A Buyout In Manassas Park? You’re Kidding, Right?
By Greg L | 11 October 2010 | Manassas Park | 31 Comments
You have to give Democrats their due when they continue to do something right, especially when it’s happening in the disaster that Manassas Park has become. In this instance, Suhas Naddoni is raising some questions about appointing City Attorney Dean Crowhurst as acting City Manager and paying scarce taxpayer dollars to buy out outgoing City Manager Mercury Payton’s contract, as if the city was suddenly awash in extra money instead of being on the edge of financial collapse.
Please do not buy-out Mercury Peyton, the Manassas Park City Manager’s contract worth approximately $70,000 (salary & benefits) without him rendering services. Mercury has served Manassas Park well for more than 5 years. His contract does not expire until March 2011 and he has every intention of serving out his term. We should use his experience and expertise to help us recruit a new City Manager and work out the transition.
Please do not appoint the City Attorney as the acting City Manager. I have not found precedence in Virginia, of the City Manager and City Attorney being the same person. In my opinion the City Manager and City Attorney are separate entities necessary to keep checks and balances over city matters. Additionally please don’t burden the City Attorney with the added responsibility.
Sincerely,
Suhas Naddoni, Councilmember, City of Manassas Park.
This idea is just so wrong on so many levels. Kudos to Naddoni for at least raising some questions about this, even though a more appropriate response might be to call for an FBI investigation into the stunning amount of corruption that mires Manassas Park solidly in the horrific mess it faces. When you’re on the inside though, I can understand not openly declaring war on the Manassas Park Cabal, given what they did to the last Governing Board member who raised questions about Dean Crowhurst.
Tweet This
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
You can follow the discussion through the Comments feed. You can also pingback or trackback from your own site.
31 Comments
Views: 1951
Loading ...
Oh they did buyout Mercy’s contract. His last day was Friday and they had cake for him. He just showed up for that and was escorted out after everything was done. We are soooo screwed. The assistant director is being shown the cold shoulder and maybe the door quicker. I have analyzed who may take her position and no one come to mind that has the skills set to take her position. With the departure of these two positions it seems that MP will have a little cash.
It may look like the Treasurer is going to take another vacation, but Obama will beat her to the punch and if memory serves me right she be heading to Mickey’s house again. Now how many vacations is that now this year?
The fall festival fell flat on its face again with cars zipping by no one wanted to stop and watch just a small parking lot of 3 rides and a handful of vendors. I thought it was great with the empty city center as it back drop. You can’t go wrong with that development now can you “pathetic of MP” along with you merry band of jokers who voted for that eye sore. You all got way too greedy and now the residents are going to pay the price for your screwups.
Wow. Just…the utter corruption of it all.
Wow.
QUOTE
I have not found precedence in Virginia, of the City Manager and City Attorney being the same person.
UNQUOTE
I won’t quite call him illiterate, but I think he meant “precedent” (defined as “an earlier occurrence of something similar” - Webster).
They don’t need a “buy out,” they need a “Buy More” store there!
With the city attorney being city manager is the same as having the treasurer married to the fire chief it is kept in the family and money can be switch hands. We are sooo DOOMED!!!
With the economy staying stagnate for years to come I wonder about the real estate taxes that will be proposed next year with bonds coming due. Where is MP going get that cash? Oh that right they are going to have the residents flip for the tax increase since MP has no business base to fall back on.
He MP why not furlough the city employees for the months of January and February.
There is a municipal election next month in Manassas Park, but I’ve
read nothing about it in the local papers or even on blogs.
- Who is running?
- What are the major issues?
- Any thoughts on the value of November local elections versus May ones?
God forgive me but I will borrow this line “we need change we can belive in”. MP is going down quickly they can barely pay their bills and they must borrow money to cover payroll. Nothing is working for the city. 911 has been taken over by the county along with water (not the billing). They are going to raise taxes next year if not then there going to be either paycuts(doubtful) or layoff (sure bet). Like I said before rats are jumping ship fast.
Who will be next?
Park & Rec (we can cut about 6 employees)
Water department (we can cut about 3 employees)
treasurery(The treasurer can just quit)
public works (we can cut about 5 employees)
police (we can cut about 3 employees)
fire (we can cut about 3 employees)
city hall (we can cut about 10 employees)
I’ll answer your questions, Steve.
Who is running:
For the 4-year term, 3 seats:
Brian C. Leeper - R (me)
Suhas Naddoni - D
Preston M. Banks - I
Michael R. Bunner - I
For the 2-year term (special election) which is the unexpired portion of Peter Farrell’s term:
W. J. ”Bill” Treuting Jr. - R
Richard R. Schubert, Jr. - I
What are the major issues?
The major issues, from what I see:
Property taxes are too high.
Long term debt is excessive.
City Center has been unable to attract commercial tenants.
Economic development in the city is stagnant.
Any thoughts on the value of November local elections versus May ones?
There are cost savings to be had for going with November local elections. I believe that it does cause local politics to get affected by what happens nationally to a larger degree than what you have with May elections.
As far as the matter at hand, I do not see a compelling reason to buy Mercury Payton’s contract out. It would have to be a compelling reason indeed for $70,000.
And that is why Mr. Leeper you have my vote.
City Center has been unable to attract commercial tenants.
The city center will never attract anyone. The study MP had done was flawed. IF you look on how Manassas Drive is being used and where the cars are going you will find that park of Manassas drive is just a commuter trail. There is no business around the city center to each other.
Economic development in the city is stagnant.
Well you can polish a turd but it is still a turd. MP is boxed in by PWC and MC. MP has no major road that can support true economic development. You need the infrusture there before you can have development. Look at Manassas airport region and look at Potomic mills area. Even though each has it’s place, the businesses in those areas feed off each other something that MP does not have. 99% of business in MP is family owned no real big business and big business will never setup shop with ma & pa stores. The Economic development of the city was flawed for many decades and that will be the nail in MP coffin. You can’t hit a homerun if you don’t have a good solid team base and MP will never have it. I can go on and on about how and why MP can’t compete with it’s neighbors. But when you are referred as a turd then maybe someone know what they are saying.
Mr. Leeper, thank you for the information on Manassas Park’s November
municipal election.
I had a nice discussion with Mr. Schubert and he seems pretty bright. I will be voting for him if for no other reason than we need new faces, not retreads. He has large issues with the rec center which is my heartache right now. I would love to see them all thrown out beginning with the Director. In reference to mpsinsider’s comment about the treasurer, you really shouldn’t blame her. She ran for the position unopposed and anyone could have ran against her. I am really not sure what we would have done if she didn’t step up to the plate. The fire chief and his wife are very good people and both seem to be doing a great job.
Would love to know - BEFORE the upcoming elections, who voted for City Center?
anon - Everyone!! They were drinking the housing bubble kool-aid!!
Someone might want to start a investegation over at the rec center about miss money if Truthtalker may be able to lend some insight.
King and Queen County, Virginia have one person as County Attorney, County Administrator, and Zoning administrator. They pay him $225,000. King and Queen county population is 7,102 souls. What do you suppose is going on there?
Truthbetold…King & Queen County?
The home of four small towns (one being the area around the County Courthouse) that if you sneeze, you miss them while driving on their only one crosscounty highway… and calling them towns is a misnomer
and that one highway intersects with two others at each end,
no cities,
only about one traffic light,
farms and the kitty litter capitol of Virginia?
Me thinks a better example is needed…
Buying out the contract was stupid. He could have been told not to come back in and pay him until the end of his contract. This would have allowed the city to have time to come up with all the money needed and not have to upfront money they do not have. The city attorney should not be moved into this seat, he did nothing as the attorney. He could never be reached, things were never on time and MP needs this to be seporate seats for the checks and balances.
There are several people who need to go. Deputy leaving P&R it is for the best one less person to screw things up more. Her reason to leave is not the truth. She is tired of all the talk about the rec center and what a bad job they have done and are doing with it. Her husband is not going to step down so she has to go so that the talk stops about the 2 of them. The tresurer will never change she will always continue to take vactation and will never know how to do her job. Why would she learn her job with someone in her department to always do it for her. Her husband the Fire Chief will always do her budget and continue to look for a job in other places for himself. (he has since his start) Since layoffs along with P&R he has also hired new persons and purchased a new vehicle. As I have gathered neither of them think of anyone but themselves just like the rest. They fit right in here at MP.
It is really getting bad when money is such a problem and nobody will take it to athorities. All the corruption will get out there soon enough and MP will go down and hopes that everyone involved will get what they have coming.
Hey Otruthful1 I was thinking same thing about the Deputy. It also should be known that the P&R is cancelling the trail of terror for this year. There may not have the parade of lights either. It seem the Director can’t do anything. The director is going crazy with dealing with day-to-day problems that the deputy had taken care of. Now the director needs to defend herself about how P&R is going to make a profit for next year.
For the Fire cheif that bis sooo true and soon as he finds another job thetresurer will step down soo quickly that MP will be scrambling to find her replacement.
hey “Pathetic of MP” your city is now going faster down that slipperly slope, and the bottom of the slope that is field with jagged rocks is coming up fast!! It sucks being you!! I bet the city center vote was a good thing. Now just wait for the next shoe to drop. I see one coming within 3 weeks and it will be another high profile resignation.
Brian Leeper,
What can a ordinary MP schmoes like me do to help (other than you already have my vote as well)?
I was always against the Rec center and when I have been there, it seems pretty empty, even at the height of the summer season. I am just glad they aren’t building the Crystal Palace City Hall they were talking about a few years back.
I was looking at possibly purchasing a condo by the VRE and then looked at the taxes. Ugh! I’ll look elsewhere.
cancel the light parade? That is the highlight of the year for me in this town.
It seems that P&R is in disarray and will not recover. Ever since the announcement of the assistant director departure it seems that no one has a clue on what to do. Events are being cancelled left and right. Front desk is still a mess. Can’t get straight answers from no one there. Maybe it is time for the director to leave and close down the rec center. There is no way the director is going to train someone to take the assistant director’s job. Remember P&R has a history of not training people. They just throw employees to the wolves.
I can’t wait for the next shoe to drop. Maybe it will be from either Police or fire side, but someone might have a job lined up right now and is about to make an announcement.
mpcinsider can you tell me about an attorney that someone might be using about the letter people recieved when layed off? I am one who was also layed off and told that if there were positions we would be contacted and it is also stated in the letter. I know of jobs that have been filled since then and I have never received a call back. Can you please try to get me the info so I can also contact this attorney? If you can and need my email just let me know.
needsinfo I have no information about the attorney you speak of.
I agree with most comments on this subject less and except the vote on City Center. I am not sure why the Council is being blamed for this fiasco. This is a private developer that came to the City and asked to build on their property. What right would the City have to deny thier request? One other issue is the negative remarks regarding the treasurer and Fire Chief. The City put for vote before the citizens to get rid of the elected Treasurer and have one hired by the City. That proposal failed and the Fire Chief’s wife is the only one who ran. I am kind of miffed at why everyone is mad at her. Both individuals are great people and IMHO, the City doesn’t deserve either of them. Remember, they came here to make the City better and I can assure you the Chief has done a remarkable job with the FD. He is a very respected man in the fire service. However, everything written abot the P&R Director couldn’t be more true. I remember her stating in open session the use of the center would be free for residents and now to be able to go in an shoot basketball it costs $8. Who the hell in MP is going to pay $8 to shoot basketball there? Everyone is is ether a crook or just plain stupid.
I am not sure why the Council is being blamed for this fiasco. This is a private developer that came to the City and asked to build on their property.
They saw $$$$$ and revenue, but failed to really look at what was being develop elsewhere!!
One other issue is the negative remarks regarding the treasurer and Fire Chief. The City put for vote before the citizens to get rid of the elected Treasurer and have one hired by the City. That proposal failed and the Fire Chief’s wife is the only one who ran. I am kind of miffed at why everyone is mad at her.
The Treasurer has no clue on what to do. Her husband has been creating her budget, She would rather sit and talk to whoever than take the time and learn her job!!
Also she has been taking more time off than OBAMA!!!
mpcinsider, look I agree with you that City Hall is full of crooks. But the Treasurer is an elected position elected by the citizens. To blame her is way of course. As far as taking time off, she can only take off what time she has earned. On top of that, she is not regulated by City rules as an elected official. If she is not working out, then she will be voted out.
As far as the City Center, it is a private development. I am not really sure what you mean by “They saw $$$$$ and revenue, but failed to really look at what was being develop elsewhere!!” While it may have had to be approved by City Council, they really have no say in it’s set up or what goes in it. The blame lies solely on the developer. I am the last to support City Officals at this time, but sometimes the City is just not at fault, as in this case. They really had no choice to approve the Center. Their job is to look at items in the site plan that are regulated by City Code such as fire lanes, tree canopy coverage, position of dumpsters and the such.
Please don’t take my concerns as support for our current leaders, and I use that term loosely, or very high ranking officials. I just think we should put blame where it belongs. The first person I would get rid of is the Parks and Rec Director. She lied and fudged the numbers to get her palace.
I full respect your opinion and I hope not to ruffle your feathers
As far as taking time off, she can only take off what time she has earned.
She did not earn 4 weeks of vaction. Trust me I know the HR system.
As far as the City Center, it is a private development. I am not really sure what you mean by “They saw $$$$$ and revenue, but failed to really look at what was being develop elsewhere!!”
I believe the liberia corridor was being developed and planned before the city center. See how busy that corridor stays. The study for the city center was flawed or skewed. If you look at the traffic pattern of Manassas drive you can see it is a commuter trail. People have very little use for any business lining that road (how many resturant have failed in the shopping center in blooms), or look at the shopping center on 28 & Manassas drive. Would you stop there and do business. I would rather go else where to spend my money where I feel save. The city council voted for the development hoping to get a new city hall out of the deal. What they failed to realize is that MP is just a play to drive through and not some place to shop or to eat.
mpcinsider, I agree with you, it may not have been the best business idea, but the Council has absolutely no right to deny a private land owner the right to develop his property as long as the plan meets all standards. That is unless a special use permit is required, then they can put certain restrictions but I doubt a special use permit was required for this development and even if it was they wouldn’t be allowed to deny without a legitimate reason. In addition, the City is still obtaining the property tax from the developed property rather than a vacqant piece owned by the City where no taxes are being obtained. I for one would rather have the taxes from the vacant store fronts then a vacant piece of land.
As far as the Treasurer goes, she is an elected official, she doesn’t earn leave, the office is hers to run as she sees fit. If she wants to take a vacation, she just takes it. She is only accountable to the people who voted her in. The employees in her office are City employees, but the Treasurer is not.
The City Center is the best thing Manassas Park could have done. They need to create a downtown area similar to Fairfax Corner. The liberia corridor is just going to turn into another coordiator of never ending strip malls just like Sudley. Strip malls do not support any type of community. They just lead to more sprawl.
On another note, I agree the community center was a bad idea.
Hey “m” no business want to move into MP. that is why the city center sits empty retail space. Only thing in there is a bank. MP has no way of genterating business interest. They are boxed in on all sides. No bank will lend money to a business if they can prove that customers will stop. MP is just a commuter trail. I have shopped both 234 business and liberia business corridor and they have customer traffic. MP has no business model to stand on. They have old run down shopping center that needs to be torn down. They don’t enforce code, the rec center sits at 50% empty 7 days a week, Both residental and business taxes are high, the water bill is a joke, Higher up are leaving so they don’t get laid off, and the city is broken.
MPCINSIDER:
I would be happy to share my ideas about financial mismanagement, mismanagement of the program, false bids for RFP/RFQs, Illegal hiring practices, and many other issues, but no one cares. Really, no one in the power to do something cares. It really is quite sad.
As for the Deputy, she had her hear in the right place. But, there were too many conflicts of interest. Yes, the Director met with her to tell her what to do everyday. Now, the talking stops and she has to do the work.