August 11, 2009

Celina Mayor Sharon LaRue announced after the departure of Jeff Hazel that she would conduct a national search for the future safety service director for Celina. Mayor LaRue then appoints council member Rick Bachelor as the interim director and that he would also step down as soon as a permanent director was found. Bachelor, who was Celina council member, resigned his position as a ward council member and the Republican party appointed a former city employee and former safety service director Mike Sovinski to hold down the seat. It was also announced Bachelor would run again for his spot in the November election.

That all sounds very simple and clear and makes sense or does it? You had to know that there were “politics” going on in the back rooms of the city even before the departure of Hazel. If all of this wasn’t so sad it would be pretty funny. What happens next is very predictable and very “Celina” like. I can see many of you shaking your head and laughing and agreeing with me on all of this.

Ok for all of you “out of towners” for which I am now one of you. Here is what happened…there was no national search and Mayor LaRue hired council member Bachelor as her full-time safety service director, the Republicans had to have a coin toss (WCSM Radio story - http://www.wcsmradio.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=3708&cntnt01returnid=15 ) and the winner of the toss was Sovinski over Richard Heiby to run on the ballot for the ward seat. Two republican central committee members split the vote on who should be on the upcoming ballot and they did it with a coin toss. Sovinski won and will now be on the ballot. The Republican party must truly be united in there effort, but that is another story of how Celina works.

So now you have a former council member who is safety service director and a former safety service director who is a council member. I am really surprised that Mayor LaRue would agree with her republican friends to have Sovinski fill the seat, since she was in a big hurry when he was service director to replace him, after she was elected Mayor, with Hazel (after a national search) …pretty funny stuff. I had plenty of people (teasing me) that I should come back to Celina and apply for the job, I laughed at that. But after all of this maybe I should have, I did work for the city for 30 years and I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.

My advice to Mayor LaRue is when you say you are going to do a national search do it. I think everyone in Celina “can handle the truth”. The truth might be a refreshing change for everyone. I hope the Mayor wasn’t afraid that they actually might find someone who was qualified in an “actual” search.

“Good old boys” politics is not needed in Celina, but that is what you are getting. The more things change the more they stay the same. Take a look at what has taken place recently in Celina government over the past ten years. Who is actually running the City of Celina? Was the administration actually having a mini-civil war over the past several months? Was there a “power” struggle between high officials? I only believe half of what I hear, but wow have I heard about all of this.

I am deeply concerned when city positions are handed over to elected officials. First of all it does not look good for a sitting republican mayor to hire a sitting republican council member for a high paying position. Conversations between the two most likely were in private and not shared with others, I think it would have been interesting to hear what was said. I live near Chicago now and they do it that way all the time, how do you feel about Chicago politics? Look at the issues taking place in Celina, you decide is Celina where you want it to be? You need to trust those who run your community.

I will also make note that although I had some deep issues with former safety service director Jeff Hazel he always got back to me at the Outlook when I asked him for comments or information. As for the new service director he has never replied to us when he was a council member and he continues not to reply to us now. I think we at least deserve a “no comment“ from him, he is a public official not a private employer. Communication is a key to running local government. Just because he has personal issues with me that is not an excuse to answer legitimate questions concerning the City of Celina. Like it or not the Outlook has a viable readership.

I would love to be sitting at the “big table” at the Fountain this Saturday, I bet that will be a lively conversation. Pour a cup of coffee for me!

Let’s hope that the City of Celina won’t have to decide on a coin toss how to decide it’s future.