The Community Development Center Manager, Terence Quinn, chose to move ahead with plans to increase his staff. In case you do not recognize the nature of his "center", it is primarily composed of Planning and Economic Development.

He is the supervisor of two areas entirely outside his area of expertise: Economic Development and Housing. His promotion was the result of actions taken by the former City Manager and then Interim Manager, Leslie Cullen. Their new organizational structure needed a center manager regardless of the employee's knowledge or experience. Intelligent and informed supervision is evidently not required. Supervisors should know and understand the workings of their staff. How else can you effectively be assured that the services are being carried out as requested by the policy makers?

In the 2004 so call layoffs, our City Planner of 25 years was terminated. Another planner was hired and fired. Mr. Quinn, who was formerly employed by DRCOG, was then hired to be the City Planner. Here is a paste from my posting of March 12, 2006. It addresses Mr. Quinn's initial appointment and how he handled it.

Mr. Quinn ran straight into the rigors of local government which includes a zoning ordinance, master planning, design review, permit applications, signs and subdivision regulations. Since he is either not qualified or experienced in these areas or too distracted, he immediately found that he needed help.

Mr. Childress and our new Interim Manager, Leslie Cullen, entered into a consulting contract 12 days after Nelson resigned. For the tidy sum of $45,000 payable for services through mid-December, we now have a "practical" planner named Travis Reynolds. Guess where he used to work? Guess what his duties are? Did you say DRCOG and look at Mr. Quinn's duties as listed in the previous paragraph.

With the departure of Mr. Childress, Mr. Quinn took over as center manager. Shortly thereafter, he convinced the manager to cancel Mr. Reynolds's contract and employ him as a permanent employee. This week he introduced another full time planner to the staff. What was one planner for over twenty years is now three.

I was not aware we had a planning crisis in the City. Perhaps Mr. Quinn believes the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances need to be trashed and rewritten. Perhaps we need three planners to address the future needs of all of our non-existent vacant land. It cannot be because there are plans to redevelop the backbone of our financial security: the commercial areas. That is of course impossible because all of NURA's current revenues are gone while plans are being laid to mortgage its future in the development of land next to city hall.

I hope Mr. Quinn has finished building his empire in time to watch it slip away. Our new City Manager knows just a little about economic development and Mr. Reynolds has demonstrated that he is fully capable of serving as City Planner. Why do we need just "another" supervisor on the payroll?