Can somebody tell us how appointed Council Member Steve Solomon can say that "Jerene Watson's resume and qualifications would be difficult to equal in a nationwide search of candidates?"
Who was Ms. Watson competing with for the position of Oro Valley Town Manager?
The answer is, "nobody."
How much credence can one put in the staff members that "submitted letters of recommendation for Watson," as pointed out by Mayor Hiremath, soon after Ms. Watson gave these same employees a "step-up job position?
Ms. Watson may have been the best, but to say it with no knowledge of "what else is out there" is absolutely ludicrous.
Here's The Explorer article.
Council Gives Watson Job As Town Manager
By Patrick McNamara, The Explorer
The Oro Valley Town Council unanimously voted to hire a new town manager at its Wednesday, July 21 meeting.
The council gave interim Town Manager Jerene Watson the job she has held since September on a permanent basis.
"After a lot of deliberation, we have offered the job to acting Town Manager Jerene Watson," said Councilman Steve Solomon.
Solomon added that the strength of Watson's resume and qualifications would be difficult to equal in a nationwide search of candidates. The councilman also extolled Watson's grasp of local and statewide issues as a reason to hire her.
"It would be a good year before" another person "would become an effective town manager," Solomon said.
Watson's annual salary would be $155,648, plus $14,000 in yearly deferred compensation paid into a retirement savings account. Watson also would receive a $1,832 annual vehicle stipend.
She would work on an annual contract basis. The council would review her performance annually and decide whether to offer a contract renewal.
"Thank you Mr. Mayor and council," Watson said after the vote. "I appreciate your vote of confidence."
Watson has worked for the town since January 2007, when she was hired as assistant town manager. She later was hired to fill in as town manager after the resignation of former Town Manager David Andrews.
"She grew up with the town over the past three years," said Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath.
The mayor also said Watson had earned the respect and endorsement of many town employees, many of whom submitted letters of recommendation for Watson.
"I can't think of a department head that didn't write a letter of recommendation for her," Hiremath said.
The previous town council has initially intended to conduct a nationwide search for candidates to fill the job of town manager. The council planned to set aside as much as $30,000 to pay an outside firm to conduct the search.
That plan was dropped with the final budget approval in June, leaving Watson the only candidate named for the position. Watson is the first female town manager the town has had.
44 comments:
With your interpretation of the article, it has become even more obvious you will try to spin everything against the council. The fact that all of your candidates either imploded or lost in the election must cloud your judgment.
Any reasonable person will appreciate this move by the council. You have someone who has obviously excelled at her job, brought her employees behind her and boosted morale immensely (much needed after he whose name shall not be named left - I'm too scared of a lawsuit...), yet the LOVE blog wants to spend the money on a nationwide search when "Watson had earned the respect and endorsement of many town employees, many of whom submitted letters of recommendation for Watson."
I applaud the council for promoting from within, especially because it sets a precedent for further hires and will thus improve the morale of our town employees even more.
Those of you that read this 'blog' often will remember the following term: "hogwash".
OV Dad hits the nail on the head with the following:
"With your interpretation of the article, it has become even more obvious you will try to spin everything against the council."
If I recall Jerene Watson was hired after an extensive search for an Assistant Town Manager. The norm would be that the person hired as the Assistant Town Manager would be in a position to take over should something happen to the Town Manager.
Combine this with the fact that Ms. Watson was the candidate hired by none other than David Andrews who (according to some)could do no wrong.
The original post is nothing but hogwash!!
So far I'm not a fan of Councilmember Solomon, but to give him the benefit of the doubt as to his statement that, "Watson's resume and qualifications would be difficult to equal in a nationwide search," perhaps what he was referring to was the other comment he made about her grasp of local and statewide issues. It's probably safe to say that having a grasp of local and state issues would be tough to find in a candidate from out of state.
Having said that, however, I would still have liked to see come competition for the position.
I have to agree with both OVDad and OVOT...The slant of the original post is quite obvious and as is often typical here, very negative...The only time I read positive posts is when the references relate to Garner, Latas, or Andrews. It would be nice for a change if the original articles were displayed as is, without the negative attitude. Then within the comment section, of course hack away...
JayD--- Here's a proposal. Why don't you, OVDad & OVThinker start your own blog.
You might even invite "Smell." By my math, that will give you a total of three.
Then you can write what you like.
As long as I do the postings, I certain;y don't need you three telling me what to do, or what to say.
If you don't like it, you can do as you did once before----leave!
Art, I made an observation and a suggestion...Obviously, you prefer comments from people who agree with you and not from those who don't follow your same theories, beliefs, or frustrations. I don't see anything "ludicrous" about the town's decision to hire Ms. Watson.
Quite some time ago and long before David Andrew's 'exit' from the position as our Town manager, I personally explored Jerene Watson's background (along with others)and found only very glowing reports relative to her past services in Goodyear, AZ, et al. In one of my addresses to Council shortly thereafter, I noted her 'citizen centric' approach to town governance. After the departure of David Andrews I expressed to Ms. Watson that I thought she should pursue the position in permanent status. This was way, way before even the current new council members had declared themselves as candidates.
Although I might differ with Council Member Solomon here and there on other issues, though apparently 'prepared', I thought his presentation was quite eloquent, succinct, and substantive. Ms. Watson's hire did not have to be 'aired' as it was not scheduled as an agenda item; Council appeared to have chosen to do so simply in order that she be 'introduced' publicly and I applaud the result.
Without going through all of the negatives relative to the potential of hiring a consultant as a 'head hunter',I am of the opinion that we could not have done better via this method in any case. In the past, in business, if I had a dedicated employee that shone and I knew the potential for such person to succeed and I had a position that was open for advancement, I most certainly would not go out and try to look for 'better'.
Resume's are easily manipulated, 'outsiders' frequently take a 'new' position and then opt out soon thereafter because of a new 'carrot, and consultants are a waste of money in that there are several web sites dedicated to those governmental agencies which might need to fill, or for those individuals who might want to fill, a given position.
I think the choosing of Jerene Watson as our Town Manager was a wise decision!
Zev,
As with many of the things you previously stated here, I agree with your judgment. Even if I disagree with some of your opinions, your opinions are always well-founded and I respect that.
Art,
So are you saying you are an opinion blog and will finally label yourself as such or are you a forum that is Giving you, the Oro Valley resident, an opportunity to discuss what we can do to "LET ORO VALLEY EXCEL". I feel like giving me the opportunity to either agree with you or leave is not what was meant by that. Maybe the Zeeman needs to step in and have his say again at this point.
I've commented on this many times, but I feel like it now is the time you finally clear this up. Practice what you preach! (Or change what you claim to 'practice'...)
I will say once again, opposing points of view are welcome.
Keep in mind, it's not "what you say, but how you say it."
Ms. Watson was approved by a 7-0 vote.
I'll reiterate: My objection was not the result, but the means in which the result was accomplished.
I wrote: "Ms. Watson may have been the best, but to say it with no knowledge of "what else is out there" is absolutely ludicrous."
I stand by that statement.
I'll also reiterate that I do not need OVDad, an anonymous voice telling me what to write on MY blog.
Nobody is forced to read or write here if they do not wish to do so.
Art-
Thanks for your clarification. I hate how VC plays word police on here all the time, but I feel compelled to do the same here for once. If you go back to my original statement, you will see that, in this case, my issue was that despite you always talking about the town's need to save money you want them to spend money on a nationwide search, when an excellent, if not ideal, candidate is already in the position to take over.
Perhaps the key issue is the word "excellent."
By whose standards?
There were a few questionable decisions. Below are two that come to mind.
Was it excellent to unilaterally make a council appointment to a committee?
Was it excellent to decide that the whole OV work force gets two extra days off at taxpayer expense?
For those that question this last point, I'd encourage you to read John Musolf's letter to The Explorer posted here today.
Art, even you have made a couple of questionable decisions and/or statements over the period of time you have coursed this blog; does this mean that you should give it up? Jerene Watson has a background that few can touch and while you have the absolute right to be critical (for whatever reasons), can you not conceive that her 'good' practices might overwhelmingly trump those you opine as being 'not good'?
The ONLY question I have is: Compared to who?
Might it not have been prudent, not to spend $30,000, but perhaps a couple hundred to advertise in an appropriate forum, and interview, perhaps a couple other candidates. Or, if not an interview, at least look at some resumes.
During my time in OV, we have gone through any number of Town Attorneys. Each time, we had a choice in reviewing the qualifications of potential candidates.
Some choices were better than others, but there were choices.
Nineteen citizens turned in resumes after it was advertised that a council seat was available.
For the top position in OV, there was no interest in doing anything in looking at other candidates. That was NO surprise because THIS council made it abundantly clear what their intentions were PRIOR to being elected.
That is my ONLY point. Not to belittle Ms. Watson or her qualifications----but, once again, compared to who?
I belive that Ms. Watson is qualified to be Town Manager, although we need to remember that prior to her "acting" position, she never held a top management position in any of the cities in which she worked.
Interestingly, too, is the fact that the final two candidates for the Assistant Town Manager's position came down to Ms. Watson and a former OV Council member.
Had there been a national or regional search, there's no doubt that other candidates with manager experience in fast-growing, upscale suburbs would emerge.
But, I think the Council was probably justified in taking the path of least resistance (and no cost). Ms. Watson needs only to consistently satisfy 4 members (a majority) of the Council.
Art, we had a prior Council that had plenty of time to post this position prior to the election; did they and if not, why not? Perhaps too much time was spent on the 'question' of hiring a consultant when, in fact, an internet posting on an appropriate web site could have been accomplished almost immediately. Why doesn't our Town (as well as many others throughout the Country) cease using consultants as THE experts who we may deem more able to supply us with that which we should be able to supply ourselves. WE should be able able to decide what kind of parks we need; WE should be able to formulate how our Police Department should be managed; WE should be able to determine our budget allowances; STOP THE EMPHASES ON CONSULTANTS AND LET US DO OUR OWN JOBS! If the Town had wanted to 'compare' applicants for the Town Manager position they could have easily done so a long time ago and done so at virtually no cost. If prior Council did not do this; blame them, not the current set. The Current Council needed to 'get on with it' and did so without dragging the issue on and on and on for an expensive eternity.In this matter I am absolutely convinced that the right thing was done.
ASTUTE GAL, just a simple observation relative to your post:
Your point about 'experience' is well taken; however, when a person has performed a host of other related types of work and has done so within the purview of civic operation, and has, in fact, while perhaps never having held an exact position of the nature intended, managed individual segment departments, I would say that the lack of experience in a generally identical type of position should in no way impact the potential for 'going another step up'. The way for someone (who appears to be qualified) to gain experience is by giving that someone the opportunity to get it.
Note: Ms. Jerene Watson is on a one-year contract in perpetuation (as I understand it). Her performance evaluation will come up in one year.
Zev--- We could agree that "WE" have the capabilities to know what WE want & need.
The BIG problem is who is "WE?"
I appreciate the citizens can't vote of every thing and everybody, and when they can, who's to say they do the right thing?
Realistically, this council could have interviewed 20 other candidates, and as far as I'm concerned, Ms. Watson would have gotten the job.
The fact is, she had the job locked up as soon as Hiremath somehow got 30 more votes than Zinkin.
Art, I consider that the Town is WE and that Council and Staff SHOULD be able, under proper guidelines and processes, be able to search out and make decisions based on these abilities; this all in lieu of costly contract consultants.
Zev,
I don't disagree with you regarding promotions from within the ranks. It does send a positive message to the employees.
Consultants can be helpful in this area because they can seek out candidates who might be qualified but who are unaware of the opening. They can also assist in narrowing down the field of candidates to those who meet the Council's standards (which would have to be defined in advance).
But, with all that said, we shall see how Ms. Watson performs. I suspect that she will do well, and she deserves the opportunity to demonstrate her worthiness.
Like commercial signs that are taken down when new ordinances are passed, it's hard to "see what you don't see." Similarly, it's hard to know what would have emerged from an open recruitment.
Astute Gal (and, yes, you are very astute), even the use of a consultant cannot guarantee any kind of superior performance whatsoever nor can they assure better access to potential applicants. The government entity from which my wife retired did require the publication of upper level job availabilities as well as they themselves scrutinizing potential applicants from available lists (internet, et al).
However, even when you might think you see it 'all', there can be 'shadows' which may be very difficult to discern.
One thing I left out in my previous post was that the mere fact that Jerene Watson, as the Town's assistant manager for the time that she was, and then as the interim manager for approximately 10 months in addition, most certainly should be credited with being experienced enough to have been 'moved up' to the management position absolute.
Following from your statement and in consideration of mine above, the Town reasonably should KNOW the person they have designated much more so than any unknown candidate who might otherwise look good 'on paper' and/or has been further vetted by additional resources. KNOWING an 'unknown' can be a clouded perception.
I don't know how many of you truly read all of the comments posted here, but I try to. I do so for two reasons.
1. I want to know what is running throught the minds and alledged minds of others.
2. As I have mentioned several times before, the humor of this blog is sometimes unmatched.
Here is an example of the latter. I could never make this up so I will quote our beloved blogmasta:
"JayD--- Here's a proposal. Why don't you, OVDad & OVThinker start your own blog.
You might even invite "Smell." By my math, that will give you a total of three."
Allow me to recap...
Jay D.......1
OV Dad......2
OV Thinker..3
Smell.......4
With that I wish all of you a great weekend.
My math was just fine.
Your reasoning is what is lacking.
Ha ha OVOT, I noticed the same math that you did...
Artmarth: "JayD--- Here's a proposal. Why don't you, OVDad & OVThinker start your own blog.
You might even invite "Smell." By my math, that will give you a total of three."
Maybe Art's math ("my math") is different than the rest of ours...Of course we all make mistakes and this was good for a laugh, something often needed on this board.
You two obviously need further clarification. So here it is:
cox has been known to use more than one pseudonym as he thinks nobody will notice.
Keep laughing!
Art...
I really hate to spoil your day but I have never posted on this blog under any other name.
As usual you are incorrect.
Jay D and Thinkerbell,
The joke is on you! Art's math is just fine. You use 4 pseudonyms, yes, but there are only 3 of you.
Let me put it this way by leaving a message for Doyousmellthat?
Dear Doyousmellthat?
Perhaps what you smell is the leftover bass from your last fishing trip!
VC....
And as usual your idiotic conspiracy theories are void of logic and fact.
I don't need another name. I am very satisfied with the ONE I use and want to make sure there is no doubt in your mind who is leaving the message!!!
Thinkerbell,
You said, "And as usual your idiotic conspiracy theories are void of logic and fact."
But I didn't offer the facts that I have so how do you know what they are?
And of course you're going to deny that you and Smelly are the same person. You wouldn't embarrass yourself by admitting that there are fewer of you "detractors" on this blog than there actually are and you would never admit that you were dumb enough to give yourself away and I was smart enough to pick up on all the cues.
So deny it all you want. I have the proof.
Oh and don't worry about using another name. When Smelly leaves a message, there is "no doubt in my mind who is leaving it!"
Jay D and OV Dad,
Why haven't either of you responded to messages left on the two threads about the Oro Valley Sign Code?
Once again you have both disappeared at the same time.
It is funny though how you're both always ABLE to answer the same questions and your both always UNABLE to answer the same questions.
VC...All you have is wild dreams and and a jaded outlook on life in general.
If you think you have something bring it on. As usual you will be no challenge for intelligent folks.
This will be the third time you have tried to make this theory stick. It's hasn't before and it won't this time.
Don't you just love it? I wonder if other small towns have such fun ablogging? If my friends on Wall St. (with the aid of both political parties) had not eaten my retirement money, I would take out two full page ads at the AZ Star and the local Explorer to promote the LOVE Blog.
I mean this is priceless! We need much more readership and participation.
Ha ha...Maybe right now there are already hundreds of readers all posting under the same four or five names! So my guess is that possibly Art and VC may be the same person, and even Zev and Nombe might be the same person...Just think of the permutations and combinations...
I'm sure if OVDad pipes in, I'll be accused of being him again...This is like accusing kids of some wrongdoing, they giggle, and you assume they're guilty when in fact they're just giggling because the situation is so ridiculous!
JayD--- Let there be no misunderstanding.
I have not suggested that you or OVDad comment with any other identity or that the two of you, (other than your beliefs on what is best for OV) have anything to do with each other.
I trust that clarifies my position as it concerns you two.
It's a conspiracy of two. Jay D...I think you are correct. Art and VC are the same. I know they are two different people but they have interchangeable minds.
After all they are a perfect match.
Smelly Thinker,
You said, "If you think you have something bring it on."
I have plenty and I would tell you precisely what I have, but it will make you more crazy wondering what it is. Let's just say that "the art of being a good liar is in remembering what you've said."
Oh, and of course, I'd be happy to provide the proof for you just as soon as Roger provides proof of all the endorsements that Zinkin tried to get and just as soon as Jay D provides proof that Bonnie Quinn doubled her revenue by using an A-frame sign.
Every time someone says something that you WANT to hear, you accept their statements even though they provide no supporting facts. When someone says something that you DO NOT want to hear, you demand proof.
Yes, it's very scientific the way you draw conclusions.
VC..Don't flatter yourself with statements like:
" but it will make you more crazy wondering what it is."
You and your posts are totally insignificant in even the smallest scheme of life.
Since I don't lie, I don't have to worry about, ""the art of being a good liar is in remembering what you've said.""
I just have to say that this thread regarding Ms. Watson has turned into one of the funniest, most paranoid yet...
Jay D....
If you just let them talk/type they will create the damnedest scenario(s). The old expression of, "You can't make this kind of stuff up.", was meant for this group.
Thinkerbell,
You wouldn't have asked for proof if you weren't worried about what it might be. So, yes, it's driving you crazy...the not knowing.
If my posts are so insignificant, then why do they result in so many responses? Why do you respond? Why do you continually ask for proof?
Also, you focused on the wrong part of the quote. You focused on "the art of being a good liar is..." and asserted that you don't lie. That's debatable of course, but the part you needed to focus on was this:
"is remembering what you've said."
You gave yourself away numerous times while posting as Smelly because you didn't remember what you had already posted as Thinker.
Deny it all you want. Laugh all you want. I don't just have a hunch that Thinker and Smelly are one. I KNOW they are.
You claim a lack of intellect in anyone who disagrees with you, yet you and Jay D weren't savvy enough to understand what Art was saying when he said that 4 equals 3. You ridiculed his math skills when it was really YOUR COMPREHENSION SKILLS that were worthy of ridicule.
I am so worried. The reason you get responses is that your postings are so unbelieveable and stupid that folks respond. It has nothing to do with your accuracy or intelligence.
But you are accurate in one regard. I do have no clue what Smell said.
As Jay D said, "funniest" and "paranoid".
The reason Jay D uses words like "funny" and "paranoid" and Thinkerbell uses words like "stupid" goes back to what I said about the Good Old Boys tactics.
They resort to name-calling and character assassination whenever they're losing an argument.
So you see, all your name-calling reveals more about who YOU are than it does about who I am. Whenever you're faced with a strong argument for which you have no defense, you turn into little children and your defense is simply to assert that your opposition "has cooties."
I'm done with this thread.
Allelula!!!!
VC....I am not the least bit ashamed of who I am or what I think. I don't use the term "stupid" as "good old boys tactics". I use the term only when I opine that the proposal put forth or the person putting it forth has not used a reasonable (accepted by most normal thinking people)thought processes. It's like lighting a match to see how much gasoline is is a can. Your submissions are frequently similiar to that example. And I use it for both sexes.
You can choose whether it was the proposal, person or both.
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