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Letter to the editor

City manager is offside on absenteeism debate

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published July 12, 2007

Lots of city managers are workaholics. The job of managing a city is so tough, and their passion for the job so great, that many city managers often work virtually seven days a week.

Since last October, Billy Beckett has been the manager of the city of Safety Harbor. However, his passion, he admits, is for another of his jobs - football referee. In fact, several of the city commissioners who hired him are concerned that he is spending too many hours away from city government.

City commissioners had fair warning last year that Beckett had another career to which he was devoted: officiating college football and Arena Football games. Beckett didn't offer to quit his football work, and commissioners set no formal limits on how much time he could spend at his other job. They expected that he likely would be out of the city on many Fridays during football season, but that he would devote himself to the city the rest of the time.

What they have discovered is that Beckett's football work is virtually year round because colleges and the arena league have different seasons. Also, Beckett's wife and children still are living in Georgia, so he travels there to spend time with them.

Since he started his city job Oct. 23, 2006, Beckett has missed one out of three Fridays. And when he returns from a vacation trip to Japan on July 17, he will have used up all his annual leave time for the year.

Mayor Andy Steingold is left wondering, "Do we have a full-time city manager? I don't know." Commissioner Kathleen Earle said, "I think it's a real concern." Commissioner James McCormick told the Times, "Every time I call, he's not in the office."

With at least three of the five commissioners concerned about his availability, Beckett could be close to losing support.

The commissioners' should have noticed the potential for problems with Beckett's schedule during the city manager interview process last year and acted to head them off. But the relatively inexperienced City Commission raced through the manager selection process, hiring Beckett after spending only hours with him and the other candidates.

As city manager, Beckett is essentially the chief executive officer of the city government. His powers and responsibilities under the city charter are great, including hiring and firing employees, setting their compensation, directing all city departments, developing the city budget, making purchases and executing contracts on behalf of the city, attending City Commission meetings, executing local laws and the provisions of the city charter, and generally serving his commission bosses and the general public that pays his $120,000 a year salary.

Beckett came to Safety Harbor with substantial experience in the field of government management. He surely understands that the residents who pay his substantial salary and the commissioners who hired him have every right to insist that the city of Safety Harbor be both his passion and his No. 1 priority.

[Last modified July 11, 2007, 22:03:21]