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To the Editor:
You might be interested in reading this
e-mail I sent to Mayor Andy Steingold this morning.
Re: Resignation of City Manager
Mr. Mayor:
Words cannot express my
disappointment this morning when I read in the newspaper about
the resignation of our City Manager.
I hope that this event will be an
example to those who found it necessary to fuss about
things that didn't need fussing. The citizens of
Safety Harbor elected each and every one of you to office. Please
keep your collective noses out of situations that don't
need your time and effort.
David M. Alfano
Safety Harbor
...And The Mayor's Response
David,
Thank you for your input. The St. Pete
Times was not going to let this issue go. I believe the
majority of the commission spoke to the city manager after the
initial St. Pete Times article expressing their desire to support
him despite what was written. I spoke with Mr. Beckett again just
prior to receiving his resignation during which
time I conveyed my support and encouraged him to stay. I
even went so far as to offer additional paid vacation so that his
finances would not be as hard hit by his unpaid leave which
exceeded what he had originally negotiated. Ultimately, Mr. Beckett
made the decision to resign on his own volition despite the
overwhelming support of the commission.
Ultimately, Mr. Beckett had multiple
reasons for resigning. Although I cannot speak for Mr. Beckett, I
believe the reasons were as follows: his wife was still in Georgia,
he was maintaining two households, he did not negotiate enough paid
vacation in his original contract and was losing money by
taking unpaid leave on Fridays to officiate. The Times continued to
investigate and had requested his pay stubs a week ago to see if he
was being paid for his leave of absences. He felt that over time
his support from the commission would erode with continuous
articles by the Times and he did not want to bring any negative
publicity with these articles upon himself nor the commission.
However, I believe that the straw that broke the camel&rsquos
back was definitely the Times reporter&rsquos request for his
pay stubs a week before he resigned.
Nonetheless, our city has never been in
better shape and will continue to provide the best services
and quality of life to our residents. Further, we will have an
opportunity to elevate our Assistant City Manager, Matt Spoor, to
City Manager. Mr. Spoor has been with the city for three years. He
has an MBA, is young, very enthusiastic, has the support of his
peers, is well respected by the commission, has a proven track
record and is dedicated to Safety Harbor. So, although Mr. Beckett
will be leaving, he will be replaced by an equal.
Yes, it is unfortunate that we are faced
with these set of circumstances. However, your commission and city
will not miss a beat. The tax rate will be rolled back to 2.5 mils,
we are undergoing a visioning process involving the community, the
library will undergo an expansion to better accommodate our
citizens, all of our parks have received new gym equipment, creek
erosion projects are proceeding, beautification projects are
slated, downtown is continuously evolving, employee salaries have
increased to reflect present day salaries, water/sewer rates have
increased in order for the city avoid operating a net deficit of
$300,000 each year, our marina has been renovated, money has been
allocated to continue with downtown festivities and events,
and relations between the city and chamber of
commerce have resumed and we will be partnering with each
other for Dock of the Bay. David, the list goes on and you can
credit your commission, department heads and city staff.
Is the glass half empty or is it half
full? I must view our circumstances as one door closing and another
door opening. Further, other than the Times&rsquo take on this
matter, things couldn&rsquot be looking better for our
city.
Respectfully,
Andy Steingold
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