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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.19731101P Special Meetin5 , Ase~p~ City ,Council No,vember 1, ,1973 ,~, Special meeting called by Coun¢ilmembers Pedersen, Breasted a,nd Behrendt to discuss City Manager-City Council Relationship. Meeting was called, to order by Mayor Stacy Standley at 8:10p,m, with Council-members Jenife~ Pedersen, James Breasted,, Peter DeGregorio, Ramona Markalunas, Jack Wal~s, ~ichael Behrend~ , City Attorney Sandea Stuller and City Manager Nuss Campbell. . Councilwoman Pede~sen moved that Russ Campbell be relieved of any further obligations of his contract and that he not engage in any further activities aa City Manager o£ the City of Aspen effective immediately, seconded by Councilman Breasted. Qu stzon was asked if anyone desired an executive session, answer was no. Councilwoman Pedersen remarked that Mr, Campbell. did resign on October 15th that resign- ation was accepted by the Council on October 16th. Since ~hatetime she felt, Mr. Campbell has voiced his opinion of Councilzin a manner that is unbecoming under the circumstances. Mrs. Pedersen related to recent Tuesday staff meeting and read memo written by a depart- ment head to his employees that "the City Manager has imposed a gag rule on employees". Memo further related refemence was made ·that the Mayor and Council have time on their hands and their interference with the employees would no longer be tolerated. Mrs. Peder- son stated she could not recall any member of Council w~o had directed any member of the administrative staff. Find this app~roach to be highly offensive, Feel this meanness must s~op for everyone's sake Councilman Breasted stated his phone had rung all day and has heard both sides. He found that the people were really misinformed. On Tuesday he received a call from the Mayor and was asked to reconsider the.decision to accept Mr. Campbell's resignation. It appearec that there was aq effort to reh~re Mr. Campbell and it. was at that moment I knew we could not continue on the present basis.-I could-only see ,another three months of. bickering etc., and knew the,time had come to make a clean break. Because of the budget, I have worked with Mr. C~bell in a·very intimate way, ~believe its probably because of that forced in- timacF~his heB'come to a head. One cannot appreciate this situation unless you are on the Council and have worked with Mr. Campbell over a long period of time. I have little to do with the workings and people in the City Hall. Today and yesterday received strong indications that thz gs were not right in City hall from people zt was never expected of, A Petition was being circulated by departments heads who were passing petition to their employees that puts those employees in a terrible compromising position., This to me is an indication that things are not right but very very wrong. Councilman Behrendt stated he ia not in City.Hall very much. Council's job is to make in- qui~es of department heads at most on specific matters. Council deals with the city Man- ager~ Called this meeting because the last several months have been difficult and the last c0~ple 9~ weeks have been impossible, Found the City Manager has been attacking the Ski Corporation, the county and this is Councils job. The manager's job is to. run the City, our is to guide it, Mr. Campbell ~s setting.us up against the County government , County has cheated us, etc. That is Council's decision. He has to.>deal with the County people on a day to day, basis. He canno~ be an administrator if he is setting attitudes like this et¢ It is difficult for the Counczl to work,as a group and'most of that. problem is the person- ality and techniques O~ M~.~Cempbel~.~o~hi~fytmm~u~e~o~e~scattzng this meeting, .the press called and they have gotten the issue so out of shape filt it should be an open meeting° Mr. Campbell has critized the Council and is continuing to do so. Then to the department heads and said we were meddling., Do .not know all the department heads, Doubt if much work is going on in City Hall these days. Do not blame the employees in this kind of mosphere, Councilwoman Markalunas stated Mr. Campbell has:igiven the public his opinion of Council, Prior to Mr. Campbell's resignation, personally~had some difficulties that it was felt could be worked out, Mainly the problem that information was not submitted t~ Council in order for C~ncil to make decision. Until and after the resignation did not feel the Council was so divided that they could not make decisions. A City cannot function unless there is cooperation between administration and Council. This has not happened since Mr, Campbell resigned. Councilman DeGregorio stated he felt the meeting should have been in executive session. Feel if department heads are circulating a petition to keep the City Manager then he must have been doing his job, they. must trust this man and feel a. loyalty to him. Mayor Standley read petition submitted~by employees fo the City Hall requesting Council reconsider fhe resignation of Russ Campbell. Petition signed by 52 members of the staff. A citizens petition requesting Mr. Campbell continue until January 15th was submitted ed by 28 citizens. Word from AVIA was stated by Mayor Stsndley, they request Mr..Campbell be retained. Mayor Standley stated he has been ~verwhelmed with the job of City Manager in running a City. Feel Russ.has-done a-good job .Mayor Standley pointed out the following accomplish- merits of the City thru Russ's stay with~the City: Malls, major purchase of land inside th~ City, Initiated four new Council members, addition of staff members. Stated when you do bring about c~ange there is bound to be unrest and that is why strong leadership is needed Under this type of government, the Mayor and Manager must work closely together and have had a strong working relationship with Russ~ There has been back stabbing between admin- istrativ~"~o~16'a~d ~0uncil people.~ RelationShips between administration and Council should not be used to degrade the City Manager or any other personnel. When Mr. Campbell resigned, ~greed with his resignation as I felt it wasimpossible for him to work with the problems that came about. Still feel he is the man for the job. ~g~cia!Meeting,~ Ceuncil,.ll/1/73., (cont.) Approximately 20 citizens spoke~before Council (large audience) requesting ~either council reconsider the resignation or reqUest Council, not make a decision thi~ date but to' keep Mr. Campbell on until his resignation is effective JanUary 15th. Many stated their regret ~ I that the Council could not seem to work together in order to make policy decisions for the City. Recall of Council members was mentioned, Mrs. Mary Lanpshire (relieved of her duties in the Finance Department on Wednesday) ~stated the moral of the administrative people is down. The conditions~i.n the finance d~partment are not right, some signatures on the petition are of employees who have been with the city just a short time and do not know the problem, no one in finance signed the petition. Mr. Campbell wants to run the Council and feel Mr. Campbell brought this whole thing on. Members of Council stated they did not feel they could work With Mr. campbell over the next several months under present conditions~ Administrative people are having to take Side and/or are hiding, this cannot continue. Councilman Walls stated Mr. Campbell stepped in'a hell'va job at the time he was hired, he accepted a challenge. People have alleged that they felt a lack of trust in this man. My individual feelings with Mr. Campbell have always been honest and above board. I feel Mr. Campbell, for the short length of time in which he has been here, has accOmpl!shed a great deal - great finance director, re-organized the City Government in regard to departments, malls implementation, urban economist hired which was so desperately needed, Heard the rum or that employees were pressured into signing the petition, found this to not he true. At- tempts were made to iron out problems with the City Manager after his resignation. Members of Council called an executive session to ~alk over our problems. It was Russ who' pushed at that meeting t° get it all 0ut into the open for discussion. It did not happen~ Councilmembers pointed out specific instances or problems that have occurred causing their mistrust, lack of cooperation between the Manager and Council which has'lead to the de~¢isix of today. ~. Other members of Council stated'their concern fOr the City without a City manager over.the next several months. Mayor Standley pointed out there hms been an answer to all the pro- blems tha~ have been mentioned. Council agreed to continue this meeting to Monday at 5:00 p.m. to appoint an acting city manager from the department head level of the City and to hold~a,~study Session thereafter on budgets. ~ Roll Call vote - Councilmembers Pedersen aye; Breasted aye; Degregorio nay; Markalunas, aye; Walls nay;' Behrendt aye; MayOr Standley nay. Motion carried. Councilman DeGregorio moved to continue this meeting to Monday ~t 5:00 p.m. seconded by Councilman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. ~ / ~___~Lorraine Grave.s, Czty C~rk Recessed Mee. t. ing .. A.s.p.e~ C.i.t~y..Council November 5~ 1973 Appointment of Meeting was reconvened by Mayor Standley at 5:00 p.m. with Councilmembers Jenifer Pedersen, acting City James Breasted, Pete ~DeGregorio, Ramona MarkalUnas, Jack Walls, Michael Behrendt and City Manager Attorney Sandra Stuller. Appointment of Acting City Manager-CouncilWoman Markalunas moved to appoint Philip MahOney as acting City Manager until sUch time as a permanent City Manager is hired. Se~nded by Councilwoman Pedersen. Council questioned Mr. Mahoney if he would handle the additional respOnsibilitY Under his existing salary. Mr. Mahoney was agreeable to this arrangement. Roll call vote - Councilmembers Pedersen aye; Breasted aye; DeGregorio~ abst~a~m; Marka- lunas, aye; Walls aye; Behreddt, aye; Mayor standley aye. Motibn carried. Recall City Clerk request Council authorize the City Attorney to draft an ~rdinance for recall Procedures procedures. Presently required to follow the constitution, statutes, and election code making procedures very difficult Councilman Breasted moved to instruct the City Attorney to draft recall procedured for Council consideration. Seconded by Councilman Walls. Ail in favor, motion carried. Councilman Walls moved .to adjourn and 'go into study session on budgets, Seconded by Counci man DeGregorio. All in favor, meeting adjourned at 5:.15 p.m. ~--~--L~orraine Graves, City Cl,erk