You might also like to read through the packet that is also posted. You will wonder as you read why you didn't know about this or that expenditure.
It looks like the city is again approaching the adventure of hiring a SPW although I have not seen the requirements this time and don't know if they are the same as a few months ago and perhaps they are no longer interested in an educated civil engineer being a part of the administration. If so this is a sorry turn of events. Makes me believe they will rely heavily on Chamlin Engineering forever more.
The question now is "will the city keep the window open so fresh air can come in or will the window be closed?"
21 comments:
What I don't understand is why they waited so long to look for another SPW. That item on the agenda for Monday should have been on the next agenda after Sean resigned. Who is in charge at city hall? Apparently they don't have a clue what they're doing.
When is water street gonna open? Are the parts on back order? This is ridiculous!
In the Regular City Council Meeting Agenda for the day of Monday, January 13, 1914 under new business is a motion to seek applications for Superintendent of Public Works and a motion to use a recruiting firm to assist in the candidate search.
This is playing out as Mayor Harl proposal was 5 years ago when he first took office in 2009. Shortly after the SPW position is filled and the EE position is filled the Civil Engineer Position should be opened, recruited and filled. Truthfully the combination of the SPW/Civil Engineer was a overload of responsibilities and are of two professions that are incompatible. I would inform the SPW that he would answer to the engineer position.
Five years ago Mayor Harl announced to the City Council that he had gone out of town Saturday and made final interviews for his choice of candidates for the SPW and the City Engineer positions and that he would have these candidates at the next city council meeting.
At this point Mayor Harl and all in attendance were orientated to the fact that Peru was in a political environment of the City Council, being spoon fed by Mayor Baker for many years which made their positions ridiculously easy and were therefore upset that Mayor Baker was not reelected, was going to make it difficult as they could for Mayor Harl to manage the city and worked against any wishes and intentions of Mayor Scott Harl.
At this particular meeting there was such a uproar of dissension against the wishes of Mayor Harl in his intentions of having a SPW and a City Engineer that it was embarrassing. It was also evident that many of the city council had their own personal choice for the SPW selections and were happier to continue on with Chamlin Consulting Engineers. It would be difficult to forget Alderman Ferrari look at Mayor Harl and saying "Mayor, where did these ideas cone from? We don't even have a ordinance for a City Engineer? At which time Mayor Harl responded that "We have been discussing this for three months Alderman Ferrari".
The five year delay in progress of good management ideas are not at the footsteps of Mayor Harl but at the responsibilities of a power hungry city council which was doing it darnest to embarrass Mayor Harl and to stop all of his platform even if it meant the halt of all city advancement. Many of the problems of today are the result of the city councils attitude of 2009 thru 2013 and their inability to accept the idea that a New Mayor was in Town.
7:07; possibly Harl want to give praise to the two temporary supers he appointed. Called backing up his buds! Apparently and obvious their current positions don't demand a lot of work with their high salaries and benefits. This is red flaggish. In peru a person doesn't have to be qualified for a job.
To 10:18, Much of your recollection of events is accurate as I remember it as well.
However, you failed to acknowledge the fact that Harl and the aldermen totally failed to support Mr. Mikos in his attempts to perform his duties as City Engineer. They quickly abandoned Sean Mikos and reverted back to their time-honored practice of "protectionism" on behalf of Chamlin & Associates. By doing so, they also created a toxic political atmosphere as a result of Mikos's role in exposing the "payroll scandal" by pressuring the doomed SPW/Engineer to play along with dirty dealings of a corrupt Peru culture. When he refused to bow to the pressure of the mayor he knew his short-lived stop in Peru was over. Harl and the Public Worst Committee (Waldorf, Lukosus) are primarily responsible for the premature departure of Sean Mikos. They are also fully responsible for the fact that Chamlin's engineering fees over the past 18 months have exceeded $1,000,000 and continue to increase each and every month.
Now ask yourselves residents of Peru; Who continues to benefit the most while Peru's elected officials lack the courage to do the right thing for the people of Peru? Now they are going to proceed backwards in hiring a SPW and the city engineer idea is faing faster than the melting snow.
If you people don't snap out of it and start to elect aldermen and a mayor with qualities of intelligence, honesty, and ethics you will continue to be led by "the blind leading the blind" down the path of complete incompetence.
10:18 AM
The problem with Harl choosing candidates for the engineer and superintendent positions in '09 was that he did not use a "head hunting" firm, he used his own connections and probably these were union connections. If he had brought to the council a list of names and qualifications and said to them you are free to interview all of them and together we will make the decision, history might have been different or it might not have been considering the bitterness that most of the council had toward Harl.
And the past events do not excuse the current behavior of Mayor Harl and anyone else current or retired who may have been involved in this misappropriation of taxpayer dollars. The current situation is a No Win for anyone until new people are brought into this administration to actually make this city work for the taxpaying people who live here.
TWO DAYS AFTER THE RESIGNATION, THE HIRING PROCESS SHOULD HAVE STARTED! DUH!!!!
11:58 AM
Covering your tracks takes some time. Think about this, we will be bringing in a new SPW with no one to orient him to the job. Do you want the foremen to do that? Do you want the mayor to do that? Do you want the Public Works committee to do that?
Anybody can be on a committee without any knowledge of that department. A headhunter is the only honest way to hire. As long as the headhunter has no ties to anyone in the city. Are you smarter then a fifth grader to figure this out?
Is this hiring process being drawn out so that the bottom $ amount for payroll is less so Hatl can say he has been frugal? Because not paying a salary for this position. Use this $ to hire a headhunter!
Lois, Yes we will be bringing in a new SPW with no one to orientate him to the job. This is going to be so much better than the handicap that Shawn had to suffer - former SPW Gary Bleck to teach him a job Bleck knew nothing about himself. As 10:18 states, although I am sure 10:18 realizes you can't turn the clock backwards, with the proper attitude 5 years ago by the city council Peru would have never reached this predicament.
12:31 PM
I agree about the former spw, but seriously if you bring in someone from another part of the state or a different state who has had no affiliation with Peru, how could you expect him to know his way around. No one starts a job without some type of orientation, unless they are currently a member of the public works dept.
10:18 You are so right, about what went on after the election of 2009The council tried to make it so hard for the new Mayor, he couldn't do anything. The only mistake I think Harl did, was to give the council too much authority. Now he has to do what they say. also Lois why do you think everything that Harl does is Union connected. I think you are totally wrong.
1:17 PM
Because that is what he has shown us. When I worked for Scott in '09, I new that he had union backing but I really didn't know what that meant as I had no association with unions either in my personal life or that of my family.
Now I know both locally and nationally and I don't like what I see.
You are free to believe what you do, this is the United States and I am also.
ONE MIGHT MEET A PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME, SEE THAT SAME PERSON AGAIN AND TALK TO THEM. WOW, WHAT A NICE, GREAT PERSON. WELL, A BIT LATER THEY MEET A PERSON WHO HAS KNOWN THAT "GREAT PERSON" FOR YEARS. That "GREAT PERSON " ISNT SO GREAT AFTER ALL. As a matter of fact that great person is putting up a front for their own benefit and has absolutely no integrity. Anybody can put up a fake front, but their true colors come out over time. Just like a lot of politicians, while campaigning they promote themselves in one manner, but once their foot is in the door, they're totally different.
ANON3:39PM
You are so correct. I have seen it happen so often in job interviews, some people are great interviewees and come nowhere near what was expected of them once they are on the job while some are the direct opposite. While many times a person who is a weak interviewee is possibly the best we have ever had in performance on the job.
This is where private business has a huge advantage over the method of voting for a elected office which is for a period of 4 years. In business if the individuals performance is below standard he can be left go of at any time but a elected official is inherently going to occupy the position he is elected to no matter what his level of performance.
Presently, after much thought, I have decided that the 2 at large and 1 aldermen per ward is much more proficient than Peru's present 2 aldermen/4 wards. For example there were 2 positions open and only 2 candidates which ran in the 1st ward. But in the 4th ward in the last 2 elections there have been three outstanding candidates running each time foe one position. Therefore I believe that the at large candidates will increase our standards for aldermen rather than just filling the aldermen positions as has truthfully taken place in the 1st ward.
Another viewpoint is in the 2d ward the last three aldermen incumbents have been outstanding whereas the third ward did not run candidates who were nearly as representative of the wards constituents.
Looking forward I am in favor of the referendum passing in 2014 seeing proof of what I believe the 4 & 2 council will be as a huge improvement over the present council structure. This would be a significant change possibility leading forward to all 6 aldermen being at large along with a city manager and the Mayor to serve in a diminutive position with a slight increase of pay more than the alderman.
There are many changes that could be discussed which would guarantee Peru as a progressive town. Other cities have tryed these methods and are succeeding with them. The 1st step in this progression will take place at the ballot boxes in a couple of months. Change is needed and is the only means by which we will maintain a reputation as a leading city. To maintain a attitude of stagnancy will only lead to failure.
ANON;3:39
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. IT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. I HOPE THIS PASSES IN THE NEXT ELECTION.
To 11:08 your recollection is a slanted viewpoint of what you want people to digest. Mr. Mikos was supported by the committee members and they seem to be pleased with his leadership, no conspiracy in this one. You want to make engineering look to be a selective process that is not needed. You are also very much aware that engineering is required and the fees are consistent with a percentage of the project cost. The percentage is identical with firms qualified to bid on municipal projects. Another no to your conspiracy in hoping people believe that the committee is making judgements that support your "fraudulant" statements.
11:42 AM
The Public Works committee hosts these meetings but basically they are conducted by Chamlin Engineering and Test Inc. And when Sean Mikos was SPW, I am sure he added more than we have ever had anyone contribute previously in the forever past. The information before this committee is too in depth for either of the aldermen to know about or understand in detail. So having a civil engineer on staff was a huge improvement over years past when we had to rely on the previously mentioned businesses handling just about everything on the committee.
Now we are back where we started with no one looking over the cities business.
Does anyone know for sure if the judge has finished his investigation and report? If so, will it be discussed or read at tonight's city council meeting?
3:13 get today's paper, article regarding what you asked.
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