2002-12-19 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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of council activities until it is too late. This was the situation when I was not informed of a meeting the Mayor was having with staff at his place of employment to develop computer specifications. Excluding me from any involvement in the selection and implementation process was not part of the Council motion that was unanimously approved. The Mayor stated that the reason he did not invite to this meeting was because he didn't think I had the technical capabilities or the interest in developing these specifications. How does he know this? 1 was never asked and I hope that his assumption was based only on his perception that I did not have the technical background that would allow me to contribute to the discussion. Nevertheless, at the very least, as the City Administrator, I should have been involved in that meeting even if the only contribution worth regarding was that I was in the best position to know what was actually needed at City Hall. By keeping me from this meeting, he prevented me from being able to do my job; I was put in the position of not knowing the direction that the Mayor wanted to go with this project and was unable to advise him at the very least of the budgetary limitations or even basically, what the City staff's computer needs are. I cannot provide recommendations or options if Council is not willing to trust me or to have an honest open discussion of their desires or visions for each and every project. As such, it is not fair that I should be accused of not being able to provide recommendations or options to Council when I am kept out of the loop. What is disappointing to me in this whole situation is that he did not trust City Staff enough to solicit their input. Additionally, it is not within the Mayor's authority to unilaterally and without Council approval, purchase equipment for the City from Councilmember Nelson's son or to financially encumber the City in any manner. Again, I was informed of this transaction after it was initiated, without any opportunity to warn or advise the Mayor of the difficulties of proceeding along this course. This should not be viewed as an unsatisfactory performance of my duties, but as merely an attempt to do my job to the best of my ability for the Community and the City. It was not my intention to embarrass the Councilor specific Councilmembers but to prevent them from embarrassing themselves. Conflict of Interest Concerns -- This issue became a difference of opinion between Council member Nelson and me. This difference of opinion should not to be classified as or even considered an unsatisfactory performance but once again it was an attempt to protect Ms. Nelson's future political interests and to keep the City off the front page of the local newspaper. I was not trying to embarrass Ms. Nelson but I felt that she did not understand the implications of having her son involved with the repairing or purchasing of the City's computers. She did seek legal advice from the City Attorney regarding this involvement and he correctly stated that as long as she did not derive direct benefit from her son's business there is no conflict of interest. Ms. Nelson also did not participate in any public discussion at the council level regarding the computers or the purchase or repair of the same. But there were several items about this situation that made me feel uncomfortable. First of all, Ms. Nelson stated at a Council meeting when the issue of the computers were first brought up, that I should contact the only person that she allows to work on her own computers. She then