As a follow up to today’s Special Meeting of the Oakley City Council which is being classified as a “Team Building” exercise, I asked City Manager Bryan Montgomery a few questions which went ignored and instead received rhetoric.
Here is a copy of what I wrote to Bryan Montgomery at 7:15 AM:
Bryan,
I saw on a post from Facebook from Diane Burgis that the City has hired a “facilitator” who met with the city staff and the council yesterday….
- 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?
At 9:15, Mr. Montgomery responded with the following:
Mike: You don’t think, like any other organization, that the City Council and Staff should take time periodically for team-building/facilitation? Google “benefits of team building for organizations” or something similar. Attached is a good summary of how team facilitation discussions can specifically work with a city council.
The best format for these is in a U shaped table set up and with an outside facilitator.
Bryan H. Montgomery
Here is a copy of the 11-page document Montgomery included in the email. citycouncilteambldg (1). For the record, maybe this 11-page document should have been included with the agenda as part of a non-existent staff report.
I sent him a follow up email asking him again to answer the questions, his response was “In Dept Dir portion of day now” which means he won’t be responding.
As you an see, the original questions were straight forward and not tying to “trick” him or anything. Unfortunately, he decided to respond with rhetoric than directly answer simple questions. Is it too much to ask who the facilitator is or how much the city is spending on a “facilitator”?
Oakley has a right to know.
Here is what Councilwoman Burgis put out yesterday afternoon where she should get kudos for trying to educate the public on this meeting–which is more than I can say for City Staff or the City Manager.
Thinking about the post some more, I have to question how they can send out an Agenda last Thursday, but a facilitator met with City Staff and Council on a Monday to determine what to talk about the next day?
That has Brown Act written all over it as Agenda Item 3 is so vague by stating “City Council – City Staff Team Facilitation Discussion”. Meaning Item 3 would not be determined until yesterday at the earliest after meetings had occurred with appropriate staff and council.
I stand by yesterdays post that this meeting needs to be postponed as this does now does not pass the “smell test”. I would again encourage the council to do the right thing and cancel this meeting until staff can provide the public with an appropriate agenda with a staff report about the meeting.
While we may disagree with the City Council on certain issues, no council deserves the situation a city staff is currently putting them in. One of them need to lead and cancel this meeting!
13 comments
Oakey’s council should not even show and instead hold a meeting to fire the city manager and certain staff. Burk is right, this doesn’t pass the smell test anymore
Thank you Ms. Burgis for trying to educate the public, but Bryan Montgomery has some nerve to blow off a guy who defended him when he shouldn’t have. Glad to see Burke doesn’t have his blinders on anymore. By ignoring simple questions, this is an example of why Antioch, Brentwood and the County hates working with Oakley, they haev to deal with Montgomery and his staff.
The council may not like what Burkholder is saying, but they should realize he is right. Cancel this meeting and sit down with Montgomery for a little chat. This guy is really something else. Where is the Mayor in all this?
As an outside, technically Montgomery gave Burkholder an 11 page answer in the form of a document. Still, Montgomery is a jerk. The questions were not that hard and should have just answered them. What is he trying to hide?
Great job for asking these simple questions that any resident is entitled to ask. What an embarrassment Montgomery has become to Oakley and glad I am in Knightsen. He is no longer an asset, but a liability. We now know why the staff issued a vague agenda, because the true agenda was not being set until Monday after the facilitator met with staff and council. That is a Brown Act Violation. The cover up is always worse than the crime itself.
Thank you Oakley for making Antioch look like a perfect little angel. What fools!
Nice work Burk, shouldn’t Rowena Coetsee have asked these questions in her original article last week in the Times? Scary that paper still has subscribers. She should take your questions and ask them. Maybe then we could get some answers from him or someone at the meeting take the questions and ask
Here is another thought, if he can’t be honest and upfront about a team building meeting, how can we trust him on anything else going forward?
Just a case of Montgomery trying to get Pope back under his spell. Hope Pope and others don’t fall for it.
So how’d the meeting go. Anybody know?
Just amazing, all this negative talk before the meeting and nothing since.
Interesting question Mr. Spinelli. Wonder why there is no answer. It said there were public comments so obviously the public was invited.
http://oakleytownhall.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/honor-itegrity-and-justice-top-oakley-city-council-priorities/
Here is a link to a write up about this meeting.
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