Saturday, May 16, 2020
The Peter Principle. How Did This Post Ever Get This Long?
If you don't know what the Peter Principle is, it's this. A person has a job, and does it well. S/he gets promoted to another position that requires more ability, and carries more responsibility. S/he does well there, too. The success, and the promotions, continue. At some point, the person gets promoted to a position so demanding, and carrying so much responsibility, that the person doesn't do well any more. The person's abilities have been exceeded by the requirements of the position. The person has reached their level of incompetence. That's the Peter Priniciple: being promoted to your level of incompetence.
After a struggle, our new Commission was installed by some time in February. Early in that first meeting, which included sitting Commissioners Tudor and Samaria, and now including new Commissioners O'Halpin, Kennedy, and Ross, attention was paid to the matter of the manager. No one, except Will Tudor, was happy with the job Krishan Manners did as manager. Ginny O'Halpin revealed that she had privately spoken to our Public Works manager, David Hernandez, asked David if he would be willing to serve as interim manager, he said he would be willing, and Ginny therefore proposed to fire Krishan. The details of the discussion and firing of Krishan, which occurred at that meeting, are not important to this story, but the conclusion was that Krishan was in fact fired, and David Hernandez's agreement to act as interim manager was accepted. It's now three months later, and David is still the interim/acting manager. And no search for a "permanent manager" has begun.
As an aside, I should say that the Village either has or doesn't have a manager problem. We have one, in the sense that since 2006, we have had five managers, and three interim managers. So in the manager department, we've had noteworthy turnover. We're not, for example, like Miami Shores, which has had one manager for decades, and he's been reconfirmed by a long succession of Commissions. On the other hand, it's not uncommon for managers to get overturned by new governing bodies, and that's not always a reflection on the manager. Along the same lines, new managers somehow very commonly decide there should be turnover in the people they themselves hire and fire, like in the position of police chief. So it's a little unclear how we should understand the manager turnover we've experienced. The only glaring example that it might be in some sense our fault is the sudden and completely unexplained (I'm told I'm not at liberty to repeat the explanation given to me in confidence by a witness) resignation of Sharon Ragoonan very early in her tenure as Village manager.
But back to David Hernandez. Very many Village residents were relieved when we finally hired a Public Works director. And no one had anything but praise for David's performance, as Public Works director.* David had extensive relevant prior experience, he understood the task, and he appeared to carry it out well. David is very self-assured. And if you know David or have seen him present anything, you don't need me to tell you that.
Two Commissioners -- Betsy Wise and Jenny Johnson-Sardella -- resigned, one soon after the other, and we had to replace them. We had to scramble to have an election, and who ran was a bit up for grabs. Mac Kennedy ran. For me, that was a no-brainer, because I know Mac, I know about his passion for the Village, and his passion to accomplish things, and it was unquestionable that I could support him wholeheartedly. Ginny O'Halpin ran. I knew Ginny a little, and I knew her late husband a little. Ginny is a very nice and charming person, and she had a resume that had something to do with public service, up in New York for a whole career. And she'd served very short term on two Village ad hoc groups. We needed two people, there were two people, neither one of them seemed remotely likely to be a Tracy Truppman stooge, and I was satisfied. But then, we had a third candidate. Rafael Ciordia was a stealth candidate. He had lived here for several years, was invisible, Village-wise, appeared to have one connection, which was Tracy's stooge, manager Krishan Manners, and eventually began publicly to parrot precise Tracy material. So for me, Rafael was out, and the other two were in. Which is apparently what the voters thought, too. And Tracy apparently thought the same thing I thought, which was that Ginny would not be her stooge, and she would therefore not control a majority of the Commission. So Tracy, too, jumped ship. We now needed one more Commissioner, and only one person ran: Roxy Ross. Our new Commission was Dan Samaria, Will Tudor, Ginny O'Halpin, Mac Kennedy, and Roxy Ross. The concept of who should be the mayor was a bit quirky, but there seemed to be agreement it should be Ginny. So Ginny, who really did have a pretty low Village profile, reached out in what I can only call desperation to someone of whom she knew who could step in once she succeeded, which it seemed clear she would, in firing Krishan. So David Hernandez felt a tap on his shoulder. And the rest of the Commissioners were either too relieved (to be able to punish Krishan for his own and other people's sins), or off balance, since the Krishan firing was abrupt, to ask important questions about David. Ginny made an offer to David, David made an offer to the Village, and everyone accepted each others' offers.
So, precipitously, and out of desperation, David Hernandez became our interim/acting Village manager. With no questions asked. If we wanted anyone who wasn't Krishan, or anyone who wouldn't continue to assault Dan Samaria, we got that from David. We also got someone who tried to steady Ginny, who very clearly had trouble running a meeting. Although we got more help from our interim Village attorney, so we really didn't need David for that.
In the meantime, there were issues, and problems, and clocks that were ticking. One clock that was ticking increasingly loudly was from CITT. CITT had been communicating with us for some time, letting us know we appeared to be out of compliance about something, and by December, due dates and ultimatums were starting to be issued. Under the reign of Tracy Truppman, and her pet, Krishan Manners, we simply ignored all of these communications. And they were coming from the CITT Executive Director, Javier Betancourt. They weren't form letters coming from a computer or a secretary. This content was part of the December 19, 2019 letter from Mr Betancourt: "the Village of Biscayne Park is at risk of having Surtax funds withheld [the Village won't get any more] or recaptured [we'll have to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars: close to $1M]. As discussed in our meeting of October 1, 2019, in order to avoid the withholding and/or recapture of these funds, it is imperative that you provide a detailed response to the measures you are taking to remedy the issues stated in the audit by January 31, 2020." And then, there was a scolding about documents requested and never received by the previous due date, which was November 1.
On February 25, 2020, Interim Manager David Hernandez received a not dissimilar letter from Mr Betancourt, and there was an acknowledgement that the January 31 deadline had come and gone, without satisfaction of the demand for documentation. So, "The failure of the Village of Biscayne Park to provide the requested information in a timely manner leaves this office with no other option but to begin withholding the Village's Surtax funds. Please be advised that the withholding of Surtax funds will take effect immediately and continue until all findings and issues are completely resolved...It is imperative," Betancourt added, "that the Village respond, in full, to the findings of the municipal audit and this correspondence by April 1, 2020. If the Village of Biscayne Park fails to respond by said date, this office will commence in the recapturing of the municipality's Surtax funds."
Public records requested from the Village have been altered in that the circulation has been redacted, but Mr Betancourt appears to have gotten David Hernandez's attention, and David responded by e-mail on March 2. David pleaded that he had just entered the job, and needed more time, and he asked for an extension of the April 1 deadline to May 31. A few hours later on the same date, Mr Betancourt responded very sympathetically, agreeing to the extension.
So now, David had a problem. He had to find whatever CITT wanted, and the clock was reset, but still ticking. Enter Chuck Ross. As Chuck got increasing wind of this matter, which he was already doing under the former regime, he did a Chuck thing. Chuck -- CPA, auditor (who got "100%" in his accounting school municipal accounting course) -- offered to help. He approached David, and asked the entry-level question, which was what David had unearthed (almost literally) so far. Nothing, David told Chuck. He couldn't find any documentation. So Chuck -- CPA, auditor (who got "100%" in his accounting school municipal accounting course) -- offered to take a look himself. To which David agreed. There are lots of boxes of various Village records, and they're in a storage room in the recreation center. They have various markings. Chuck was on his own. David didn't offer to help or keep company, and he didn't tell Chuck about the other two Village residents (I'm not at liberty to name them) who also offered to help.
But Chuck is Chuck, and a task is a task. Chuck found secret sources of possibly relevant documents, like boxes mysteriously marked "CITT." Who would think to look there for CITT-related records? Apparently, David didn't. Chuck found lots of stuff. And he couldn't make his way to all the boxes. Chuck estimates today that he found "maybe 1/4" of what is needed, with confidence that more is there. And he turned it all over to David.
David has responded to Chuck's hard work, generosity, and selflessness in two ways. The first is that he told Chuck that some unnamed Village resident had spied Chuck entering the recreation center, and complained about it (which is not true and could not remotely be true), and Chuck was no longer welcome to come into the recreation center or to view any more Village records. Even though they're public records. The second response David made to what Chuck presented to him was to place an item on the Village Commission agenda for the May 19 meeting, in which David reports with seeming pride that he, who initially couldn't find anything, suddenly found a trove of relevant documents, and he did it all by himself.
Now, it's possible to end this story here, and recognize that David is really full of himself, that he can be a dope sometimes, that he's unappreciative and disrespectful, but that he's gotten us a stay of execution until 5/31, and that maybe he'll use what Chuck gave him to bail us out of the huge mess the former Commission and manager got us into. And of course, David is the "interim/acting" manager, and it should be very high on our agenda, as it always has been at times like this, to find a "permanent" manager. But the story doesn't quite end there. Because in the meantime...
It took the Village Commission and management way too long finally to get around to having virtual Commission meetings. The pathetic interim offerings were public service spots from Ginny O'Halpin, David, and Luis Cabrera, our police chief. It wasn't until April 22 that our Village Commission and management finally figured out what all of our surrounding municipalities already knew, which was how to have a meeting on ZOOM. They had another one on May 5. But on May 1, there was another PSA, and this time, it was David Hernandez essentially talking about what a success he was, and reassuring listeners that he would stay in the saddle, and continue to be the Village manager. (Commissioner) Roxy Ross interpreted this display as David's promoting himself for the permanent position of manager, even though we weren't formally looking for one yet (although we very much should have been), and she wrote to him about it the same day. Roxy added the following language to her communication to David (and to the Village attorney): "While I am grateful for all your efforts as Interim Manager in this health crisis, if you continued (sic) to disseminate your advertisement, you will force my hand to communicate your very serious shortcomings for the full position of Village Manager." David responded to her a few minutes later, saying "Thanks for your opinion ????????" Roxy offered David a little bit more insight about his communication style in an e-mail the next day.
If we remember that David is full of himself and disrespectful, it will come as no surprise that he wrote to the Commission on May 5 to complain about what he proposed was an "alarming" Roxy Ross e-mail that was "breaching on violating the Ethics rules." (As an aside, most of David's written products have peculiar usages and misspellings, and what appear to be typographical errors, and those include formal communications he makes not only to the Commission, but to people like Javier Betancourt.) David further accuses Roxy of issuing "threats, harassment, and disparaging comments." Commissioner Roxy Ross is, of course, one of David's five direct employers. After some paragraphs of further rant, and before the last two paragraphs of rant, David appears to reassure that he is not, in fact, lobbying for the position of permanent manager, and he reiterates that he only agreed to the interim position. Frankly, as the criteria for consideration of a Village manager have not yet been formalized, I myself don't know if David would qualify anyway. Maybe he doesn't know, either. All that is clear is that there appears to be deflection both from David and from some on the Commission from beginning the process to find a permanent manager, and that process should have begun at least two months ago.
So, there sits David Hernandez. He himself talks about his "impeccable record" and his "slew of recommendation letters." Roxy Ross, and I, and no doubt many of us are grateful for his having agreed to provide what seemed to us to be emergency help when we were desperate. And maybe it's our own fault, for having been hasty, or too enthusiastic, but we have elevated him to a position in which his communication skills and his temperament become conspicuous problems. He had successfully managed various levels that relied on his competence. And then, we promoted him.
*There's an important Dan Keys story that I heard very recently, and that creates possible grave concern about David Hernandez. This post is already long enough, and maybe someone more directly involved will discuss the David Hernandez-Dan Keys matter in a comment. Suffice it to say that I was wrong a year or two ago when I imagined the dramatically unceremonious dismissal of Dan Keys from the P&P Board represented Tracy Truppman's initiative.
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I want to agree with David about something. And the problem is in a way bigger than he thinks it is. In his complaint about Roxy Ross and her e-mail to him, he says at some point that she threatened him. I think in a weird way, he's right about that, and there are various ways to understand the threat.
ReplyDeleteWhat Roxy wrote to David was that if he continued to advertise for himself (setting aside his failure to encourage the Commission to begin the process of finding a permanent manager, which he seems to say is not his ambition), she would feel "force[d]" to "communicate [his] very serious shortcomings." Although that sounded to David like a threat against him, Roxy was in a way also compromising the Village by implying that if David ceased what Roxy interpreted as advertising himself, then she wouldn't out him for his "very serious shortcomings." It could be made to appear that Roxy was willing to sacrifice the Village, and leave it at the mercy of David's "very serious shortcomings," if he would knock off the caricaturish self-promotion.
So, in one way, I take David's point, although I think he was wrong to think it was he who was being "threatened." But on the other hand, David was a desperation choice, made essentially by one person (Ginny), and quickly agreed to by three other desperate people, and his assignment was interim. Sometimes, he recognizes that fact. We didn't carefully, with the benefit of extensive deliberation, choose David to be our Village manager, as we normally choose people. Ginny asked him privately, with no one else's knowledge, David came to the speakers' podium to say he agreed to do it, even though he felt bad about the circumstances, and we precipitously made a deal. We didn't expect highest quality. We didn't use the process for that. So neither Roxy nor anyone else should have been surprised to learn that our impulsive and desperation quick fix had flaws. And Roxy wasn't threatening to reveal anything that would get David fired on the spot as interim/acting manager. She only "threatened" to make clear during a proper search, if David applied, that he had issues. Which she should do about any applicant, if she knew about it, anyway. In the meantime, all she was asking was that he do his job (and possibly not rely on her husband to do the manager's job), and stop all the phony grandstanding.
So I do take David's point, but I'm not put off by it. I think he's defensively making way too much about way too little. The fact is that Roxy didn't do anything wrong. She just found a way to get David's attention, and she clearly succeeded. And since her "threat" only applied to David's possibly applying for the "permanent" position, which he seemed in part to imply he didn't intend to do, then there really is no "threat."
Observing all this from a distance I can only conclude that our Commissioner Roxy Ross has been nothing but disrespectful, and, to say the least, ungrateful at what David has tried to accomplish for the Village. It seems she is just like her friend Tracy, and wants to be the captain of ship but the captain is Ginny which she seems to forget. Roxy's tantrums and ill mannered remarks only speak of her unfunded dislike for David. Keep in mind, Roxy was never voted in by the residents of the village; she was chosen by default. The easiest path is to place the blame on David for not accomplishing the long list of failures that have been trailing for the past years.
Delete"Anonymous" is so annoying. But at least you reveal that you are considering this "from a distance." As best I can tell, you are in some other galaxy. Does "our" Commissioner Roxy Ross mean you live in BP? How can you live here, and read this blog, and know so little of what's going on?
DeleteRoxy Ross is eminently respectful. There have been times I have thought it was her worst quality. She is straightforward, strictly honest, and highly goal-oriented. She doesn't brook endless bullshit. But she's much more patient than I am.
Roxy was absolutely elected, or, as you phrase it, "voted in." Anyone who disagreed with her, or didn't think she would make a good Commissioner, could have run against her. She was elected by unanimous consensus.
I myself don't at all blame David for the failures of the recent years. He was doing his job, and other people were not doing theirs. But once he became the interim manager, he started to unravel in some not very helpful ways. And the arrogance was noteworthy. Just to focus on one example I already discussed, he said he couldn't find any documentation. Some of it turned out to be easy to find. (It's painfully clear he didn't look. I really don't think a box entitled "CITT" would not have given him any clues.) But instead of deeply appreciating the free help of a very expert BP resident, David shut this neighbor out, shut him down, and claimed the accomplishment for himself. If you have some other way of understanding that, I'd be interested to hear what it is.
Fred
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DeleteAnonymous, I'm not certain you're clear on some facts. First, Rox and Tracy aren't friends. In fact, they hold a certain amount of disdain for each other that's obvious to anyone who attends commission meetings or pays attention to goings on in the village. Secondly, our government structure doesn't really make the mayor the "captain" of much other than running the meetings. We don't have a strong mayor in any way (although given how the last mayor acted I can understand your confusion on that point). We have five equal commissioners, one of whom is called "mayor" and given some figurehead authority and the ability to call special meetings. That's really it.
DeleteFred do we have champagne dreams on a beer budget? I to want the best manager we can find and afford. I hate to settle, always have and always will. We settled with Krishan which you supported and defended and looks like we may settle again. You said it best we have had 5 managers in the past few years. Our little village because of its diminutive size is highly political and the life expectancy for anyone in that position has a very short shelf life. Having said that with our budget and our history what do you think we will attract? I hope we find that great executive that looks great in a suit, never misspells a word, speaks eloquently and knows the ins and out of whats expected of a Manager but is that realistic?
ReplyDeleteI agree we should be looking for a permanent manager, this covid thing threw a wrench into this search. David is not perfect, neither were any of his predecessors they all had their strengths and weaknesses. Lets open up the search, lets see whats out there and really vet whatever candidate who steps forward and lets move forward with the best candidate we can find and afford. By the way there is an election in November that will alos play a roll if the applicant is smart enough to see that.
Art,
DeleteI'm not sure of your point. You make a few that compete with each other.
First, we have beer dreams with a budget that should get us very good albarino. It's always been like that. Our first manager came highly recommended, was at the tail end of his career (or maybe came out of retirement to help us), and did a not great job. He resigned/retired, because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Our second manager turned out to be vastly better, and she was an excellent example of what we can very fairly expect: someone with skills, talent, and ambition, who has never before been a full manager, and we're the first job of that description. And we have to know that if we chose correctly, that person will not be with us indefinitely, because s/he will get picked up by a municipality that can pay more. Which is exactly what happened. Our third manager was just like our second. She was smart, she impressed, and she had never before been a full manager. She was hired by the Commission just before the one of which I was a part, and I was very glad to have her. All managers, and all people, have imperfections. Our second manager had them, and so did our third. Eventually, the third manager made one mistake too many for me, and was too defensive to own it, and it involved not treating a Village resident properly. As I said, I was on the Commission then, and protecting Village residents was my primary responsibility. So she lost my support, which I told her, and she resigned. The fourth manager was just like the second and third: lots of great experience, presented very well, and this was her first job as a full manager. She would have been terrific, except that she would not have put up with Tracy Truppman's nonsense, and Tracy forced her out. Instead, Tracy installed Krishan, who was our fifth manager. Krishan's value was that he took no initiative, didn't complain, and did whatever Tracy told him. When I call that "value," I mean value to Tracy, not value to the Village.
We pay in the 80s. It's nice money, but managers can do better. We pay enough to attract good people. They just have to be the right people, for whom money is not at that moment the main goal.
Good, I'm glad you agree that we should be looking for a permanent manager. Feel free to make that clear to people other than me. The COVID-19 thing is a small matter. A couple of ZOOM sessions gets us criteria. A call to publications will get us advertising. Applications will follow quickly, as they always do. Another few ZOOM meetings results in a contract.
As I said, no, David is not perfect. No one is perfect. But David's problems are exceptional, for a collection of reasons. David has been barely OK on an interim basis. But he's not under good control. I thought my post illustrated that. And let me tell you that by comparison, David is not only not perfect, but he's even far from average.
Fred
Allow me to clarify. I hope we find that person.
DeleteWe will find that person, if we look for him or her. There has been no shortage of good or excellent candidates.
DeleteArt, I made a mistake in my first response to you yesterday. I said it's always been like that (that we have beer dreams), but I meant to say it hasn't always been like that. We used to have adaptive and progressive ambition. Our first manager was a mistake, because we didn't know what we were doing, or how to do it, and we took bad advice that we had every reason to assume was great advice. But after that, with managers #2, #3, and #4, we were careful, we deployed our limited money as best we could, and we found terrific managers. I'm talking here about Ana Garcia, Heidi Siegel, and Sharon Ragoonan. And they were by no means our only excellent choices. We can do a lot for ourselves paying what we pay. We just have to know, as I said, that if we choose well, someone will make a name for him- or herself, and get hired away by someone else. Ana Garcia left us to make literally double the money from CNMB. Good for her, and good for us. Heidi Siegel told us point blank, during a public interview, when one of the Commissioners asked her, that she expected to be here maybe around six years. Great people know what they're worth, and they use us (and we use them) as stepping stones. I have no problem with that.
DeleteBut back to my point, after Sharon, the Commission stopped having positive ambitions for the Village. It was all about Tracy Truppman wanting someone she could control, and Jenny Johnson-Sardella, Will Tudor, Harvey Bilt, and Betsy Wise lacking either the brains or the strength of character to challenge her. Maybe they didn't even disagree with her. Maybe they were all in so far over their heads that their main ambition was to continue to get the check, and stay out of Mama's crosshairs. That's certainly what it looked like, and Will Tudor is still a shell of a human being.
Fred
Fred like I mentioned earlier I would love to find the absolute best candidate we can for our Village. Being in the position of having hired many high level Executives Directors, Managers and Supervisors in my career I know the difficulties associated with finding the right candidate. Money is only one aspect of that search but an important one. We have a lot of things in our favor and a lot of things against us. A lot will depend on who is doing the interviewing and who is selling the dream.
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ReplyDeleteFirst comment is on the title: How did the post get so long? Fred wrote it! I can jab you on that because no one has ever accused me of being stingy with words. I'll try to write the rest succinctly.
ReplyDeleteWhen this commission (I'm a member) fired the last manager abruptly, we plucked David from the audience and hired him in an interim capacity only. Then, we told residents we'd go find a qualified, credentialed replacement, starting that process right away. Then COVID hit and the mayor wouldn't call virtual meetings, which only she can do. I don't know if she made that decision on her own or under the advisement of the manager and/or attorney, but I made my opinion on that matter VERY clear to the manager and attorney. (I wouldn't be allowed to share my opinion with Mayor Ginny directly.) Much village business could have moved forward without meeting in person. Essentially, we could ensure that projects like hiring a permanent manager and attorney (and discussing WastePro issues and FDOT's development of 6th Ave. and the CITT mess left from the last manager/mayor) could be simmering on the stove and the behind-the-scenes activity could still happen without overburdening staff. Only the mayor had that authority to call meetings (or the other four commissioners in unison, but we aren't allowed to communicate on the matter), and Ginny chose not to call them. If anyone doesn't like that, they should request changes to those rules.
(That's a major concern of some other commissioners: "overburdening staff." Someone call my boss at my "real job" and ask him to stop overburdening me for that paycheck that continues to show up in my checking account. Those evening and weekend hours I put in every week are such a burden from this job I chose and am lucky to still have. I call it "work ethic," but others may call it "overburdening" if they prefer.)
Now, we are meeting and we do need to fulfill our responsibility per our Charter and our promise to the community when we fired that last bad choice for the job. According to David's video, sounds like he'll be applying. Hopefully, others will as well, we'll do our jobs well, and we'll make a good selection so that person can get to work with the full authority of the commission. That's my main concern now.
My other concern is that this village is months behind on current projects, overloaded with unfinished and fucked up old business from the last commission (two of those commissioners still on this commission), and unwilling to put in the extra time to get them done. Per Commissioner Will Tudor, we are on track to fulfill our obligation of meeting 11 times this year. I'd rather the commission be measured by accomplishments than by a time clock. I never promised residents to merely “show up” and put in the time ... I promised to get shit done. Folks are wired differently, I suppose, but it seems that we should be putting in overtime to catch up. I'm willing to meet as often as required, but Will, Dan and Ginny disagree. They know how I feel on the matter, and they know how Rox feels, too. If only one more agrees with us, we'll get to work. Otherwise, we’ll stumble and bumble through our lengthy to-do list and the budget season. Good luck to us.
Hope to see a full room at Tuesday's commission meeting, 630p via Zoom. Here's a link to the agenda and the log-in instructions:
https://www.biscayneparkfl.gov/index.asp?SEC=A482E78D-C7CA-4E86-BD0D-AA20BD7CDAEB&DE=1605DBB4-7215-4E12-9C86-F8479B137CCE&Type=B_EV
Fred is making a lot of sense.If Commissioners don't want to make decisions maybe
ReplyDeletethey should resign and someone could be appointed to fill in until the next election.Doc M