To the editor from the Brigantine Taxpayers Association: We are responding to the July 5 newspaper article submitted by the Brigantine PBA in which the PBA claims that the city manager disrespects city employees.
This is a serious accusation. Before making such a charge in print for the public to read, those making this claim should have knowledge of the law and evidence of wrongdoing. Let’s look at the law and some of the statements in the PBA’s article. Does the PBA make its case?
The Faulkner Act under which our council/manager form of government operates states that the municipal manager shall be the chief executive and administrative official of the municipality and shall appoint and remove all department heads and all other officers and subordinates, and may authorize a head of a department to appoint and remove subordinates in such department. This power does not require the manager to recommend such an appointment to council. The law says that the manager shall report, not recommend, all appointments or removals at the next meeting thereafter of council.
Nevertheless, and contrary to the above, these following statements appear in the article. “She has no right to recommend to council who is qualified to be acting chief,” “She has no right evaluating employees,” and, “She does not possess one credential that qualifies her to recommend to council who is ready to lead these departments.”
False statements in the article about the manager’s powers distort her legal authority and give a false impression of her actions to the community. Such misinformation does not help to resolve the issue at hand and to keep the community informed of the facts. Following the law and sticking to the facts will produce a positive result without personal ill-will and harm to the efficient functioning of municipal operations.
Anne H. Phillips
Brigantine Taxpayers Association
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If the information given in the article by Anne Phillips is correct then the Faulkner Act should be repealed. No one should be given that much power. But if that cannot be done then the one given that power should relinquish some of it and consult with others in authority for major decisions. Power , even if provided by law, does not mandate that any individual must use it single handedly and courtesy would indicate this.
Mrs. Phillips makes one of the best arguments for abandoning the council-manger form of government: The city manager possesses too much unilateral authority.