Wichita City Council members seemingly felt they did what they had to do in unanimously approving a $182,700 severance package Tuesday for outgoing City Manager George Kolb, plus a year’s worth of health and dental insurance. As council member Paul Gray said, Kolb was due a severance because he and the city “mutually agreed†that Kolb should leave.
It’s the richness of the deal that will strike most Wichitans as excessive — nine months of pay, plus $54,000 and other benefits. Kolb holds the job for 3½ years and walks away with $182,700? In another under-the-radar deal that The Eagle editorial board criticized at the time (also negotiated with Gray’s involvement), then-City Manager Chris Cherches got a $72,000 severance package (plus $72,000 to stay on as a consultant) — but at least he had invested 18 years in the job.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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73 Comments
You got to be kidding me!!! There is no curcomstance a person who eaves a job voluntarily should ever be given a severence pakage, period.Folks, the amount of money we’re talking about here would pay the salary of 6{six} Spirit, or 8 {eight}Cessna employees for a whole year. Thier positions are just as demanding and require the same level of expertise as City Manager.This proves once again how out of touch our leadership really is.
If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.
Call it an expensive lesson.Now, the council should do the same thing with Cathy Holdeman and Gary Rebenstorf, so the new manager can start fresh.
The plan had originally been that Kolb would leave and just take the stapler. However the city officials stepped in and demanded that he take more money.
The fat cats just keep getting fatter.
Crooked bastards, I don’t think that falls in line with what is call representing the people.I do not approve of elected officials wheeling, dealing and helping them self out to giving away tax money all too willingly in a frivolous manner without taxpayer’s approval.This is not right without proper disclosure of this departure, how about an investigation into this by legal authorities?
Nothing to investigate. All perfectly legal.Wrong, but perfectly legal.The council will likely stop there, but they shouldn’t. Kolb didn’t hire Holdeman and Rebenstorf, but here he is, taking the fall for them.
The new manager has to start fresh. Holdeman and Rebenstorf have to go.And if Ms. Fearey doth protest too much… ?
Considering Wichita has about 100,000 real taxpayers after deducting students, children, people who don’t work for various reasons, homeless, etc.
So City Manager Kolb’s departure is costing every real taxpayer about $2/person. Plus add in his salary for 3 1/2 years and taxpayers have again picked up a big tab.
Do the same math with the 1/2 billion dollar white elephant arena that nobody wants except the politicians and out-of-town hired guns … and we are talking some big money that WILL be paid out of your taxes.
And still no improvements in Wichita’s infrastructure, streets, bridges and storm sewers.
Another 20% increase in your sales taxes anyone?
Oh, we’ll write about how mad we are about this, then a new episode of Britney TV or OJ TV will come on and we’ll forget about it. Then it’ll happen again and The Super Bowl will be on and we’ll forget again. Repeat as necessary.
The package is not out of line for somebody that worked 18 years at an executive job. In fact, it is kind of low if you compare it to such packages in the private sector.
Just like all the corporate executives who bail on a company they have mis-managed and take a huge golden parachute. There are two sets of rules – one for the fat cats and one for the rest of us.
He should have gotten the traditional 2 weeks severance and no more.
And still no improvements in Wichita’s infrastructure, streets, bridges and storm sewers.Posted by: JWink | December 12, 2007 at 05:39 AM
You’ve obviously not had to drive in east Wichita much in the past few years.
Didn’t Kolb’s contract only call for a six-month severance pay if he got fired? How the hell did the Council justify paying him 50% MORE than that, not counting the fringe benefits? There’s a part of this that makes absolutely. no. sense. at. all.
This deal is absolutely, positively excessive for a person who has served only three years in any public role.
But he has learned well how to bleed the taxpayer funded system. I wonder if there is a credit course taught at the universities on how to legally (but immorally) scam the system and walk away with a pocket full of taxpayer’s money?
He is just one more fat pig, grazing away at the trough of public funding.
The real culprit here is the cabal of elitist council members who are hell bent on pursuing the status quo at City Hall: Fearey, Brewer, Schlapp and Williams.
Brewer promised “the people responsible” for the bowling debacle would be “held accountable” for the loss of $100 million in revenue.
We all knew damn well that wasn’t going to happen.Kolb was a convenient, albeit expensive, scapegoat.
We shouldn’t be blaming this on Kolb. He took what the council gave him. The council is accountable to us and they ‘have sum splainin’ to do’.
We can vote them out of office with no severance pay. We need to hold their feet to the fire over this.
Mr con you and I are thinking in the same channels. The council needs to have a news conference and explain what is going on.
The deal does smack with the same smell that some Corporate leaders get if they are “released” from employment for failing to do a job.
In this case, the term “philosophical differences” doesn’t appear to indicate anything other than what is says.
So I suppose legally, if a deal was drawn up by the instigation of Paul Gray, if Kolb was “released” from the job through no factual indicators of “fault” then the severance would have to be paid.
Evidently, the Wichita Eagle Board spotted this when it occurred, so it appears they got this one right.
It will be interesting to hear what the justification was/is.
Mr Controversy,
It looks to me like you’re naming the wrong people who have the “elitist … status quo” as their agenda. It was far-right “conservative” Paul Gray, and Republican Jeff Longwell, who negotiated the package with Kolb. They’re both missing from your list – wow, I’m shocked you’d skip the Republicans most directly responsible.
And Williams? She’s too NEW to have a vested interest in the “status quo.” You should really think twice before blaming the new kid.
How quickly we forget all the questionable little tricks that were made in the selection process for Ms. Williams: the evaluation written by a city staff member that she somehow was the only candidate for the position that got anywhere near a perfect score, the attempts to bring in a Brewer ally on to the DAB who didn’t live in the district, etc.I would suspect that the reasons Gray and Longwell were at the front of the negotiating process may also be due to the fact they may have been among the council members pushing hardest for Kolb’s removal.There are some other things I could say here, but I would be violating some confidences.
Mr Controversy,
William’s competitor for the 1st District seat was Treatha Brown-Foster. I have a rock collection that’s more qualified than B-F to sit on the City Council; it’s no surprise that A) the first votes were split down partisan lines and B) the final vote went to Williams.
In any event, the City Council was NOT bound by law to follow the recommendation of the DAB. They could have picked anyone – even you – to replace Brewer in that 1st District seat.
Perhaps that’s what’s got you annoyed with Williams, eh?
Tom,
Forgive me if I have to conclude this pissing match a little early–I’ve been working all night and I’m going home to clean up–but why do I get the feeling you’re trying to defend the real targets here…Rebenstorf and Holdeman?
Me, defend REBENSTORF??? You’re kidding, right? If anyone at City Hall deserves walking-papers, it’s him. But I’ll save that subject for another day. And Holdeman – I have no axe to grind there, one way or the other.
It’s interesting that instead of addressing the facts I laid out in my 8:33 post, you chose to call this a “pissing match” and leave.
Can I sign up to be the new manager? then when I’m deemed incompetent I can go ahead a just retire with my little golden parachute.What a sweet deal…getting rewarded for basically getting your butt “mutually” kicked out of a job.
Tom, MrC – I think the issue here is not ‘left’ and ‘right’ but rather ‘in’ and ‘out.’ There are GOB members in both parties; that is why my local ballot gets even more split up than my state and federal ones.
There is an entrenched power structure in Wichita that runs deep. And, for people not inside that structure local government can be VERY unresponsive.
Fine, I have a few extra minutes. Let’s address the “points”:There were other candidates in the field, but they were winnowed out in the process. Why?
Why did they announce one process–then use another?Why did they keep postponing meetings during the selection process?This was completely rigged from the get-go…right down to the 25-vote dog and pony show.
George should have got 3-4 weeks of pay and a pen. What a price to pay to avoid a lawsuit. Why is common sense the most lacking character trait of anyone making a decision in government?
Well said, Ben. You truly got to the heart of the matter.
That’s why I want the next city manager to come from a city staff that knows how to get inclusion right–Albuquerque and San Jose come quickly to mind.This is OUR city. We have a right to have our say, whether we’re worth millions or not.
Speaking of Kolb:
http://www.kansas.com/news/local/story/252822.html
3 not guilty in Kolb trespassing case
Thankfully we can still get a jury trial. I wonder how much of my tax money was wasted on this.
I have always wondered by we pay a mayor and a city manager. This didn’t happen where we lived in Okla. It seems their would always be power plays from the top two players. Why not have one or the other but not both?
Ben,
This last Council election was far more partisan than they have been in the past. I know they’re “officially” non-partisan, but the Republicans _and_ Democrats were both sending out mailers and publicly backing candidates across the city.
Mr Controversy,
Again: The City Council was NOT bound by the DAB’s recommendations. And calling it “rigged” is just spin. It was 6 people in a contest over the occupant of the 7th seat. Of _COURSE_ there was going to be insider maneuvering.
There’s a solution for the future, you know: Press for an ordinance change that fills vacant seats with special elections instead of leaving it up to the GOBN to appoint their friends. I’d even help with that.
Ben,
And yet the City Attorney let trespassers who had to be _arrested,_ handcuffed, and hauled off to jail go with dropped charges and without trial from an incident this summer.
So Ben, anyone can show up on our doorstep with a bull horn with a few friends right and intimidate your wife? :)
Someone above used the word “Crooked bastards” in describing the city council members in the context of the decision to give Kolb a greater severance package than what many will ever have in their entire retirement accounts period. I won’t use the same term myself, but I can assure you I agree with that person and was delighted to see someone feel that strongly about it.The city seems to think the taxpaying public is simply a ‘Santa’s toy bag’ to pull as much out and give away as delights them. I am frequently led to believe they are acting not on our behalf, but to promote themselves and pad their friends pockets. And, why does every decision require a expensive consultant to make the a decision around here. What are we electing and paying them for? They get away with it because they know we, the public, are too stupid to remember and throw the “what was the term he used” out of office.
kansas – there is a fine line I will agree. However, the right to trial by jury should be respected. And, Kolb et.al. did not prove their case.
Severance package?
This moron had to be forced by peaceful protest to do his job. The only severance package he should get is tar and feathers!
He should have gotten the traditional 2 weeks severance and no more. Posted by: Ben
Ben, I don’t know where you have been, or your experience, but there is no traditional two week severance. That was a clueless remark.
The question citizens need to have answered: WHAT WAS IN THE CITY MANAGERS CONTRACT?
What were the terms for his release within the body of the contract?
From my own experience, I will venture a guess here – that the city manager was operating under a contract which spelled out the terms for his release.
Why is this important?
1. If you really are upset about the amount being paid for the outgoing city manager – youwant to make sure the NEXT city manager does not have such a lucrative contract (if the severance amount truly is whatever “too much” is).
You should each contact the city council, attend a meeting, and express your disapproval.
2. Contract period. Ask for a contract period, which will mean the city manager does NOT serve for LIFE. This will allow reevaluation by the city council/mayor at renewal. It also keeps the man working – he knows he has to perform or not be get a new contract. Say five years (whatever).
If you don’t want to be proactive and get involved, just continue to post on the -itch blog.
(You can look at what is happening in Kansas City THIS WEEK, regarding their city manager’s contract NOT being renewed. Interesting.)
ANK -thing is; they couched it as a resignation rather than a firing. So, the terms of the contract do not provide for such a lucrative deal upon resignation.
Oh! So Ben you have seen the contract?
I have seen excerpts. It would be highly unusual to have a generous severance on a resignation.
They have tried to ‘have their cake and eat it too’ by ‘firing but not firing’ him.
Wichita continues to get what it deserves. LOL
I think you are missing the point A.N. Kerry.
Kolb got a special deal without the knowledge of 99.999999 percent of Wichitans.
Not everyone can be there or even allowed to be in special session when a decision about the City Manager’s “special deals” are made on the contract.
If you want to defend the deal, then say so.
However, the right of citizens to complain about the unknown deal is well…a right.
So how about A.N. Kerry giving it a rest on the “you should have been there to speak out” rhetoric.
Better question to ask Mr. Kerry, were you there and if you were, why didn’t you object to such an inflated severance pay?
Kansas – I think we see a real demonstration of something I commented above – you, me, mrc, ksgrm all on the same side.
Kansas I’m not defending the councils action. But I speak from experience in this state: I know a city manager who had a six month severence package (also included KPERS’s and other items).
You have EVERY right to tell your council person how you feel about their actions.
But you should ask what was in the contract. Is it covered by the Kansas Open Records Act? It might be under one of the half dozen exceptions under “PERSONNEL”. THey are authorized to meet in executive session in these cases. It is not only the law – but appropriate to not discuss individual employees in a public forum.
But they still answer to YOU – the citizen. The council/mayor may hire/fire a city manager, but you fire the council at election.
Now here’s the rub: The council feels the CM is not performing up to par. They can fire him under the terms of the contract. Potentially, I know from elsewhere, that contract MAY allow six months benefits. Or, to save the taxpayer money, they make request his resignation – at some agreed upon amount LESS THAN the contract amount. This accomplishes two things:
1. The CM keeps his reputation and no blemishes on his record. CM’s are high viz jobs – and their reputation has ENORMOUS impact on future employment.
2. The city saves money. The delta between the contract package and agreed upon resignation package.
Before you cast stones – you need the facts. Ask your council if the CM’s package was less than the contract amount.
Any lawyers out there?
ANK is right in asking what was in the contract. Had a contract with my last employer that had a buyout clause. After 5 and a half years we mutually agreed to part company. I was given similar package (at a much smaller wage).
Wasn’t fired / didn’t quit – we just executed a clause in the contract. Got 9 mos salary and a few extras –
Kansas – I think we see a real demonstration of something I commented above – you, me, mrc, ksgrm all on the same side.
Posted by: Ben | December 12, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Agreed Ben.
It’s the water purity test analogy which requires no further analysis.
If one holds up a glass of water and it has a bad smell, there are things floating in it that shouldn’t really be there and one cannot see through the glass even holding it up to light…
Then one doesn’t need to send off the water off to be analyzed to know that it is not good to drink. :)
So how about A.N. Kerry giving it a rest on the “you should have been there to speak out” rhetoric.Kansas
Kansas: I never said what you attributed to my post. It would have been ridiculous for anyone to make such a preposterous post -AFTER the council acted.
Of course I meant to speak out NOW. I’m afraid you missed my point, or I wasn’t clear:
Make sure it does NOT happen again. No next time. Hence my comments about the “contract” being important.
Complain all you want on the -itch blog Kansas. My point was to make your complaint count. Email, telephone, snail mail, attend a meeting, or send a letter to the editor.
If your council gave the CM a severence more advantageous than firing (which I cannot understand them doing), then the council should be fired too.
But I like all the facts before I leap frog.
Complain all you want on the -itch blog Kansas. My point was to make your complaint count. Email, telephone, snail mail, attend a meeting, or send a letter to the editor. Posted by: A. N. Keny | December 12, 2007 at 10:09 AM
That would be assuming that I don’t email, telephone, snail mail, attend a meeting, or send a letter to the editor?
I don’t think the question is legality; it is whether what they did was ‘right’. As for writing them, quitting my job so I can live in City Hall, etc – been there done that ANK, THEY DON’T CARE.
Which Kansas are you? Not only does this not sound like you, but the name is not typekey.
I’m the regular Kansas poster.
Typekey has been acting up leading me to blank screens, refusing to post what I write and/or leaving a blank in the name field when I post.
So, I’ve been avoiding using Typekey until it decides to behave itself. :)
In regards to “not sounding like me,” I wasn’t aware I was a neatly packaged individual that fit inside a particular ideological box.
Of course the question is a legal one! All your elected officials have to operate under the law.
But your continued comments like “traditional two week severence” and “quitting my job”are quite telling. If I was your council person, I probably would not listen to you either.
I don’t know if you are neatly packaged or not (not according to the multiple personality JM anyway).
But you can read.
I don’t know if you are neatly packaged or not (not according to the multiple personality JM anyway).
But you can read.
Posted by: A. N. Keny | December 12, 2007 at 10:23 AM
Sorry, I seem to have ‘ruffled your feathers’ A.N. Kerry.
I thought we were having a discussion on an issue not having a “branding iron” session on what a poster is or isn’t.
Me too Kansas. Sorry that is.
I didn’t care for your post saying that I said that you should have spoken BEFORE the council acted.
Sorta went downhill from there. And I do know that the JM’s of this world steal your identity so I was just being careful.
again Gomenasai.
A. N. Keny (not Kerry)
My apologies on the name, I get blurred vision sometimes and can’t always see the screen lettering even with large type. Something I have to deal with.
Sort of like the hard of hearing on the Internet. :)
ANK – my point was that I HAVE attended Council meetings and HAVE written. But, as you note, they should ignore me and my fellow taxpaying citizens.
I obviously cannot spend the amount of time in City Hall that some can and for what should be obvious reasons.
Here’s an idea, now since we pay the mayor a full time salary(and the council) why dont we save the expense of having a city manager, and make the Mayor the manager. Then at least the public would have more oversight of the operations of the city.
Small towns are run without a city manager like you propose Tom. But large towns, cities, and large county-city operations are generally run by a CM.
Lot’s of reasons:
1. Day to day city operations are not political in nature. Require a “manager” not a baby kisser.
2. Experience. Nearly anyone, from any background can be elected Mayor. The qualifications of running a large organization are not a prerequisite to be elected. But the myriad of responsibilities of running a city require it.
3. Continuity. We fire and elect a new mayor regularly. The outgoing mayor doesn’t stick around and train the new. The city “staff” exist to provide services to the citizens (we are customers). Consistent and regular oversight and continuation of levels of service only come from experience. How long does it take to learn a new job? How long would it take a Mayor to learn all facets of running a city?
4. Laws/regulation: There are so many it would take a lifetime of learning for a mayor to even know some of them exist.
5. Separation of duties. Generally, the mayor runs the political structure of our city. The city manager – the daily operations of the city.
And just think of the favoritism, nepotism, good-ole-boy, and other natural occurring relationships a mayor as manager bring in. Mayor Manager are two separate things.
Look in KSA on Forms of Government. It talks about roles and responsibilities.
Big cities like New York, and Chiciago have strong mayor types of government. and alot of small cities Eldorado have Managers
Time for Gray to go! Remember thisat election time.
Gray won’t be running again – he’s term-limited.
Take a look at Chicago and NY City. You see the list of city employees? You see the number of “manager” type positions?
You are correct in that the city can change our form of government to not have the position/role. Cities of the first class in Kansas do not have to have a professional city manager.
I can understand your concern, and I have been there myself. But after a few completely incompetent mayors, and continual emotional roller coaster city employees endured – a professional is many times a good thing to help your city grow, and provide services.
Although I like the idea of the Mayor standing on some subordinates desk at city hall and ordering the employee to resolve a citizens conflict – I hate the thought of that employee being a friend of a friend of the Mayors.
There are other first class cities that do not have the council/manager form of government.
You can save the bucks, but what does the city gain in the long run?
You can complain today to your mayor/councilman about an issue and get it resolved. You don’t need to axe the manager position to get there.
You don’t gain better citizen participation in government. But I see both sides. The city manager has a job maybe for life (that contract issue I mentioned) not elected and not responsive to the citizens. He too, has his network and good ole boys.
Only you can’t easily throw him out without paying big bucks.
Still like to see the contract of the outgoing CM.
Fundamentally I agree with you ANK – the ‘council-manager’ system should be a good one. Our problem has been that the Council (and mayor) has failed to provide proper oversight. I recall a friend who served on the City council many years ago. I told him he should develop his own sources for information rather than solely relying on the ‘green sheets’ provided by staff. “If I control your information I control you.” So, what we end up with is the unelected manager basically running the show and calling the shots.
Its not only the system; it is the people running the system.
ANK…you sound a little too GOBN to me.All of what you’ve been spouting is all well and good–if you’re a City Hall insider.Doesn’t work that way for real people…at least in Wichita.Ben is right–control the information, control you.That’s why Rebenstorf and Holdeman absolutely HAVE TO GO…and woe be unto anyone who even TRIES to defend them!
Sounds like your friend is someone I must know too.
Your elected officials MUST look beyond the agenda package. If they fail to take the time to review it – before the commission meeting, they are doing Joe Citizen zero good.
The commissioners/councilmen MUST ask the hard questions. They MUST do outside research and NOT take Staff’s recommendation everytime.The commissioners should have a group of supporters to help review and/or provide advise to the councilman. For instance, the agenda has an item buying a three quarter ton truck for the sewer treatment plant. The bids only come back with one qualifying bid – from one local dealership. Lot’s to look at here. Why 3/4 ton? Would a half ton be cheaper? Higher MPG? Why the towing package? What’s the purpose/use? Why did they write the announcement for bid in such a defined manner?
This is one seemingly minor item on a commissioners agenda to vote on.
If they are NOT aggressive and do NOT challenge Staff (and the CM), yes – staff can rule and walk all over them.
Not a lot of bold people running for the pain in the butt seats. Low pay, phone rings all day and night. Everything from barking dogs to broken pipes.
But without a professional CM to put it all together and handle the details – the elected have little time to do their homework.
The CM can be a tool for the elected. He should not be allowed to become the roadblock.
i work for the city i’m glad to see mr. kolb go but. should mr kolb get money hell no. mr. kolb was going to get rid of everyone in public works. i didnt not get offered any money.i think this town needs some new city council member’s.they make some dumb mistake’s and tax payer’s pay the price. we also don’t need a city manager and a mayor.many city’s don’t have both. another waste of tax payers money.i’m sure the council will get us another out of town idiot for a manager.
i work for the city i’m glad to see mr. kolb go but. should mr kolb get money hell no. mr. kolb was going to get rid of everyone in public works. i did not get offered any money.i think this town needs some new city council member’s.they make some dumb mistake’s and tax payer’s pay the price. we also don’t need a city manager and a mayor.many city’s don’t have both. another waste of tax payers money.i’m sure the council will get us another out of town idiot for a manager.
A. N. Keny–
Anata wa Nihon jin desuka?
Put it in perspective, bush has burried the country in debt, attacked a country that never attacked us, spawned a mortgage collapse, made us more like the old soviet union, etc. etc., and he’ll get a pension for the rest of his life!
Heh, well put, Phantom.
Sometimes incompetence, arrogance and plain ol’ stupidity can be very enriching!
Chicago has some one with the title city manager or administrator —-not many know who he is or what exactly he does — but Mayor Daley makes sure he’s kept busy dusting and vacuuming I think
“…incompetence, arrogance and plain ol’ stupidity can be very enriching!”… I think you can add …. and the right genes ….
In my last job met more than a few trust fund babies (including our CEO) who that could apply to very easily
one day he and his 10 cousins and step bro and sis are mere multi millionares (anywhere from 35 to 100) and wake up the next day and are billionaires …………