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| City Manager Jay Cravens |
As reported in the Thursday's Birmingham Bloomfield Eagle, by C+G staff writer Erin McClary,
DTE refunds Bloomfield Hills for decade of incorrect billing. According to the Eagle the error was noticed during a meeting between City Manager Jay Cravens and DTE officials to to discuss energy efficient LED lighting. A map was produced and a sharp eyed Cravens noticed that the the city was billed for lighting at a condominium project which should have been the responsibility of the private owners. As it so happened the DTE had billed both the City and the condo complex.. More research revealed billing for streets beyond the city's boundaries.
Cravens at the last City commission meeting reported the refund triumph, alluded to an element of luck and mentioned the $85,000 figure which sounded rather preposterous at the time. Chance however favors the well prepared mind and extensive research going back ten years justified the $85,000 refund.
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| A Light in Winter |
In the City of Bloomfield Hills the City Manager is the Chief Executive Officer of the City. He is in charge of all departments such as the building department, public safety, department of public works, or office and/clerical. A complete
description of duties appears on the city's website. The key phrase is
The City Manager is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of the elected City Commission.
Evaluating City Manager Cravens
Cravens, hired as City Manager in 2007, annually under goes a public evaluation before City Commission. This year the annual review sort of meandered through two meetings an a work session. The first was reported here in the post on the May 24th city commission meeting. Hiring and firing involved some discussion. The commission and the City Manager hire. The commission as the ultimate authority can fire but so can the City Manager. It was really all common sense. When in doubt talk to the commission.
No Such Thing
Some of Mr. Cravens's head scratching may have come from the unique challenges, the unique City of Bloomfield Hills presents. At City Manager networking meetings Mr. Cravens attended other city managers would tell him ," Just have your such and such department take care of it. Other cities have layers and departments that don't exist in our city. Jay would have to explain that the city of Bloomfield Hills had no such, such and such department. "Really ? " was the universal reply. In an era when many municipalities prefer big and bulky, the City of Bloomfield Hills runs lean and mean.
Round 2
At the next commission meeting Mr. Cravens displayed a series of carefully crafted color charts that indicated that most of the City employees had been hired by commission with only a handful actually hired by the City Manager. The point being how could the CM be expected to evaluate, supervise , and perhaps discipline people he hadn't hired. The commission hpwever held fast to the common sense conquers all approach.. "I really don't know where Jay is going with all these charts," City attorney Bill Hampton said looking at one that been passed in his direction
Round 3
The the next session, a work session, where ideas rather than proposals are the emphasis, it was was Mayor Zambricki who surprised with a big stack of handouts. outs. and a linguistic ability few knew he possessed. In fact to the uninitiated it almost appeared as though he was speaking in tongues. In a blink of the eye the English we all speak (essentially the English of day time television's panel discussions, Judge shows, and soap operas) was replaced with a flawless fluency in the argot of Corporate America. With it's fondness of measurements, Corporate America has become domain of the frustrated tailor. The theory goes you can't quantify what you can't measure and the Zambricki administration would be measuring. There would be goals and series of seemingly complicated evaluation forms for the City Manager and his departments.
Great at What ?
At which point Commissioner Pat Hardy( a former Junior high school English teacher and not a child of corporate America) asked if all the forms and fuss was really really necessary "You Know (Mayor), if you had suggested this (when a couple of infamous city managers of lore threatened havoc)I would have said "great" and "all for it" but for Jay Cravens who we like..." Then she asked Mr. Cravens if he really wanted to fill out forms. Jay said he'd be willing to give it a go. Mayor Zambricki replied to Commissioner's Hardy with, "Every company has someone who everyone says is a great guy. Yes but great at what ? That's what were are going to measure."
We evaluate City Commission
evaluating
the City Manager
While it is the City Commission's job to evaluate our City Manager, it is our job as residents to evaluate Mayor Zambricki's and the commission's handling of the matter. Since no one else has stepped forward, I'll volunteer and borrow the the royal "We".
We don't know where Mayor Zambricki is going with all the measuring and metrics . We would expect that in his fifth term as Mayor, Mr Zambricki "knows" how to run the City, and that knowledge trumps the need to constantly measure or evaluate. That being said we will concede an apparent motivational value to such an approach. Mr Cravens is on a roll. In the metro area ,city managers salaries are generally in the low six figures. Mr. Cravens has certainly earned a very large part of his salary with the DTE refund. In addition the City will also enjoy cost savings and the residents will realize added convenience with the SOCRRA year round hazardous waste drop off program which Mr. Cravens initiated.
We would also like to commend commissioners Hardy, McCready, and McClure for their input. Pat Hardy's comments provide contrast to the mayor's point of view and requires him to articulate in more detail. Commissioner Mike McCready's comments, especially on the subject of shared services, have been right on. Commissioner Sara McClure is attuned to the wishes and needs of the residents and often says what the residents are thinking or should be thinking.
Oh it was easy. It tried to explain but whenever I started the librarian lady would "cluck" again and look upward as though God Almighty might shed some light on the situation. She had my drivers license, library card, and my overdue DVD between us on the counter. The line in back of us was doubling and then quadrupling at a geometric rate. "Bloomfield Hills " she said without expression fingering the license.. I nodded and said I was one of the people who came over on the boat. I thought a little levity might help. I was wrong. "Is Ruth here today, "she asked an adjacent librarian who processing cards, scanning numbers of books as fast she could.. No Ruth was not there that day. "I just don't understand how something like this could happen," my librarian said again.
have called," the librarian said. "we might have been able to work something out." When I asked, she said the $14 was on the high end but not a record. "Would you like me to speak to someone on your behalf ?" I thanked her but declined. I had it all figured out and I made the rules. Besides the Troy Library needed the money more than I did. "Bloomfield Hills. " she said again picking up the license and writing some numbers on a check I had just written her. I hope they get the money the need. They seem very nice and it's a pleasure now to to speak on their behalf.
