Concord council missteps
Recent council missteps began when Councilor Stacey Brown raised questions about the possible misuse of reserved funds, questions that taxpayers still have not seen fully answered. The next step was the city manager and mayor’s effort to limit her ability to perform her elected duties by removing her from committees and restricting her communication with the administration. Now they are trying to exclude her from the manager evaluation process after years of participation previously.
The latest issue concerns the review of the city manager’s performance, which now is scheduled for May. However, Section 21(b) of the city charter states that “During the month of April …. the City Council shall conduct an evaluation of the City Manager’s performance in office.” OOPS!
The charter also states that “After such evaluation the City Council shall determine, in public session, whether the City Manager’s overall performance in office has been satisfactory or unsatisfactory.” That standard seems minimal for the chief administrative leader of New Hampshire’s capital city. For greater transparency, the council could publicly share the criteria used in the review and identify a few areas in which the manager met or fell short of expectations. It could also allow taxpayers to offer input before making a final decision.
A recent Monitor article reported that these issues are dividing the council. It may be time for the full council to stand up for their charter responsibilities.