Look What Blew in from the Desert

In case anyone was feeling nostalgic longings for former Claremont City Manager Glenn Southard and his winning ways, a couple readers forwarded news items to us regarding the news of Indio. It's reassuring in these uncertain times to know that some things remain constant.

The first bit of news concerned the ongoing war between His Southardness and former Indio City Councilmember Mike Wilson, who had the temerity to question Southard's iron-fisted authority. Southard chased Wilson off the council and has now issued an edict to Indio's IT people to block all emails from Wilson to city staffers.

Wilson had been making email public information requests to the City of Indio but now has been told that all such requests from Wilson must be sent by mail or by fax. Indio's City Council had been scheduled to meet in closed session to discuss a possible lawsuit by Wilson, but that was cancelled after Wilson notified Indio City Attorney Edward Kotkin that he would not be suing Indio.

The Desert Sun newspaper reported:

Kotkin said it was City Manager Glenn Southard's decision to block Wilson's e-mails.

Southard declined to comment on his decision.

Kotkin, however, said the decision had to do with “personnel issues.”

“The city manager terminated his e-mail access upon the fact that e-mail communication in the past had given rise to personnel issues,” he said. “And I won't comment on what those personnel issues are.”

David Greene, executive director and staff counsel of First Amendment Project in Oakland said the city could be in violation of the California Pubic Records Act.

“Under the public records act they don't have a right to limit the ways in which a request can be made,” he said.

This would not be the first time Southard was accused of violating the California Public Record Act, and you can bet it will not be the last.

* * * * *

One of the issues that came up in the recently concluded Claremont City Council election was the perception that losing candidate Bridget Healy was too closely linked to Southard and his crisis-inducing management style. Healy, after all, worked under Southard for 18 years in Claremont as assistant city manager, and then followed Southard to Indio for three years in the same capacity.

Healy's campaign downplayed (ignored) this complaint about Healy, but many Claremont watchers believe this played a big part in her defeat. A vote for Healy was tantamount to a vote for Southard, the thinking went.

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But really, how close was Healy to Southard? We do know that when she retired from Indio last fall, Healy said in the Indio employee newsletter (right) that she and Southard had worked together more than 20 years and that "we have seen, spoken to or emailed each other for about the last 7,482 days in a row. Constant communications with Glenn will be another old habit hard to break."

Still, we've never heard from Southard himself on the subject of his reliance on Healy. Until now.

Another reader sent us a link to the California Redevelopment Association's website. This is a job listing posted with the CRA by Southard, who is searching frantically for Healy's replacement:

Jobs: City of Indio - Assistant City Manager

Tue, January 27, 2009 01:36 PM

Help!

The Assistant City Manager I've worked with for the last 20 years has retired. She will be a hard act to follow and I can't do real work.

I am very much an external manager concentrating on economic development, redevelopment and long range planning, leaving the responsibility of day-to-day internal management to my Assistant. My Assistant City Manager functions as a Chief Operating Officer being an ever present internal resource to management and line staff. My Assistant City Manager reviews all Council Agenda Reports; manages Human Resources, Risk Management, City Clerk and Public Information functions; serves as ombudsperson to the City Council; and writes a variety of articles, letters, reports, speeches and other documents for the City Manager and City Council. My Assistant City Manager also assists in the preparation of the budget and special projects as assigned.

The successful candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in public or business administration, political science or related field and 10 years increasingly responsible experience in local government. Masters degree preferred.

Salary: $15,354-$20,576 plus an excellent benefit package including 2.7% @ 55 coordinated with Social Security and paid retiree health. Employee will serve "at will" on a contract that includes a 6 months severance provision. Submit applications marked confidential to: Glenn D. Southard, 100 Civic Center Mall, Indio, CA 92201; (760) 391-4015.

In case you were wondering, that $15,354-$20,576 salary is PER MONTH. And, the second sentence is a killer: "...I can't do real work."

Honesty from Glenn. Pigs can fly after all.