Charlotte Banig: Hire a better city manager or Atwater will fail
Atwater is feeling the folly of a city manager with no previous experience at the helm of city hall. Four years ago, Atwater declared a fiscal emergency. The city then chose to appoint police chief Frank Pietro to the position of half-time city manager. With no improvement, state auditors descended on city hall. Alerted by the High-Risk Local Government Audit Program, it was determined “Atwater submitted financial reports that were misstated, incomplete or incorrect.”
Nearly two years later, Atwater still flounders and struggles with huge debts and poor customer service. Recently, the city manager recommended even more debt, by mortgaging city property to finance retirement costs. City manager Pietro had no previous experience in city management, but was put in a position to run a city. That is no different than asking a nurse to perform brain surgery because she has medical experience. Atwater’s new city manager cannot come from the ranks of the good ‘ol boys. She/he most be a competent and experienced veteran city manager or the city will fail.
Charlotte Banig, Atwater
This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Charlotte Banig: Hire a better city manager or Atwater will fail."