During the Breakfast with the Mayor on April 1, Oakley Mayor Kevin Romick was pretty open about a new delay with the O’Hara sidewalk expansion project citing an unmarked pipe had been found. When I approached City Manager Bryan Montgomery for more details regarding a potential delay, he was less than forthcoming with details and even became defensive in his responses.
Upon completion, the nearly $2 million project will widen the west side of the street from O’Hara Avenue from Carpenter Road to Vintage Drive will be widened which is approximately 0.4 miles. The overall project includes sidewalks and a traffic signal at the Carpenter intersection. The project included significant right of way acquisition, utility relocation, and relocation of a cottage that was in conflict with the roadway alignment, prior to starting.
I asked City Manager Bryan Montgomery the following questions last Tuesday as a follow up to Mayor Romicks questions:
Can you explain what this pipe issue? According to Romick you guys found a pipe not on the map?
Any idea what this pipe is?
How far along is the project (percentage wise), how long is the expected delay? New completion date estimate?
What is the estimated cost for this delay and who is paying for this delay?
His response was less than straight forward to the questions at hand.
Mike: there was a delay with an issue of a sewer line lateral, but the project is full underway. There are no late days yet and that isnt determined until the project gets closer to completion. It is very common for underground unknowns to pop up on projects.
I responded by asking him to answer the questions. His response pretty much said they will get a project update out. Friday arrives and there is still no update. So another email was sent asking similar questions.
How many days did they work on the sewer line? While no late days yet, surely this delayed the project somewhat.
You said its a sewer line, was Ironhouse quick to respond? What type of work was done?
Why would Kevin say there is a delay and you are saying there is not a delay?
What is the estimated cost for this fix and who is paying for this fix and potential delay?
Again, Mr. Montgomery’s response ignores the questions at hand.
Yeah, the Engineering team is working on an overall CIP Update that they do periodically and I’m thinking it is getting close – that Update includes all the ongoing projects.
In my email I said there was a delay related to the sewer lateral issue. I haven’t seen a change order presented for that very issue, but it would be a part of project acceptance process that is presented to the City Council and is a public document.
Again, I ask similar follow up questions urging him to simply answer questions regarding the project.
What in the world does “sewer lateral issue” mean. I asked for a brief description of the work performed.
Again, how long did it take for the sewer lateral issue to be resolved and what is the cost of this?
How come Kevin Romick is saying the project was delayed and you are saying something else?
I don’t understand what the issue is with these questions, they are pretty straight forward and not meant to trick anyone. I really do not want to put in an official records request for all records pertaining to this project or even to my email to Jason Vogan today, but you are leaving me with little choice. Please just answer the questions directly.
Bryan Montgomery’s response was less than impressive and was nothing short than insulting to anyone who may want to ask a question about a project in Oakley.
Quite honestly, you wouldn’t have the background to understand the context or the technical aspects of the capital projects, which also makes you not the most effective person to communicate about them. It seems like whatever we tell you gets mashed into your own perspective and does not necessarily serve the public well.
In my first and second email I said there was a delay, just like Kevin said. Why do you say I am saying something else? A sewer lateral is a line that comes off a main sewer line to serve a dwelling and one was found that no one knew was there. I have not yet received any change order documentation on what that issue cost, but it is one of those unknowns and unforeseens that becomes a cost of the project.
So there you have it, a City Manager who arrogantly refuses to provide answers to some pretty straight forward questions. My response to this is pretty simple, if the City Manager and staff feel their answers are getting “mashed” into ones perspective, then they can better answer questions with more detailed responses to “uncomplicate” technical aspects of Oakley projects.
Instead of answering questions, he dodges questions and belittles the person asking questions since the City has failed in making information available–it makes me wonder if Contra Costa Times Reporter Rowena Coetsee has a similar experience when asking simple questions to the City. I know other residents have had similar responses I’ve had when asking the city for some answers.
Ultimately, an unmarked pipe is not that big of deal and are often found. You contact the appropriate agency, investigate, re-enforce the pipe, and continue forward with the project. There is really nothing to hide in this situation and Montgomery’s actions make it out as if they are hiding something.
The real question here is why did the agency who’s pipe this was not have it appropriately marked and who is paying for this additional work.
The sad part, this is yet another delayed project with Oakley that they are trying to sweep under the rug just as they are with the downtown project which has now ballooned $1.5 million over the estimated cost.
Furthermore, this situation highlights a major communication problem between the City of Oakley staff and its residents. Providing construction updates is a public service the city should be providing, not keeping quiet about delays and leaving residents effected by the construction guessing.
I encourage the Oakley City Council to work with City Staff to ensure appropriate updates on construction projects are provided periodically to keep residents better informed.
Kudos to Mayor Romick for being upfront about the project delay while shame on City Manager Bryan Montgomery for taking this to a level it never had to go.
If the City of Oakley won’t provide updates, I sure will try to as a concerned Oakley resident.
By Michael Burkholder
17 comments
Does anyone on the city council have the guts to fire this guy? I think it has come to the time in our community that if the city council does not step up and fire Mr Montgomery, that the citizens make it our priority to not re-elect a single council member!
This is exactly why Ron Borland needed to be elected and what Paul Seger have been preaching for some time. If elected, Borland would have improved communication and ensured Montgomery never acted this way because he would have worked to fire this city manager who has had a history of disrespecting residents who ask questions. This has been going on for years and while I am sorry he responded that way, you needed to experience it to understand how others have felt. You can’t approach the city without being attacked in return. You are right, this isn’t a big deal, but Montgomery made it one and that is pathetic on his part.
Well it is too late to consider what could have been if Ron had gotten elected. We now have to work on convincing the existing council that Montgomery has to go!
I think an apology by the City Manager at the council meeting is in order. There was nothing wrong with your questions and probably would take less than 2 minutes to answer. I agree with Chuck, the council had better act or don’t re-elect a single one.
I can’t help but laugh at this. While I think Burke is aggressive and its obvious of that in the past, not sure what montgomery’s problem is here considering he was an ally of montgomery during the montgomerygate scandal. Answer the questions and move on. If he is not honest about a simple delay, what else is he hiding with regards to carpaccios and downtown?
I like how burke has a picture of a project where no one is working and its delayed, classic Oakley!
In the city’s defense, the picture was taken on Sunday afternoon.
media or resident, this is very inappropriate of any city manager to act like that. I agree with others, council needs to take action. Use this as a example of how not to behave. Antioch or Brentwood would never act like that. Montgomery has to go.
Now you know how others feel, especially the owners of Hook, Line & Sinker. They have been dealing with this guy for years. I am glad you got to taste some of their frustration in trying to get answers from the city.
Let me find the email where Bryan explains the city policy on weeds. I am still waiting for the city to do the described work. All I can say Mike, is ….Welcome to the Party!!!!!! Our city manager is a complete jacka@@ toward people that ask questions and keep on asking the same questions. He doesn’t feel that he has to answer to anyone, including the Oakley City Council. As I have stated numerous times its time for this man to go. Council members you owe the citizens of the community an explanation on why this man is still employed and why it is OK for him to treat us the way we get treated by him and his staff. The staff takes their lead from him. Seriously–its time for some house cleaning starting at the top.
I am still waiting on answers from the facilitator meeting.
Who is the facilitator?
How was this facilitator chosen?
Where is the facilitator from?
What is the overall cost of the facilitator?
Why did you feel the need to hire a facilitator?
https://eastcountytoday.net/montgomery-wont-answer-questions-regarding-facilitator/
A city manager is only responsible to the council, not to the public. Montgomery doesn’t have to answer to anyone other than five people who were elected. It doesn’t make his response appropriate, but it is reality.
Barbara, I took would like the city’s response to weeds, they are a problem during fire season in which the city is not proactive enough about them.
I got a new computer in December so emails regarding weeds are on the old computer. On 2-16-12 Randy Pope sent an email to Byran Montgomery regarding E. Cypress Rd and the weeds. Randy forward Montgomery’s response to me on 2-16-12 “The weeds along E. Cypress Rd have been a problem and we will be working with the property owners, who have a habit of leaving the weeds near the property line, even after discing the rest of their property. We do have a pre and post emergent plan for the weeds that are in our right-of-way. It involves a new spraying tank and also a tractor with a flail mower” On 3-21-12 Jason Vogan sent an email that contained the following information “The City maintains the soft shoulder adjacent to the roadway, which is basically the first ten feet off the pavement. We do pre-emergent weed spray and intermittent mowing in the soft shoulder to control the weeds. The area between the soft shoulder and the fence line or property line is to be maintained by the property owner”
I don’t know about where you live but out here on East Cypress, there has been no effort to do anything that is described in those two emails. So I can safely state that Bryan Montgomery and Jason Vogan were blowing smoke to shut me up and need to get out of their offices and take a drive around the city and see what the hell is really going on. Its now April. the weeds are our of control and right up to the edge of the roadway again, and in some places, growing up through the cracks in the road surface. The so-called City Weed Abatement is a joke. Yes they did finally come through last year and mowed-in late June. They sprayed AFTER everything turned brown and seeded out. My yard is no longer grass–its weeds and stickers. If anyone wants copies of the emails, let me know. I also have pictures from last year and will be taking pictures of this years mess.
Never is it proper for a City Manager to “put down” a resident or the media! It is their job to make the City Council look good. I’m sorry, I cannot understand how the Oakley City Manager give this kind of response. Mr Montgomery gave a totally inappropriate and unprofessional answer to Mr Burkholder.
Mr. Burkholder,
it’s been 7 days since you mentioned Kevin Romicks’s O’Hara delay and we are still not any closer to an answer. This is unacceptable. I think Kevin Romick should be given a high five for his outreach to the city and staff could learn from him on when you are transparent it benefits everyone. Hiding things or not being straightforward only makes things worse.
Kevin Romick provides updates, Randy Pope provides updates and Diane Burgis provides updates and that is about it all we hear from the city unless Burkholder or the Times reports it.
Maybe Burkholder is blowing this out of proportion, but Montgomery has a trend of ignoring the public unless it’s to promote You, Me, We = Oakley. He has done jack for the Chamber. I thank you for exposing how rude this city manager is.
I have never asked a question of City Manager Jim Jakel in Antioch that I didn’t get a full and complete answer from him or the responsible staff whether he likes me or not. Clearly Mr. Montgomery doesn’t like certain people and treats them in a way to tell them so. He does not have the right to disrespect the citizens of Oakley no matter who he likes or dislikes. You still pay the bills. You folks need to say good by to him.
Well said Julio, Jake Jakel gives complete answers and contrasting how Montgomery responded I’d be embarrassed if I was an Oakley Councilmember. I don’t even live in Oakley and its embarrassing to see this city manager conducts himself to legitimate questions. Antioch would never allow anyone representing the city to act like that. It really says something about the council in Oakley because they have allowed it to happen to not just this author, but to many folks over the years.
Stupid Montgomery! Answer the questions!
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