Lori Johnson: Please, Atwater council, bring in a leader who can save the city

After a bumbling eight months of doing nothing, the Atwater City Council is finally getting serious about replacing the retired city manager. They made the decision to hire a consulting firm to search and recommend qualified city manager candidates for consideration. Time is of the essence because the lack of competent leadership at city hall is causing Atwater’s financial condition to sink further toward bankruptcy.

Despite his best effort, the temporary fill-in, Scott McBride, lacks the financial acumen and management experience necessary to perform the job and his contentious relationship with most council members is not helpful. All this adds up to turmoil at city hall. The city council must seize the opportunity and put an end to the good ol’ boy network that has used its power and influence to attack those who don’t agree with every foolish move they make.

The citizens of Atwater have suffered enough from incompetent local government. Please, council members, bring in a real leader and save Atwater.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Lori Johnson: Please, Atwater council, bring in a leader who can save the city."