Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Oh, Please, No. Not Another "Love Fest."
What's with Sharon Ragoonan? She has to tell us about her love and devotion for her boyfriend? He's in Afghanistan long term, and they visit each other quarterly. "Quarterly?!" That's a relationship? And she says she's deeply devoted to him. What's with this girl?
And then, she comes on like she's about as deeply devoted to us. Come on, Sharon. Get a life, will you, girl? She's going away to visit Troy, who's probably the luckiest man on earth, on Thursday, so how does she use Tuesday and the run-up to it? Creating a presentation for us. She wanted to update us. This is what she can think of to do with her spare time (of which she doesn't have any) before she goes away.
And she made sure we wouldn't forget the presentation. She put together an 11 page (really 10, and three lines) document of all she wants us to know. There's a review of how she got where she is with us, what's accomplished and in progress with each of our/her departments, what her further goals are, and a summary of where we are with our fiscal reports: the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs), the productions of which are behind two years. It's not her fault, and she let us know that, but she's working on them, and she has target dates for completion. And if it's supposed to assuage our anxiety about it, we're not being penalized.
The woman is loaded with enthusiasm. Dressed to kill, too. I don't know if I'd like to be Troy, or if it would kill me. But Sharon didn't hold anything back in her presentation to us last night. She tried to confine herself to an hour and a half, but it didn't completely work. She whipped up about as much enthusiasm from us as she had for us. Almost everyone there was grateful. The chronic, inveterate malcontents, of course not. The rest of us, yes, very much. And lots of us were there, too. SRO.
Tianna Shepard alluded to it, and Art Gonzalez called it what it was. Two of the current sitting Commissioners-- Roxy Ross and David Coviello-- were there, as were all the other Commissioners who hired Sharon (Bob Anderson, Barbara Watts, and I). The fact of the matter is that when I got the e-notice of this meeting, I contacted Sharon. I asked her if the meeting was her idea, or was she pressed to do it. It was her idea. She wanted us all in the loop. So she sent e-mails to all of the current Commissioners, asking them to sponsor the meeting. Roxy Ross told me she responded to the e-mail, agreeing to sponsor it. I don't know how or if David Coviello responded (but he was there). The meeting was not sponsored by the Commission, so the rest of the math isn't hard to do.
Well, fine. Sharon seems to love us (second most in the world, it seems), and those of us who were there at the very least very much appreciated her and her devotion.
Sharon is working very hard for us. She's dealt with disarray, tasks left undone, and some instability in Village staffing. This doesn't seem like a good time for sabotaging her or failing to be supportive and encouraging. Unless, of course, further disruption and undermining are the goal. Not in evidence last night. There were just some very conspicuous absences. What a damn shame.
From Mac Kennedy:
ReplyDeletenailed it!
Very informative meeting last night with the Village Manager. Sounds like she's organized and putting in more than the required hours but has a lot on her plate. Filling open positions at Village Hall should alleviate some of that burden (starting with a new Village Clerk this month) so she can get more done, including better Code enforcement. I hope she conducts more of these meetings on a regular basis. With her evaluation coming up at the March 7 commission meeting, I asked her to evaluate her own performance and she was rather candid, admitting that she needs to communicate with residents better. Fair criticism, so let's hold her to that. She also echoed my feelings that BP needs an overall vision for the future from which action plans derive. That comes from commission, so let's hope they understand that need and act on it or we'll just continue to trip along, handling things as they arise rather than being strategic. I like the way she thinks and I'm glad she's here.
Mac,
DeleteOn my homepage recently, I read a series of favorite questions asked by powerful employers. I think it was Elon Musk who asked the applicant who was the smartest person he or she knew. If it wasn't the applicant him- or herself, the employer tried to hire whoever it was.
You asked Sharon to rate herself on a 0-5 scale, and she told you that although she'd privately give herself a five, she'd tell you four. But any employee who doesn't give him- or herself a five is saying that either effort or ability is lacking. And the automatic follow-up question would have to be why the employee isn't trying harder, or why he or she isn't capable enough.
You didn't ask that obvious and essential follow-up question, because Sharon told you, and you heard her, that she really gives herself a five. She was just being modest, in a politically correct kind of way.
So don't lose yourself. Sharon's doing great. It's funny, but I was looking at her shoes, and thinking about the nonsense being perpetrated at her expense, and it put me in mind of Ginger Rogers ("backwards, and in high heels"). Except Sharon isn't accepting the role of a woman dancer. She's being knocked around by people who have no agenda, and are looking for a role for themselves. That role is finding fault, and blaming someone: Sharon. This is exactly what I said would happen if that majority got elected. It's not my pleasure to have them prove me right.
Fred
This was a very positive meeting and I am very happy to have been there and I hope there's more like this to come. I am also puzzled by the absence of the three new commissioners and I hope they just could not attend due to previous engagements and they will take the time to look at the video provided by Milton, although the important questions coming from the public are not easy to hear. Kudos to Fred, Bob, Barbara, Roxanna and David for being there. We're a small village and everybody that shows up adds value to Biscayne Park as a community.
ReplyDeleteIt was a presentation well done by Sharon including fielding some tough questions from the crowd. The bottom line, She put herself out there and showed us all that in my opinion, she is up to the task.
ReplyDeleteI remember back during the campaign for open Commission seats, when there were attempts at substantive discussion and debate on Nextdoor. Some of us pleaded with the candidates (most especially those who eventually won) to state their opinions, or leanings, or their platforms regarding one or another issue. They wouldn't do it. They didn't have the courage to let us know what they thought, and who they were.
DeleteYes, Sharon certainly put herself out there. She had courage, and the courage of her convictions, and a willingness to be held to account, that our new Commissioners don't have. If I thought before that any of them were jealous, it's even clearer now of what they have to be jealous. They're not nearly of the quality, or the honesty, or the substance, or the resolve of Sharon. And they want this to be Sharon's fault? And to punish her for it? How tragically weak and mealy.
Chuck, you and Liz Goldmann have it just right.
Fred
I think Sharon is the best thing the Village has seen yet! (Certainly since I've lived here anyway.) I'm thankful she put herself in the spotlight and shared the challenges she is facing with gusto, and informed us of all the things she has already achieved. I fully support all her efforts and decisions. Clearly capable, experienced, committed, resourceful, ideas driven and cunning. May her energy take us forward.
ReplyDelete