At City Hall Who Hires? Who Fires?

Who hires? Who fires?
Related Questions:
Doesn't the City Manager appoint department heads? You said that department heads have expressed fear that "It only takes 4" votes of the city commission to terminate an appointed official. Who hires? Who fires? Can the commissioners fire someone the city manager hired? When you speak of "the Administration," who do you mean?

Answers:
The city manager hires most department heads. City Attorney David Gillam tells me, "The City Manager, the City Attorney and the City Clerk are City Commission appointees." The following true story demonstrates the relative powers of the city manager and the commission.

Once upon a time, there were a couple of commissioners who became unhappy with the relatively new police chief who was drawing public praise and criticism for his restructuring of the department and for his management style. The two commissioners persuaded two or three of their colleagues that they should agree to remove the chief, who had been appointed by the city manager.

Two of the four were seen and -- intentionally or not -- heard ordering the city manager to fire the chief. When the manager demurred, he was told, "Either he goes or we come after your ass." The conversation took place in a booth at Leo's Coney Island on Main.

The city manager chose to resign. The chief stayed.

It is easy to think "skullduggery" about such a development, but it is one result that strong differences of opinion have in the mixed separation of powers in our local government. The city charter defines the city commission as "the legislative and governing body" of the city.

 The charter also specifies that commissioners should not demand substantial work from departments without going through the city manager -- a mostly ignored rule in real life.

Frank Versagi is the editor of Versagi Voice.