Comments on: The politicization of City Hall bureaucracy? It’s about time http://civicscene.ca/politicization-of-city-hall-bureaucracy-its-about-time Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:01:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Chris Budgell http://civicscene.ca/politicization-of-city-hall-bureaucracy-its-about-time/comment-page-1#comment-4780 Chris Budgell Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:14:05 +0000 http://civicscene.ca/?p=3320#comment-4780 I found your blog after reading your very insightful article in today's Vancouver Sun. I'd like to add what I can to the public's awareness. I was employed, for less than a year, at City Hall around the time that Judy Rogers succeeded Ken Dobbell as City Manager. I anticipated that working there would be a challenge before I was hired but I needed a job and had only one other offer - that was even less attractive (though for entirely different reasons). I had heard stories about City Hall but was unprepared for what I found. I had worked in many environments before but had never seen such a high proportion of employees so chronically and severely disgruntled. None of them were disgruntled because they were overworked. For many, a major problem was that they had little or nothing productive to do. As a new employee, inserted into a small group of especially unhappy individiuals, my time at City Hall was destined to be short. Frankly, I have no reason to feel any optimism that it will ever change in there. I found your blog after reading your very insightful article in today’s Vancouver Sun. I’d like to add what I can to the public’s awareness. I was employed, for less than a year, at City Hall around the time that Judy Rogers succeeded Ken Dobbell as City Manager. I anticipated that working there would be a challenge before I was hired but I needed a job and had only one other offer – that was even less attractive (though for entirely different reasons).

I had heard stories about City Hall but was unprepared for what I found. I had worked in many environments before but had never seen such a high proportion of employees so chronically and severely disgruntled. None of them were disgruntled because they were overworked. For many, a major problem was that they had little or nothing productive to do. As a new employee, inserted into a small group of especially unhappy individiuals, my time at City Hall was destined to be short. Frankly, I have no reason to feel any optimism that it will ever change in there.

]]> By: Todd Sieling http://civicscene.ca/politicization-of-city-hall-bureaucracy-its-about-time/comment-page-1#comment-4772 Todd Sieling Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:58:49 +0000 http://civicscene.ca/?p=3320#comment-4772 While I don't like the idea of the bureaucracy running city hall all the way down to the agenda setting, there are arguments for having a buffer between them and elected council. A fully politicized civil service is the best recipe for short-term thinking by a bunch of installed yes-men. By ensuring some distance between the bureaucracy and elected council, there is the chance to put longer range plans into place that aren't pulled this way and that by electoral maneuvering. Incorporate political input? Yes, definitely. But to make them beholden to it to the extent that every 3 years the civil service has to re-gear doesn't seem good for a city, but is great for politicians. While I don’t like the idea of the bureaucracy running city hall all the way down to the agenda setting, there are arguments for having a buffer between them and elected council.

A fully politicized civil service is the best recipe for short-term thinking by a bunch of installed yes-men. By ensuring some distance between the bureaucracy and elected council, there is the chance to put longer range plans into place that aren’t pulled this way and that by electoral maneuvering.

Incorporate political input? Yes, definitely. But to make them beholden to it to the extent that every 3 years the civil service has to re-gear doesn’t seem good for a city, but is great for politicians.

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