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https://n2v.almanacnews.com/square/print/2013/01/13/where-will-the-town-manager-live-and-at-whose-expense

Town Square

Where will the Town Manager live and at whose expense?

Original post made by Peter Carpenter, Atherton: Lindenwood, on Jan 13, 2013

The Council's 16 January agenda includes this item:

13. WATKINS HOUSE RESIDENCY
Report: City Manager Rodericks
Recommendation: Direct the Mayor and Vice Mayor to work with the City Manager to revise his contract to adjust for the housing benefit
******************************

Atherton has a tradition of having a Town Manager who resides within the Town. The Council is now considering, ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, a policy/compensation change which will change that tradition.

The Town Manager has publicly stated:
"Rodericks said distance has its advantages."
"From a city manager's perspective, sometimes it's nice to go home," he said. "If you live in a small town, you're always on.".

Do we really want to pay our Town Manager More to be Less available?

If the Town Manager is paid NOT to live in the Town Manager's residence then the Town will bear BOTH the additional compensation expense as well as the cost of maintaining the existing and empty Town Manager's residence. And we will have a truly absentee Town Manager who lives in Marin and commutes to Atherton. What happens when a crisis or a natural disaster occurs?

I believe that Rodericks is doing an excellent job but this policy change would be a huge mistake.



Comments

Posted by dig deeper
a resident of Atherton: other
on Jan 14, 2013 at 6:08 am

I think if you dig deeper into the decision not to live in the Atherton residence was a result of George's first weeks on the job. Right from the start he walked into the Widmer-Dobbie-MeKeithen imbroglio. Mayor Widmer blamed him for sending out the unauthorized letter responding to the APOA. The he probably got a good taste of the micromanaging Dobbie and Widmer and then finished up being attacked by Kathy McKeithen in her "final fight on transparency" for his plan to communicate to all council members. One could only guess what else went but in the final week the long "studied" compensation/benefit package for unrepresented employees was mandated 5-0 by council and only delayed by a last minute objection by many in the town. George's just negotiated pay package was possibly lowered about 20%.
So George Rodericks has just taken the job and fully expected to sell his house (as reported by news articles)and move to Atherton. It was part of the pay package he expected and accepted. So one has to ask what happened? Although the reason may never be known it is fair to postulate that WMD happened and showed themselves in his first weeks. He probably thought that he did not need to uproot his family and work for people who just walked back his pay package and who are quite mean spirited and egocentric. The expectation of long term employment in Atherton was not in his future.

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Posted by Yeah
a resident of Atherton: other
on Jan 14, 2013 at 8:15 am

So true. Lance Armstrong is about to admit to Oprah that he was doping as a cyclist and he was forced to do so by WMD as well. It's really amazing what they are responsible for.

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Posted by Scholar
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Jan 14, 2013 at 12:49 pm

Marin is a rather long way off I'd say.

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Posted by Steve
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Jan 15, 2013 at 8:10 am

I will keep all of this in mind if he runs for election again!

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Posted by videofan
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Jan 15, 2013 at 9:13 pm

Last time i checked, you cant force a city employee to live in the city where he works. The guy may make it at this job, yet. Hard to imagine...not wamting to live for free in Atherton...haaahahahaha

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