Congratulations to Ed Flentje in being named interim Wichita city manager. Flentje, the director of the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs at Wichita State University, has a wealth of knowledge and experience in public administration and should help provide a smooth transition between outgoing city manager George Kolb and the next manager. Thanks also to WSU President Donald Beggs for agreeing to the appointment and again showing his and WSU’s commitment to serve the community.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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22 Comments
Good morning: I wrote a comment under “open thread” above that I should have placed here. Sorry … but hope you will read it if interested in this important subject for the future of Wichita.
I read it, J..and must disagree with your assertion of:
“Its a very strong city manager form gives almost all decision-making power to the city manager”.
Implementation decisions, yes, but policy decisions, no. The council directs the city manager on what to do–just not exactly how to implement those decisions. Plus, the council/mayor are not elected to manage an entity with over 3,000 employees.
The council very clearly directs the manager on policy/tasks. The details of carrying them out are the responsibility of the city manager. The council has neither the time nor resources to handle the “nuts and bolts” of implementing policy–that is why we have a city manager.
Taz – J – one big problem is that the Manager acts as gate-keeper for information. Too many Councilmen rely solely on the ‘green sheets’ for info when they make decisions. And, if I control your information, I control YOU.
IN ORGANIZATIONS, THERE ARE OFTEN PEOPLE PROBLEMS AND THERE ARE LESS RECOGNIZED STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS.
Good job Wink. Too often we put 100 percent of the blame on individual people, and let the structural, or systemic problems go unaddressed.
DEMING LIVES!
Interesting thought, Ben. But..council members also get input directly from citizens, from DAB’s, from special interest groups, etc. The manager cannot filter all that, can he?
I dont have any insight into the sturcture of your local government down there, but I always cautioned my clients about the “GE” theory of employees.
“Plug ‘em in, burn ‘em out, replace ‘em.”
It does sound like that is what goes on down there sometimes.
Part of the reason I support a Strong Mayor form a goverment over having a City Manager, Plus the public has no input in how the Manager is selected, or how he runs things once in power
I dont know Ed, but I do know his wife. She’s a wonderful woman and a joy to work with. I’d work with her again any day.
Thank God the council has FINALLY found a clue!Now, if they’ll just do the same thing to Holderman and Rebenstorf that they did with George Kolb, and we’re on our way to moving this city forward again.
Does the City Manager matter when the community is full of No voters?
Reject that guy and ideas, but like the Mayor? The Chris Cherches hangover, will it ever end in that office?
Electable politicians sometimes only work for their supporters.
Power in government has to be appointed by the Council in some aspects. That way its a electable group of people choosing a leadership.
Still bitter Mrage? Want some cheese with that?
Ben,
Do tell, use your optimistic views what Flentje should do in short time being hired?
I bet they are going to use the local professor to suggest City 3 years 1 cent sales tax. To pay for a variety of things, Century II will be tops on that list.
The loss of property tax and development money spent here from a Casino is bad and we’re going to suffer a long time because of views like yours.
School board listed a huge list of financial challenges too. You likely to say No on another bond?
Mrage – the underlying cause of our problems you talk about is your Arena. Tha majority of voters have turned against it and that has impacted everything else. After all, how else could you ahve managed to turn 70% into 43% and lose so bad? So, the community will suffer for a long time because of voews like YOURS!
My advice to Flentje would be simple: TRANSPARANCY!
Open up city government so the citizens can see and understand what is going on. That, in turn, may lead to a sense of ‘ownership’ in that government which is lacking today.
Ben,
I can see the value having a new Arena to attract events. The Arena idea has challenges in its financing and parking issues downtown.
I don’t reject it completely like your doing.
Your overstating arguing and concerns about the Arena.
Some of the complaints are about the tax. Some are concerned it’s capacity, too small. Others are having poor thoughts about parking downtown.
You approve the Coliseum location when its terrible. That completely invalidates your complaining.
Whether you like it or not, experts placed the Arena downtown, for its best chance to succeed.
Voters rejecting the Coliseum location twice for development proves it.
I laugh the Wellington Casino is smaller than you wanted. Your No vote caused a South Central Casino to fail as well at the Mulvane exit.
Support the County in your weird way going to the Casino instead of Arena events. I’ll do the reverse.
If you reject 259 school bonds, your No is overboard and becoming a obstruction to this community goals. We have to pay for things as a community, because the corporate saviour isn’t out there or eagerly willing.
We have scattered shot governing from the County and City that waffles to support projects as a whole council.
We don’t have shared goals on how Wichita should progress.
Wrong on everything Mrage. But what else is new?
I don’t particularly like the Coliseum location; however it is there and it exists. So, I start from that as a starting point.
Experts did NOT place the arena downtown; politicians and bureaucrats did.
And just where the heck did you get your fiction “If you reject 259 school bonds” – I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH USD 259 AND YOU KNOW IT!
At least try to be a LITTLE accurate – for a change.
Ben,
Like I said, your views are not aligned with mine, your wrong thinking HOK played a smaller role than politicans in choosing the Arena site.
I forget where you live most of the time. Your so No, I lump you with the rest of them that live in 259 district.
We had a theoretical discussion on Chilton Billiards on separate sides. You don’t want them to move for Arena parking. That’s another rejection of that location to you.
I see it as a positive, a business not bothered by Arena parking in their lot after the business is closed.
I hope the City, now with Arena parking responsibility uses your tax money to assist Chilton’s relocation if it comes to that.
I hope the parking plan doesn’t require it. I hope you whiners about downtown parking get to park close as possible.
Ed and I dont agree on everything, but I do believe he is an honest man.Good luck to him.
“Your so No, I lump you with the rest of them that live in 259 district.” JUST SHOWS WHAT AN IDIOT YOU ARE.
“You don’t want them to move for Arena parking.” MORE BS. I JUST DON’T WANT THEM FORCED OUT.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR 15,000 SEAT ALBINO PACHYDERM.
I hope the City, now with Arena parking responsibility uses your tax money to assist Chilton’s relocation if it comes to that.
They should use YOUR money to do that. I have better ways for the City to spend MY money; especially since I was promised – in writing – that the $184.5 million would cover parking costs.
Ben,
Have fun wasting gas going to the Wellington Casino more than once.
I don’t care which government pays for the Arena parking.
Selfishly, I want my way at expense of others apparently. City won’t pay for something because their involved financially with the Arena.
I’m worse off some day! Right now, its going to take their combined monies to pay for the more expensive Arena.
It is a shame that expense isn’t paying for a larger capacity Arena.
County and City working financially together seems smart to me.
People shouldn’t complain about Arena parking once its open. That can ruin people going back to see events.
“Selfishly, I want my way at expense of others apparently”
THANKS FOR ADMITTING IT.
“People shouldn’t complain about Arena parking once its open. That can ruin people going back to see events.”
THEN DO WHAT YOU PROMISED ABD PROVIDE THE PARKING WITHIN THE $184.5 MILLION.
“Have fun wasting gas going to the Wellington Casino more than once.”
NO MORE GAS THAN I WOULD WASTE GOING TO YOUR ARENA OR DOWNTOWN CASINO.