Fred Warchol: Atwater needed new direction, and de Werk is providing it
If you are buying Atwater City stock, buy short, because some malcontents at City Hall are fighting tooth and nail to discredit the new city manager. One of them is Mayor Jim Price, more recently known as the hapless squirrel hunter.
Price ignores the fact that our police officers overwhelmingly expressed no confidence or trust in their former chief. That, in itself, is alarming and indicates a police department in chaos. In response, City Manager Art de Werk authorized an outside investigation of police operations. What can be more prudent than that? That is what a responsible city manager is required to do.
Atwater’s Keystone Kops style leadership stems from the constant appointment of insiders to leadership positions – from city managers to department heads. Just like Inbreeding in animals, the result is the same. Old unsuccessful leaders produce old unsuccessful results and Atwater is a textbook case. New outside leadership is the disinfectant that will put Atwater back on track. Supporting the new city manager is the first step in a thousand-mile journey.
Fred Warchol, Atwater
This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Fred Warchol: Atwater needed new direction, and de Werk is providing it."