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Atwater is in more trouble than we first thought. In the midst of our financial crisis we now have an interim city manager and an interim city attorney. We need fully focused people in both these positions.
I am especially concerned about Tom Terpstra, the city attorney because he is quoted in the Oct. 1 article ("Atwater layoffs of up to 25 predicted") saying about the City Council: "It looks like we have a very good leadership group there." With that sort of clouded vision and only intermittent attention, this is a grave concern. While Councilman Jeff Rivero complimented the interim city manager, the old adage still holds: "No man can serve two masters." He should focus on his role as police chief.
During Wednesday's special meeting it was revealed that the City Council granted significant overtime funds for the Police Department. While I support public safety, when I was an English teacher with 150-plus students a day, I was not paid overtime for the many late hours and weekends I spent grading essays and term papers. It was assumed that I understood this was part of my job. Perhaps the City Council and our police force should make this same assumption.
