Patrick Salerno may be a great candidate for Wichita city manager, but without any other candidates to compare him with, it’s difficult to tell. After saying it planned to bring in other finalists for the position, the City Council rushed approval Thursday to begin negotiating with Salerno for the job. The quick decision presumably was because Salerno is also a candidate for the city manager job in Durham, N.C. But the fact that Durham is having such a difficult time deciding and has considered looking beyond Salerno and its other finalists raises more questions about Salerno, who was forced out of his previous job in Sunrise, Fla.
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29 Comments
You bet, Phillip.
If there were any shred of doubt that this city is once again in the cold grip of the GOBN, this should eliminate it.
Unless Salerno’s first moves are to negotiate the exits of Gary Rebenstorf and Cathy Holderman, he’s going to wind up on the same scrapheap George Kolb ended up on… and in just about the same time frame.
If voters stay as angry and distrustful of local government as they are today, I give him until the summer of 2012.
No one knows if he is the best choice!
City Council members must think it will be easy to pay him to leave if the choice is bad. After all, it isn’t their money, but the taxpayers, and they are very practiced at wasting it!
I’m going to do some investigating and bring it back here for all WEBlog posters. I’m very guilty of not paying enough attention to local politics — guess I’ve found the national objects brighter and shinier. :-( I’m about to rectify that lack! We need to know exactly who isn’t representing us, when they are each up for reelection, what they’re voting records are. It’s time we all paid closer attention. I’ll do the legwork so we can all be better informed.
Linda,
The biggest threat at this point is the proposed ballot question to remove term limits for council members.
The LAST thing we need is four more years of Sharon Fearey!
Sorry, I really do know it should have been “their,” not they’re. I will slow down and try thinking (I know, that will be a welcome change!). Getting myself up to speed on local politics is now my personal goal!
JWink, I think Mr. Controversy has my numbers, I know he has my full name and I’m in the book.
mrcontroversy, I know you keep abreast of local issues. If there is any way I may help, please let me know. This is just about enough, don’t you think!?
I really wish that the city would look at more than one applicant before making a decision. I am not trying to imply that Mr. Salerno is not best suited, it just feel a decision after one interview is too rushed.
I think they should take a cooling down period and not jump at another opportunity to buy someone out of a contract a few years down the road.
When hiring for such an important position, you should NEVER limit your choices to just one. They should have interviewed at least three viable candidates, if not more.
Besides, this guy looks like a tote-the-note used car salesman.
(Apologies to used car salesmen and women.)
As I understand it, Wichita’s city council is on the verge of offering the manager’s job to Mr. Salerno. Salerno was long time city manager of
Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a suburb of the fast growing dynamic Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, metro area. Cities like Sunrise are going to blossom even if the city government shuts down altogether.
About the only thing in Wichita that is fast growing is tax growth, certainly not population or business growth. There is some reshluffling of fast food and retail businesses to Wichita’s east and west sides as they race to get out of the way of the new downtown arena mess.
Now, I believe we are seeing Wichita’s architect and commercial real estate elites who serve on the city manager selection committee try to recruit an activist city manager who will continue to extract lots more taxes from middle class Wichitans to develoop the unwanted, unneeded white elephant downtown arena “for the people.”
The other obnoxious co-initiative will be to attemt to convert some portion of Wichita’s property taxes to a HIGHER SALES TAX. Why is this BAD? Because the taxpaying public will be tricked in seeing a “reduction” in PROPERTY TAXES, and not see the onerous increase in sales taxes that are not easily measurable by taxpayers … making sales taxes EASY COME, EASY GO TAXES.
Perfect cover for big spending bureaucrats.
Now back to Mr. Salerno, he might be a top notch city manager mostly in east coast cities and counties. Like all hired gun managers, his primary goal will be to get the big money tax pipeline going again and, reportedly, without any measurable public input … sound familiar?
Is this really what Wichita wants or needs at this time?
They are doing the same thing here they complained about the former Mayor Carlos Myans.
These people say one thing today and do anther thing the next day.
Now they want to remove their term limits.
We need to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.
Ive always stated for what we pay the mayor and council we dont need a manager.
Appears to be rushed to me. Perhaps Brewer, et all, don’t have any philosophical differences with Salerno. That is, until they decide to have philosophical differences with him or the GOBN states they should have philosophical differences.
Regular–spot on!
Did they ever have any other Applicants. Sounds like a East Coast Suburb Manager, and not one for a Larger city in the Mid-west.
There were–three internal candidates, in fact, two of which were African American.
“…two of which were African American.”
Where in Africa?
hmmm,
Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer announced on Thursday that he will begin negotiations to hire City Manager candidate Patrick Salerno, a veteran public administrator who was formerly the 18-year city manager of Sunrise, Fla.
During an evening news conference at City Hall, Brewer and Vice Mayor Sue Schlapp said they made a visit on Tuesday and Wednesday to Sunrise, where they gained additional knowledge about Salerno’s accomplishments in economic development, urban planning and efforts to fight blight in aging neighborhoods. Salerno’s resume can be viewed here.
“He brings a lot of experience, a lot of new ideas,” Brewer said. “He can take us where we want to go.”
Brewer said he will begin contract negotiations soon. No further negotiation details were released.
Salerno served as city manager of Sunrise, Fla., from 1990 to 2008. Previously, he served as county manager of Chatham County, Ga. and assistant county manager of Volusia County, Fla. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma.
His candidacy is part of an on-going search process to fill a position vacated when former City Manager George Kolb resigned on Jan. 2. Salerno has been recommended by the seven-member City Council and a 17-member Citizens Committee, led by Wichita businessman Steve Martens who attended the news conference along with interim City Manager Ed Flentje.
Salerno interviewed in Wichita on Monday and Tuesday, including participation in a televised public form which can be viewed on City7, or cable channel 7 and here. Thursday’s news conference will soon be available on City7 and the City’s Web site.
Martens said Salerno emerged as the top candidate from a pool of 30 applicants and nine finalists. He, too, cited his success in economic develop.
———————-
30 applicants and nine finalists? So, who were these other people?
Wichita Eagle – “part of the news, some of the time, if we feel like it.”
Hey Phil: The Wichita Eagle censored my comments that I try to post to the the news article about Salerno. I hope that Pam Siddall & Sherry Chisenhall will print an explanaiton why my comment was censored.
Are you & Bucky working on any more videos??? I have to tell you that I had to gag when I read Sherry’s 2008 goals for the newspaper. I wonder if she’ll be asked to serve as a jurist on any more Pulitzer Prize juries. Once again I appreciate being allowed to post my opinions on this blog even if they are not permitted as comments in the more widely read part of your internet edition.
MY COMMENT THAT PROBABLY WILL BE CENSORED:
Hey Dion: The city council is such a joke. Maybe they had to hire “Fat Pat” Salerno before the allegations of wide-spread corruption becomes national news. Nostalgic Mayor Brewer praises the memory of long-time city manager Chris Cherches who was an architect with former Mayor Bob Knight of the current system of nepotism, secrecy & influence peddling. In Wichita it’s all about appearance of gangster style power & being a front man to own a small piece of a casino or to secure insider status to bid on city construction contracts. Skeleton should be ashamed of his vote. It’s ludicrous to believe that the Salerno would have told the city council that he noticed that the Wichita streets are in poor condition. The clique of elitists at WSU, the Wichita Bart Association, city & county government and the construction-development lobbyists have created a pattern of hiring the least qualified or most unethical to maintain the status quo corruption. Eric Sexton (spouse of former county asst manager & current Derby city manager kathi Sexton) as WSU athletic director (ha ha ha). Sue Schlapp’s son, Andy, to replace Eric Sexton as WSU’s government affairs lobbyist. Where is the outrage about the nepotism from the Koch family & Alan Cobb’s Americans for Prosperity organization??? Surely the leadership of the Fraternal Order of Police knows the extent of the corruption at city hall & in Nola Foulston’s office yet they must maintain a code of silence instead of demanding that an outside law enforcement agency investigate. Wichita needs an GOP “Eliot Ness-Type Untouchable “candidate from outside the county to run against Foulston. I suspect Nola, the Wicked Witch of the West, will then save face by withdrawing from the race for health reasons and the Democrats could replace her with one of her assistant prosecutors that would be acceptable to the corrupt Wichita Bar Association. Heck anything would be an improvement to prove that corrupt systems can be changed by individuals demanding freedom of speech by political pressure from grass roots organizations.
Bill McKean kiakahahaha@yahoo.com 316 293-6079
“Where in Africa?”
Leave it to Fleetwood to make a dumb comment and confirm what we all already know – BDP – by a mile.
But you Wichita folks keep voting these jokers back in. God, I’m glad I don’t live in that town anymore.
Let’s all hope this is the straw that broke the camel’s back and work diligently to make everyone aware. They’ve sneaked a lot through, and this must end! It’s our money, our city! Most Wichitans will see this is a rush decision and wonder WHY. If we all dig deep enough, talk often and loudly enough we can get the word out. It will take a concerted effort but is worth our time and effort!
Why not just keep Flentje?
salerno’s experiance – is it relevant to Wichita? As noted above; Sunrise is a SUBURB – growth issues there are driven by the large city nearby. Wichita is a ’standalone’ city – we must find our own ways to achieve growth on our own. As suburb can choose to be an entertainment center for the larger outside metropolitan area. Such an approach is irrelevant here. What experience has salerno had with bringing in REAL development?
I hope this isn’t the same group that hired the last manager! It’s hard to believe in a city this size that we don’t have some incredibly talented local applicants being considered.
From reading some of the posts here you can form a good team of americans to stop this massive give away of America. Protest, Protest, Protest. City Hall has never seen a protest by “We The People”. God knows we have a few things that they totally ignore kansans on.
As I understand it, city manager candidate, Patrick Salerno, has relatives in Oklahoma and attended college there. He apparently thinks he could resume those ties by coming to Wichita, Kansas from his former job site in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale metropolitan area on the beautiful east coast of Florida.
As a result, our Mayor and city council are considering offering Mr. Salerno some $210,000.50 per year, plus a generous severance package if things don’t work out, plus other perks and sumptious snacks.
Although Mayor Brewer and various city council people credit City Manager Salerno with bringing growth to Sunrise, Florida … the truth is city managers have very little to do with creatiing growth in a city other than making sure that streets and sewers work for new businesses that might move to the suburb from downtowns.
The job of bringing new companies to a city’s downtown is up to its commercial real estate community and to a lessor degree the local chamber of commerce.
Unfortunately, the recent history of U.S. municipalities is that because of fumbling and bumbling by big city governments, most of the downtown retail and upscale populations are or already have moved to the suburbs.
Bottomline for Wichita, it would be far more valuable to find a city manager from Wichita or at least Kansas who understands the Wichita culture and doesn’t try to bring big-spending “New York” ways to Wichita.
Number 2, Wichita needs to concentrate on completing Highway 54 and bringing its other infrastructure up to date such as streets, BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES, drinking water supply, storm and sanitary sewers.
Number 3, Actually invite citizen involvement in decision making and community planning to get buy-in from the public and try to regain confidence in our local government systems.
I notice in Friday’s Wichita EAGLE, Mayor Carl Brewer is quoted as saying: “THE NEXT LEVEL IS TO HAVE DOWNTOWN WICHITA SO VIBRANT, SO MANY PEOPLE THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING UP AND DOWN THE STREETS BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY BUSINESSES, SO MANY RETAILS AND SO MANY PEOPLE LIVING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.”
Well, whoopty doo Mayor Brewer, that’s what we all wanted to start about the year 2000 as we entered the 21st century. But then, out of the blue, a little coterie of outside hired guns assisted by a few uninformed county commissioners unilaterally turned the downtown initiative into a detour by just barely getting voter approval to build a 1/2 billion dollar, unwanted, unneeded, white elephant downtown arena.
The ridiculously expensive downtown ice hockey arena of course sits on a site that should have been reserved for a 400 car parking area for a revived Wichita Union Station. This was necessary to support increased railroad traffic that is sure to come as fuel supplies dwindle for airline travel. This parking lot could also have been a boon for east side business and Old Town.
A viable working downtown Wichita passenger railroad station could have spawned major travel businesses including perhaps a national headquarters for the AMTRACK corporation.
The plan should have been to carefully plan a renewed downtown Wichita using the best appropriate features of successful downtowns across America and to have spent the $500,000,000 (1/2 billion dollars) that is being wasted on the downtown arena for real downtown improvements in Wichita and other suburban Sedgwick County communities.
Frankly I have traveled a lot and I still think Kansas City’s fabulous Country Club Plaza is the best model for shopping and business centers in the world. And notice … all free parking and very few traffic lights for that huge pedestrian population.
As I keep a list of former downtown arena supporters, I see many have already fled Wichita smug with the feeling they did their part to “help the little Wichita people.”
So, Mayor Carl Brewer, are you going to once again start a real initiative to build a beautiful downtown Wichita or is this just so much talk to support hiring a super expensive east coast city manager?
As someone mentioned at a busy Wichita restaurant this morning, Mr. Salerno might be worth $200,000 plus to one of those many fast growing suburbs of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he knows the state laws, Florida culture of south Florida, the movers and shakers of Miami, the contractors and methods of getting things done there.
But I guarantee you it will be several years before Salerno would be up and running in Wichita except in generalities.
For example, his remark, “Oh, it looks like your streets have potholes.” Or, “Anybody know where the restrooms are”? Or, “Where is City Hall anyway”?
Perhaps he should be paid according to his learning curve … nothing during the first couple months, then increase his salary on a curve during the first five years with bonuses for certain benchmarks he might reach.
That might eliminate another George Kolb situation at city hall or County Manager Buchanan situation at the courthouse.
In today’s Wichita EAGLE (Wednesday, 5/28/08), Paul Tobia’s letter-to-the-editor makes an astute observation that should be read by all Wichitans concerned that our local Wichita government is running backward and on the wrong track.
While I don’t totally agree with Paul, his final paragraphs sums up his letter:
“HOW ABOUT WE TRY A TOTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH? LET’S HAVE A REFERENDUM THAT CHANGES OUR CITY GOVERNMENT TO A ‘STRONG MAYOR’ APPROACH …”
Currently, as all city hall observors know, Wichita has a very weak mayor and city council form of government dating back with some tweaking to the 1920’s. This form of local government gives the power to the city manager to be a “king” over the citizens and even the city kin lets the makes a “king,” ruling over the citizens and even the mayor and city council.
I think the people of Wichita are ready to step up and participate in more decisions by their city government.
Personally, I would like the city manager form retained but with more, much more political power given to the mayor and council.
To start with lets trade offices in city hall … put the mayor upstairs and the city manager on a lower floor if there is not enough space to share.
Looking back at my comments just above, I see I failed to proofread my fourth paragraph up from bottom. A bunch of words should have been removed from its last sentence, to make it read, “Our (outdated) form of city government gives the power to the city manager to be KING over the citizens and even the mayor and city council.”
Sorry for the slip up.