http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-06-11/story/abrupt-dismissal-ritz-theatre-director-sparks-anger
Outrageous. Just outrageous. That's all I can even say.
Its getting harder every day to defend some of the actions of the administration....Brown really needs to take things "to the next level"!
He fired her 28 days before she was to retire? Way to burn through political capitol for no benefit.
Does anyone else get the sense that Brown is listening to awful advice from his cabinet team? I don't see all of these terrible decisions coming directly from him, unless he isn't the person that I thought he was. It just seems like one terrible decision after another. Apparently he has surrounded himself with some hotheads that he needs to quickly deal with or else he will lose all respect in the community. Perhaps catering to the redneck "I hate guv'ment and taxes" crowd is just a stupid way to run a city. ::)
As much as I want to stick up and support the mayor...bwtn the fiasco with SMG contract and now this, he's really hurting his hopes for re election. I really like the mayor too
Quote from: Jagsdrew on June 11, 2012, 11:58:55 PM
As much as I want to stick up and support the mayor...bwtn the fiasco with SMG contract and now this, he's really hurting his hopes for re election. I really like the mayor too
^ +1 I am becoming more and more deeply disappointed with the new ( well, one year old ) administration.
Brown seems like he got in over his head and is relying far too much on the people around him to advise him on decisions, or to just make those decisions themselves.
I'm not impressed so far. Maybe he can turn it around. Is he listening? Does he care?
Just to insure some look at the other side of things:
Is this theater, whether is it s net positive for the city or not, a huge financial drain on the city? Has it been for 14 years? Do we know if the administration is at fault or are we only getting one side and the folks in control of the theater have been saying that this is the way they do things and not wanting any change? Too many unknowns here.
As far as Ms. Alexander, yes, this sounds like a bit of a slap in the face to her, but the reality is all they really did was remove her early and give her a month of paid leave. Happens like this in the corporate world a lot. If they had just fired her and tried to stop a retirement benefit, for instance, we would be reading about the lawsuit, not just how badly they treated her.
There is much more to this story than we are getting and I bet is doesn't show theater management in as positive light as this story tries to.
Quote from: Bativac on June 12, 2012, 07:27:15 AM
Brown seems like he got in over his head and is relying far too much on the people around him to advise him on decisions, or to just make those decisions themselves.
Like many new administrations, I think a lot of his staff has very little local government experience....but from what I'm hearing, that may be changing soon
Quote from: strider on June 12, 2012, 07:45:48 AM
Just to insure some look at the other side of things:
Is this theater, whether is it s net positive for the city or not, a huge financial drain on the city? Has it been for 14 years? Do we know if the administration is at fault or are we only getting one side and the folks in control of the theater have been saying that this is the way they do things and not wanting any change? Too many unknowns here.
As far as Ms. Alexander, yes, this sounds like a bit of a slap in the face to her, but the reality is all they really did was remove her early and give her a month of paid leave. Happens like this in the corporate world a lot. If they had just fired her and tried to stop a retirement benefit, for instance, we would be reading about the lawsuit, not just how badly they treated her.
There is much more to this story than we are getting and I bet is doesn't show theater management in as positive light as this story tries to.
And I bet if there's more to the story, it makes the administration look even worse than this article does.
No, the theater is not a financial drain, and it never has been. Yes, we know the administration is at fault for firing a long-time director who was about to retire, because
they fired a long-time director who was about to retire. Let's put it this way - the Ritz got along great with the city, under two different mayors, for 13 years. Then this. It's as sad as it is bewildering.
^^Just as are many of the decisions this administration is making. Bewildering is a good way to put it.
I get that this conversation is about a larger issue but the Miss Alexander seems much ado about nothing. She gets her full retirement one month early with that months pay. I know we want every transition to work exactly on everyone's schedule but sometimes it doesn't.
Does anyone else see a connection between Obama before and after election and Brown before and after election? Change change change, progressive growth, rebuilding/urban renewal, f'ing awful team of advisors, misstep after misstep, misuse of political capital, trampling on the goodwill of his base, charismatic and liked by many, but his decisions and actions are turning his avid fans against him. More comparisons can be made.
Quote from: ben says on June 12, 2012, 10:53:21 AM
Does anyone else see a connection between Obama before and after election and Brown before and after election?
in a word....NO!
Quote from: tufsu1 on June 12, 2012, 10:57:39 AM
Quote from: ben says on June 12, 2012, 10:53:21 AM
Does anyone else see a connection between Obama before and after election and Brown before and after election?
in a word....NO!
What to elucidate?
In short, both went into office extremely popular with their base, and both are becoming huge disappointments to their base.
To pay someone a month's salary for doing nothing, you would have to believe they were, or would become, very destructive to the long-term goal.
QuoteI cannot imagine that Brown is counting on a second term.
Pot, Kettle, Black.
I stated this before and I will say it again, you really need to know how the city works and how to step through the cheerleading to real leading. You cannot walk in from DC and expect to know how to run a 1 Billion dollar budget and thousands of employees, just because some good ol boys think you can do it. Where are those good ol boys now? They should come and help him out with better advice than what he is getting now, they got him elected, so is he on his own now? What gives?
Quote from: vicupstate on June 12, 2012, 11:41:01 AM
To pay someone a month's salary for doing nothing, you would have to believe they were, or would become, very destructive to the long-term goal.
(modified)
That's assuming a lot about the the administration's acuity that may not be the case.
I honestly do not think that Brown is listening to the good ole boys that got him elected anymore.
Quote from: fsujax on June 12, 2012, 12:01:02 PM
I honestly do not think that Brown is listening to the good ole boys that got him elected anymore.
Which is all the worse. If he was listening to the good ol' boys, then at least we could point and say, hey, there's the problem. (Which isn't an excuse, but at least it makes sense.)
The fact that some of these inane decisions are being made by him and him alone, presumably, is what is offsetting, to me at least.
Quote from: mtraininjax on June 12, 2012, 11:42:08 AM
QuoteI cannot imagine that Brown is counting on a second term.
Pot, Kettle, Black.
I stated this before and I will say it again, you really need to know how the city works and how to step through the cheerleading to real leading. You cannot walk in from DC and expect to know how to run a 1 Billion dollar budget and thousands of employees, just because some good ol boys think you can do it. Where are those good ol boys now? They should come and help him out with better advice than what he is getting now, they got him elected, so is he on his own now? What gives?
He is not listening to them and will not even return some of their phone calls. They are now trying to distance themselves from the inevitable train wreck.
Quote from: mtraininjax on June 12, 2012, 11:42:08 AM
I stated this before and I will say it again, you really need to know how the city works and how to step through the cheerleading to real leading. You cannot walk in from DC and expect to know how to run a 1 Billion dollar budget and thousands of employees, just because some good ol boys think you can do it. Where are those good ol boys now? They should come and help him out with better advice than what he is getting now, they got him elected, so is he on his own now? What gives?
on this we agree....which is Audrey Moran was vastly more qualified to be Mayor....problem is, she didn't make the runoff...and given the choice between Brown and Hogan, I would still choose Brown today.
Quote from: tufsu1 on June 12, 2012, 12:42:02 PM
Audrey Moran was vastly more qualified to be Mayor....problem is, she didn't make the runoff...and given the choice between Brown and Hogan, I would still choose Brown today.
Agree.
Quote from: ben says on June 12, 2012, 02:46:36 PM
Quote from: tufsu1 on June 12, 2012, 12:42:02 PM
Audrey Moran was vastly more qualified to be Mayor....problem is, she didn't make the runoff...and given the choice between Brown and Hogan, I would still choose Brown today.
Agree.
Still reluctantly, agree
Quoteand given the choice between Brown and Hogan, I would still choose Brown today.
We shall see, given the fact that we have
3 more years of this crap to go. Will you have the stomach for it next year and the next and in the last year?
Lesson to learn here is that you don't elect someone without any experience holding a public office. It is clear Brown is lost in his own office. Great Rah-Rah guy, love the passion about our great city, but when he looks behind to see who is following him, the numbers just are not there any longer, and getting worse.
Mayor Peyton did not do much better (if any better of a job) .
You are correct about his numbers. They are declining. The biggest disappointment I see in Brown is his failure to communicate with the very people who helped put him in office.
I voted for him because I THOUGHT ( obviously in error) that he was the best choice of the two remaining candidates. Really I did not want either of these.
Mayor Brown , if you read these posts, I hope you take heed. The people are disappointed deeply. Do you care?
Outwardly , it would appear not.