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I think this is the attitude when a member of the public comes <br /> to them for something or another. That is the general attitude <br /> of these people,--police department, board of water supply and <br /> personnel. So I think that the mayor should select each <br /> department head with confirmation by, the council so you don 't <br /> have a politi_cal' patronage where you have people become <br /> department heads that, in my opinion , can 't even cut the <br /> mustard. This county is so way down financially and this is <br /> what we, the public, are looking for, people who can really <br /> cut the mustard and bring this county up. These are my <br /> feelings about selection, confirmation and firing. Thank you. <br /> MR. TRULSON: Mrs. Silva.. You state that you <br /> feel the mayor should have full power with confirmation by the <br /> county council to hire department heads. By the same token, <br /> do you feel that if the mayor should want to dismiss a <br /> department head , it should be with the approval of the council <br /> also? <br /> MRS. SILVA: No, I don ' t believe so. <br /> MR. TRULSON: Why? <br /> MRS,. SILVA:- I think that the mayor will work <br /> with these people. He knows what they can and can ' t do and <br /> because of this , he should be able to fire them too. If they <br /> can ' t cut the mustard, .he should know it. Why should he go <br /> through the council ;.for that? In the hiring you have too often <br /> people that become department heads--you've got a political <br /> patronage thing::,that goes along there. These people campaign <br /> for the mayor, whoever is going to become the mayor, and so <br /> it is a thank you sort of a thing, a political patronage where <br /> these people become department heads. <br /> MR. TRULSON : Don ' t you feel_ the mayor would <br /> have a lot of power over these people if he could fire them <br /> any time he wanted to without anybody' s approval? <br /> MRS. SILVA: What is the difference with those <br /> departments and the rest of the departments? He can also fire <br /> those people. <br /> MR. TRULSON: But here you have them confirmed <br /> by the council 'to be hired,_ but. .he still can fire them any time <br /> he wants without any confirmation by the council. Don ' t you <br /> think he would have the same power, whether or not he could <br /> hire them with the council ' s approval? It ' s the same thing, <br /> only a little bit reversed. I think he would have a little <br /> more power. <br /> MRS. SILVA: No, it is not the same thing because <br /> when they are selected by the mayor, like I say, it is usually <br /> people that campaign for that person and so rather than selecting <br /> omeone highly qualified and competent, he ' ll pick on somebody <br /> to head the department in a political patronage thing. It ' s <br /> a favoritism thing that I am looking at. I think the mayor of <br /> the county, whoever he may be, should be intelligent enough to <br /> know whether he should fire a person or not to fire a person. <br /> -10- <br />