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minutes 02-09-00Page 6 of 41
<br />With respect to the Department Head Qualifications, I have read what you’re considering with respect to the Department of
<br />Public Works and the Department of Water Supply, and it has some merit. I am concerned that in the Planning Department
<br />we don’t have requirements for someone who has a planning background, and I think if we look at some of the other Charters
<br />around, we will find that you’re required to have certain kinds of requirements there. I realize that we had a situation for
<br />some period of time where the Acting Chief Engineer was not a registered professional engineer. And some of us were
<br />critical of this, and the Mayor took the action that he took, and everybody knows what went on there. But, I think it makes
<br />some sense, in the more specialized areas - In fact, most of these are specialized. When you look at the Department of
<br />Finance, I mean, we can’t just take somebody off the street. We have to have someone who has a background. I think, in
<br />terms of planning -
<br />RAY: Curtis, we have a whole slate of suggested changes for the Department Heads so you can take a look at those because
<br />we do have proposed changes for the Planning Director. But perhaps you could -
<br />TYLER: Thank you. I’ll review those.
<br />Moving right along, Boards and Commissions. I think I’ve spoken to you before. I realize that Boards and Commissions are
<br />mentioned in different areas of the Charter, but their make-up is significantly different. And I would like to suggest to you
<br />strongly, and I realize there’s some logistical problems involved with this but, strongly, that the one section, I think it’s 13-4,
<br />or whatever it is, the one section that says Boards and Commissions, is that everything fall under that, and that you follow the
<br />Charter Amendment that was overwhelmingly adopted by the electorate a year and a half ago. There was a residency
<br />requirement. You needed to be a registered voter, and each Commissioner had to represent a Council district. And I just think
<br />it makes a lot of sense to do this instead of this one is at-large, or this one is district representation. I understand that, if you
<br />go to a 6-3, you’re going to go back to that other thing.
<br />RAY: We thought that we were being painted into that corner, but we’ve since decided that we’re not going to recommend
<br />changing the existing nine Commission districts tied to the Council districts. We’ll just going to come up with some language
<br />that ties them to the districts as they existed in the year 2000, in case the 6-3 is voted in and we do do away with those. But
<br />we’re not going to recommend those. In fact, we’re going to increase it in that we’re going to recommend the Water
<br />Commission be appointed from the nine districts as well.
<br />TYLER: Good. I hope they’re all like that, and I knew that nine heads were a lot better than mine. I couldn’t figure this out,
<br />so I figured you’d figure it out. I’m glad you did because -
<br />HERKES: Mr. Tyler, from the look on our counsel’s face, he hasn’t figured it out either, so don’t hold your breath.
<br />TYLER: Well, I wasn’t looking at him.
<br />HERKES: We were all laughing because we were looking at him and he has this big frown.
<br />RAY: That’s why lawyers get paid so much. They figure it out for us.
<br />TYLER: I think it makes it much more accountable, much easier to understand, and you know, I wish we could figure a way
<br />to encourage more people to participate in the Commissions. I mean, what we see here is we see this rotation. Well, his
<br />term’s ended so he goes over to this one, or she goes, comes over here, and I’ve received a lot of complaints over the years,
<br />and possibly some of you have, Mr. Santangelo when he was on the Council, Mr. Ray, about well, you know, gee, we
<br />submitted an application for ten years, and then nothing happened, they never picked us. It needs to be a more open thing
<br />instead of, what appears to be, a lot of political consideration then. I don’t know whether that means that the Council gets
<br />involved in the recommendations, or the appointments. Clearly, when I see some vacancies, I try to find someone that can fill
<br />the vacancy, but maybe it needs to be more codified that that. I’m not sure. I haven’t given a lot of thought. I just think the
<br />system that I see now is just the same old faces that just rotate. Not that they’re not competent, not dedicated, etc., but I
<br />would hope that, with as many Boards and Commissions as we have, and as many members, we could involve more
<br />members of the public instead of just seeing the same old thing.
<br />HERKES: It may surprise you to find out that a lot of us agree with you, and we went round and round and round trying to
<br />figure out ways to put language in, or even less members on the Commissions, so there’d be more people available. Curtis, I
<br />don’t know what the answer is. I agree with you, though, that’s a problem.
<br />TYLER: I don’t either. We all should work together on that and work with the Executive Branch, and try to come up with a
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