mayor Explains Perceived Disagreement in City Government

September 28, 2011

Much has been made, by a few, of my decision to allow the position of Director of Finance and Administration to remain vacant rather than hire a replacement, even on an interim basis. Some see the person in this position as a highly qualified professional and functioning like a City Manager. This view downplays the role and credentials of not only the Mayor but other City Department Heads as well. It is understandable that anyone accepting these assumptions would be concerned that such as vacancy might jeopardize the efficient day-to-day operations of city government. Recruiting an appropriate replacement seems like the logical solution.

I see several problems with this scenario--not the least of which is that there seems to be little agreement, let along consensus, on what would constitute “appropriate.” In fact, opinions on how we should approach this issue going forward range from eliminating this position and reassigning the duties associated with it, to revising the City charter to adopt either a City Manager or even stronger--perhaps a full time Mayor.

There seems to be enduring and significant disagreement between the various components of City leadership – Mayor, Department Heads, Council – on which of these approaches would be in the best long term interests of city residents. Some have even called for us to consider dissolving the city all together… in which case, we would presumable be absorbed by the Town of Cortlandville. This lack of consensus extends to the public at large, as evidenced from a letter to the editor as well as comments made to me by constituents.

One thing on which many people might agree, however, is that differences over the former Director’s role and performance were very detrimental to the smooth functioning of our city government. I believe these disagreements have been a major factor in what I see as growing friction between the Council on one side and myself, as Mayor, and City Department Heads on the other. This tension, in turn, has produced a number of specific problems – and more work for everyone in the process. In fact, Department Heads have become so alienated that they see forming a union as the only way to protect their collective interests from what they believe to be unfair treatment by our elected officials.

No amount of expertise or knowledge can compensate for alienating an entire management team. If there are risks associated with not filling this vacancy, under the circumstances, I believe the risks of doing so prematurely would be far greater. Even if we could agree on a job description and candidate, expecting an outsider to rescue us from our current situation is, I believe, unrealistic.

Rather than yield to the pressure to take a course of action, which I see as imprudent, I have chosen an alternative instead. That alternative is based on a different set of assumptions. First and foremost, it views our current management team – composed of our remaining Department Heads and their Deputies – as a dedicated, hard-working, capable group of professionals with a good deal of training and experience. It recognizes that any high level vacancy produces additional work but values cooperation, mutual respect and team effort over more short-term manpower at their possible expense. It’s based on the demonstrated willingness of our existing management group to take on more work and responsibilities in the near term, which will allow us to take our time exploring options without unnecessary pressure and, hopefully, ultimately choosing one that serves the best interests of city residents in the long term.

In the current situation, I see my role, as Mayor, as providing leadership and direction to our professional management team – while exploring various long-term options – including some that would involve restructuring city government. I’ve just returned from Oneonta – where I met with other officials there as well as representatives from NYCOM and other people with considerable knowledge in this area – as part of this initiative. I’m also in the process of gathering information and opinions from additional sources.

In the meantime, I see working with existing Department Heads as one means of re-examining the duties formerly assigned to the Director of Finance and Administration. If we discover that we’re lacking certain expertise, it may be preferable in the short run to look at hiring consultants for specific projects rather than filling the vacancy – even on an interim basis.

Mayor Susan Feiszli