Editor:
Eureka City Manager David Tyson and the Eureka City Council can’t have it both ways (“Why Was Garr Fired,” June 30). Mr. Tyson fired Chief of Police Garr Nielson with the council’s blessing, but no one wants to talk about it, so they are calling it a confidential personnel decision. But Chief Nielson was officially fired “without cause,” which means it wasn’t a personnel matter-it was a management decision. And management decisions are not supposed to be secret. In fact, council members are elected and city administrators are hired because of their management acumen. So the fact that no one is talking is quite troubling. Voters can only be suspicious of management decisions that no one will defend publicly.
At the very least, Mr. Tyson and the council members who agreed with the firing of the chief should have been able to explain to the public what they envision for the Eureka Police Department in the future. They could have explained what qualities they want in a chief, without relating it to Garr Nielson. After all, they will shortly begin the search for a new chief, and if the old chief wasn’t right for Eureka, what criteria will they use to judge the applicants?
Instead of being honest and forthright with the public, the council and city manager have hidden behind the charade of personnel confidentiality and a bland statement about a “difference in management styles.” That’s not much for the voters to go on, though sometimes a little information is all voters need to make a management change of their own.
Scott Brown, Eureka
This article appears in Last Call for Coho.
Good questions Scott.
Mr. Brown summed things up perfectly.
Scott Brown is full of it. Any termination – for cause, at will, or reduction in force, is subject to confidentiality beyond the bare facts of the termination category.
What part of “voters can only be suspicious of management decisions that no one will defend publicly” would qualify as “full of it”?
There are some people hoping that it will be the hot button issue that catapults them into power, but they’re wrong about it being a routine management decision.
“There are some people hoping that it will be the hot button issue that catapults them into power…”
There are some people who post anything that pops into their heads.
“There are some people who post anything that pops into their heads.”
Yes, Joel, you prove that point quite nicely.
And how about an example of the point nicely proven, P?
Damn, I’m just no match for that Mielke guy. I can’t decide if I want to commit suicide or go eat a box of chocolates.
“There are some people hoping that it will be the hot button issue that catapults them into power…”
When all else fails, ignore what is said and attack the speaker.
“Any termination – for cause, at will, or reduction in force, is subject to confidentiality…”
Yes, the Brown Act allows confidentiality for disciplinary actions , but it does not require it and this was not a disciplinary action.
The City Manager is hired by the City Council, who are elected by the citizens. “Voters can only be suspicious of management decisions that no one will defend publicly.” And if that is too difficult, Scott Brown gave them a perfectly reasonable alternative. Well said.