Mr. Yancy,
Thank you. I know that was tough to write. Good luck on the search for a new city manager.
Thank you. I know that was tough to write. Good luck on the search for a new city manager.
Macy's Debacle - What went wrong [Staff Edit OP]
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Last: 2 mo ago by Buford T. Justice
Omperlodge said:
Mr. Yancy,
Thank you. I know that was tough to write. Good luck on the search for a new city manager.
The buck stops with your city council and no one else. That's where ultimate accountability rests.
Respectfully,
Yancy '95
My opinions are mine and should not be construed as those of city council or staff. I welcome robust debate but will cease communication on any thread in which colleagues or staff are personally criticized. I must refrain from comment on posted agenda items until after meetings are concluded. Bob Yancy 95
There are only three ways to hold elected officials accountable.Bob Yancy said:Omperlodge said:
Mr. Yancy,
Thank you. I know that was tough to write. Good luck on the search for a new city manager.
The buck stops with your city council and no one else. That's where ultimate accountability rests.
Respectfully,
Yancy '95
1 - vote them out.
2 - convict them of a crime.
3 - pressure them enough to have them resign.
But, if the City Manager didn't do his job and the Council was left in the dark, there is an easier fix.
"There are no bad crews, only bad captains"tu ag said:There are only three ways to hold elected officials accountable.Bob Yancy said:Omperlodge said:
Mr. Yancy,
Thank you. I know that was tough to write. Good luck on the search for a new city manager.
The buck stops with your city council and no one else. That's where ultimate accountability rests.
Respectfully,
Yancy '95
1 - vote them out.
2 - convict them of a crime.
3 - pressure them enough to have them resign.
But, if the City Manager didn't do his job and the Council was left in the dark, there is an easier fix.
CM took direction from council/mayor. However foolish it may have been, he was acting on direction from above.
This isnt to deflect but rather refocus on where the blame lies.
You don't think the tail was wagging the dog here?
I don't believe a CM - any city manager - can make that call without direct support from mayor+council
If people are trying to suggest otherwise then I can't see why council would actually through with sale when it came to putting up the actual cash.
And if it was (the way you say) then that means elected folks are not really in charge here.
Which open a whole other kettle of fish
If people are trying to suggest otherwise then I can't see why council would actually through with sale when it came to putting up the actual cash.
And if it was (the way you say) then that means elected folks are not really in charge here.
Which open a whole other kettle of fish
Not sure the implication there but if you are telling me that staff can pull the rug over councils eyes totally and not be directed to buy Macy's by council
That's pretty nuts but still circles back to where the fault lies - the people that voted to buy it
Either they knew and approved
Or didn't know and still approved without proper investigation and deferred totally to staff
Either way - buck stops there IMO
That's pretty nuts but still circles back to where the fault lies - the people that voted to buy it
Either they knew and approved
Or didn't know and still approved without proper investigation and deferred totally to staff
Either way - buck stops there IMO
Again, the city council members and mayor are essentially amateurs when it comes to how to run a city. The city manager is around through many council members as they cycle in and out.
And we have heard enough from city employees that this city manager is a "my way or the highway" when dealing with subordinates.
The emails we saw definitely show something shady going on.
I believe it is very plausible that the city manager had his vision for the mall/Macy's and did whatever he could to get the council to agree to it.
And it's going to happen for Northgate (CM personally wants the old Northgate gone).
The people spoke up in Navasota and kept a bad hiring from occurring there. Time for College Station to.relaize we have the wrong guy here.
And we have heard enough from city employees that this city manager is a "my way or the highway" when dealing with subordinates.
The emails we saw definitely show something shady going on.
I believe it is very plausible that the city manager had his vision for the mall/Macy's and did whatever he could to get the council to agree to it.
And it's going to happen for Northgate (CM personally wants the old Northgate gone).
The people spoke up in Navasota and kept a bad hiring from occurring there. Time for College Station to.relaize we have the wrong guy here.
And not trying to derail this thread- [We have made it clear that we are not going to allow thread derails and that this thread is about the purchase of the Macey's property. -Staff]
See this is where we might differ. Yes, they are "essentially amateurs" but its not a long slid to where "nothing is their fault"91_Aggie said:
Again, the city council members and mayor are essentially amateurs when it comes to how to run a city. The city manager is around through many council members as they cycle in and out.
And we have heard enough from city employees that this city manager is a "my way or the highway" when dealing with subordinates.
The emails we saw definitely show something shady going on.
I believe it is very plausible that the city manager had his vision for the mall/Macy's and did whatever he could to get the council to agree to it.
And it's going to happen for Northgate (CM personally wants the old Northgate gone).
The people spoke up in Navasota and kept a bad hiring from occurring there. Time for College Station to.relaize we have the wrong guy here.
They run for office, campaign on "balancing budgets and investing in long term ______"
But when it doesn't happen, its the CM's fault?
If you do not know what you are doing, then DONT RUN! It is that simple. Be honest with voters and say "i dont know how to manage a $500,000,000 budget so I am going to defer 99% of choices to staff".
Color me crazy, but that is flat nuts.
You were elected - you ran on your "experience" and then when it comes to show down, you throw your hands up and say "i didnt know what i was doing. Dont blame me"
HUH????! Do your homework and LEARN! You were elected for jimmy crickets, you cannot just cop out and not put in the effort needed to oversee a budget of HALF A BILLON DOLLARS!
(Sorry for the cap)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving the mayor and council members for approving the Macy's deal... but i believe the heart of that decision and prime mover of it was the CM... and the emails and other documents are enough to show there were shenanigans going on.
As Mr Yancy has been reporting, he basically had to fight to get questions answered and information he requested.
We can get rid of bad council members every 2 years or so, but it seems impossible to get rid of a city manager who is the one who proposed and backed the Macy's deal had more information than the council.
So all need to be accountable. We have control through voting on the councjl... but we can't control the CM
As Mr Yancy has been reporting, he basically had to fight to get questions answered and information he requested.
We can get rid of bad council members every 2 years or so, but it seems impossible to get rid of a city manager who is the one who proposed and backed the Macy's deal had more information than the council.
So all need to be accountable. We have control through voting on the councjl... but we can't control the CM
If you do not know what you are doing, then DONT RUN! It is that simple. Be honest with voters and say "i dont know how to manage a $500,000,000 budget so I am going to defer 99% of choices to staff".
Color me crazy, but that is flat nuts.
You were elected - you ran on your "experience" and then when it comes to show down, you throw your hands up and say "i didnt know what i was doing. Dont blame me"
HUH????! Do your homework and LEARN! You were elected for jimmy crickets, you cannot just cop out and not put in the effort needed to oversee a budget of HALF A BILLON DOLLARS!
(Sorry for the cap)
Ok, CR, you hit my hot button. Back when CS was intending to annex Wellborn, I made my statement at a council meeting along with many more of my neighbors. The council members were not allowed to respond at that time. I then followed up with a multiple question email to all of the council members and asked what impact annexation would have on properties we owned. Burning brush piles, discharging a shotgun while bird hunting, putting an addition onto a farm structure.
Two members responded to my emails. Jess Fields assured me he was not going to vote for annexation. The mayor answered with this: " I am sorry but the answers to your questions are above my pay grade." WHAT???
I still have that response printed and hanging on my wall.
Color me crazy, but that is flat nuts.
You were elected - you ran on your "experience" and then when it comes to show down, you throw your hands up and say "i didnt know what i was doing. Dont blame me"
HUH????! Do your homework and LEARN! You were elected for jimmy crickets, you cannot just cop out and not put in the effort needed to oversee a budget of HALF A BILLON DOLLARS!
(Sorry for the cap)
Ok, CR, you hit my hot button. Back when CS was intending to annex Wellborn, I made my statement at a council meeting along with many more of my neighbors. The council members were not allowed to respond at that time. I then followed up with a multiple question email to all of the council members and asked what impact annexation would have on properties we owned. Burning brush piles, discharging a shotgun while bird hunting, putting an addition onto a farm structure.
Two members responded to my emails. Jess Fields assured me he was not going to vote for annexation. The mayor answered with this: " I am sorry but the answers to your questions are above my pay grade." WHAT???
I still have that response printed and hanging on my wall.
I sold about $400M worth of software and services last year, so I have some experience with large sums of money, but I don't pretend that I know much about city government. Then again, I don't think septuagenarian college professors do, either.
Hornbeck said:
I sold about $400M worth of software and services last year, so I have some experience with large sums of money, but I don't pretend that I know much about city government. Then again, I don't think septuagenarian college professors do, either.
I can only quote one of you so I'll try to be brief
- I will grant that "you" may not know much about government before the election
however - once you are elected than yes, it is your job to learn.
How can you keep staff honest if you cannot tell whether what they are saying is honest
How can you be a fiscal conservative if you are deferring spending to staff
How can you do anything if you are not prepared to put the work in and understand how/why things are being done.
Otherwise - it is just free lunches and photo ops
Call me crazy, but that is negligence personified.
Do we blame the bureaucracy when DC over spends or messes up? No, we blame Congress.
Why is city council any different?
Maybe CS should start paying it's councilmembers $10 a month like Bryan does, that would rule out anyone working for Texas A&M (you can't be employed by the state and hold a paid elected office).Hornbeck said:
I sold about $400M worth of software and services last year, so I have some experience with large sums of money, but I don't pretend that I know much about city government. Then again, I don't think septuagenarian college professors do, either.
The city council can only make decisions based on what they know and are given and there should be high level of trust that the city manager is not only given them all the information available that he has collected.
I don't absolve the city council from the decision of purchases the Macy which they should not have amde and not absolve them from obtaining an independetn appriaisal of the property before an offer, but that does not excuse the city manager from hiding information from the city council.
If the city manager would have told the council that there was an offer by a private citizen and they did not have any business being involved it a real estate transaction between two private entities maybe the city counil would have made the correct decision to not purchase it?
The failing on both the city council and the city manager at that time was that they elected to involve themselves in an area they have not only no business involving themselves in but as they are not even qualified to do so.
The city officials, bith coucil and emplyees, need to target their efforts towards serving the citizens of the city.
Period.
I don't absolve the city council from the decision of purchases the Macy which they should not have amde and not absolve them from obtaining an independetn appriaisal of the property before an offer, but that does not excuse the city manager from hiding information from the city council.
If the city manager would have told the council that there was an offer by a private citizen and they did not have any business being involved it a real estate transaction between two private entities maybe the city counil would have made the correct decision to not purchase it?
The failing on both the city council and the city manager at that time was that they elected to involve themselves in an area they have not only no business involving themselves in but as they are not even qualified to do so.
The city officials, bith coucil and emplyees, need to target their efforts towards serving the citizens of the city.
Period.
maroon barchetta
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How long do you want to ignore this user?
[We are going to keep being strict on this board about being respectful and if you want to make your post again without being insulting it will stay on the thread. -Staff]
I regret I have but one blue star for you, sir.
Just listened to Scott's interview of Brian Woods on Friday morning's WTAW podcast. What a missed opportunity, he didn't even bring up Macy's. Woods did spend plenty of time talking about government efficiency though, what a crock
City employees have been directed not to put things in email for years.
They say it in new employee orientation: don't put anything in an email that you don't want on the front page of the paper.
But, beyond that, the City has also disciplined employees for speaking the truth and calling out failures to follow policy and state law.
They say it in new employee orientation: don't put anything in an email that you don't want on the front page of the paper.
But, beyond that, the City has also disciplined employees for speaking the truth and calling out failures to follow policy and state law.
Sounds like Mr. Woods is running a great place to work….
Little bird tells me Houston Motorsports is moving into Macy's.
From their Holleman location? Or is that a different place?
Captn_Ag05 said:
From their Holleman location? Or is that a different place?
One and same.
Hornbeck said:
Sounds like Mr. Woods is running a great place to work….
Interesting. Maybe they can add a track for driving. But regardless, it would be great to get it off the city's book (even though I expect the city will lose bigly on the contract).
Captn_Ag05 said:
Interesting. Maybe they can add a track for driving. But regardless, it would be great to get it off the city's book (even though I expect the city will lose bigly on the contract).
Because they bought a $3m property for $7.5m then ran it down by not running the AC and letting it get moldy.
EliteElectric said:Hornbeck said:
Sounds like Mr. Woods is running a great place to work….
In case anyone new to the Aggieland board was wondering what we keep bringing up about Macy's...
At this point the city should turn it into an indoor park/play place for the kids to use during hot and inclement weather.
At least it would have some use.
At least it would have some use.
maroon barchetta said:
At this point the city should turn it into an indoor park/play place for the kids to use during hot and inclement weather.
At least it would have some use.
They need to do a bunch of mold remediation first is what I'm being told.
Hornbeck said:maroon barchetta said:
At this point the city should turn it into an indoor park/play place for the kids to use during hot and inclement weather.
At least it would have some use.
They need to do a bunch of mold remediation first is what I'm being told.
But the mold is holding the asbestos in place.
Touche'