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If you are not ready for the TRUTH....read no further!!

After reading Curt Dumas' SCS Police report, Erin felt compelled to share with you
her annual assessments of the SCS City Manager Ken Podolski.

"I didn't know such unethical behavior was happening or I would have been more adamant about removing Ken Podolski earlier.  After re-reading my assessments of Ken and staff, I now see the disastrous results to our community of my inaction and not trusting my gut and observations. 

Even retirees should face financial repercussions for their past unethical behaviors.  The taxpayers should not be still paying for their cushy millionaire retirement packages as a reward for bad behavior."

~ Erin Stahl April 27, 2011
 

Erin felt compelled to share her detailed annual assessments of former City Manager Ken Podolski,
after reading about his utter incompetence in Curt Dumas' felony embezzlement police file.

NOTE:  for Mr. Podolski's annual review, Mayor Hison only required council to answer a short survey
with ranking from 1-10 and any comments.  Erin decided to do her own detailed form and ranked staff as well.

Link to full report:  Year 2007

Overall rank = 2 out of 10
Overall recommendation for the year 2007:

Despite your strength, caring, and dedication, I believe we need someone with extraordinary financial skills and strong bullish yet friendly leadership skills in negotiations with the Unions.  This could be accomplished by replacing Tim with someone who wants to provide council and staff with reports that could help see the true financial picture and with reports that are helpful with good decisions (especially with revenues being reduced by not collecting taxes from foreclosures).  If you are not willing to fire Tim, then council needs to find a financially savvy and a non-tax and spend city manager immediately.

Yes, it was a balanced budget, but if you factor in fringes, ALL of the departments are over budget.  When comparing staff's wages to the resident's wages, you have to add in fringes.  This way you are comparing apples to apples and everyone is paying pension/future and healthcare out of their wages.  I think it is disgusting that Heads of departments are being paid about $150,000, staff average about $70,000, and police and fire about $100,000 a year when the median income in SCS is about $45,000.  This is supposed to be a government of The People--not of fat cats.

Spending, for all human beings, matches their income level.  In government and the private industry, spending matches budgeted figures.  In government if you don't spend it all, you lose it the next year.  In most private and especially in ALL small businesses, if you don't spend the budget, you are able to use it next year or in a different project or give it as profit sharing to the employees.  St. Clair Shores needs to take on the "small business" mentality.

Do I think Ken is a great man? YES.  Do I think he is diligent, caring, hard-working, and has done his very best? YES.  Do I think that he has the necessary skills or the appropriate heads of department to get us where we need to be in the future? NO.  Am I afraid that if council concurs with not renewing Ken's contract, that we could get a worse person or Ted Wahby's friend who is not qualified? YES  Do I still think that we should not renew Ken's contract and start looking for a new manager?  YES.

Link to full report: Year 2006

Overall Rank = approx 5 out of 10
Overall assessment for the year 2006:

     Overall Areas of Strength:

I think your overall strengths are your drive to be the best and to have those around you to be their best and also your willingness to learn.  I hope to see you keep on this path despite some of my harsher comments above.

     Overall Areas for Improvement - focus:

In the beginning as a City Manager, you came to the position with an extraordinarily high level of enthusiasm and drive.  I'm not sure what happened but you seem to be bowing down to political pressure more and more.

I appreciate the many meetings you've set up for me to talk with different department heads.  Especially about getting facts and $ figures that we as council need to make intelligent and informed long term decisions.  It seems that many of my requests before the budget hearings have fallen on deaf ears.  Especially my requests to have the breakdown of fringes in the budget and to have the plans for GASB 43 & 45.

You are good at ensuring that staff has the tools to do their jobs.  I hope you focus on pressing and challenging staff to provide council with the financial reports/tools we need to do our job.

 

Link to full report:  Year 2005

Overall Rank = approx 6 out of 10
Overall assessment for the year 2005:

     Overall Areas of Strength:

I've included some of Ken's strengths throughout my comments.  His overall strengths are leadership, his immediate call to action--not just giving "lip service", his investigative nature before giving an answer that someone just wants to hear.  Ken has integrity, great straight-to-the-point communication skills, reasoning abilities, strong focus, and he acts quickly but logically, professionally, and reasonably.  Ken does not let his ego or "looking good" run the show.  He is real!

     Overall Areas for Improvement - focus:

I've included some of the areas of improvement and areas I think Ken should focus on throughout my comments.  But I believe most of the non-essential government functions lack a complete report of the financial costs short term and long term.  With the "death" of many cities, because of unfunded mandates, fiscal irresponsibility, political games, etc., it is imperative that we deeply question project costs beyond what we are doing today.  Ken should be a demand, along with council, for simple but detailed reports to help us determine the direction.  Right now the budgets are a bunch of vague numbers in a vacuum and the format leaves a lot up to interpretation.

Erin's wish list when City Council was looking for a City Manager
after Mark Wollenwebber quit to be the Grosse Pointe Woods City Manager.

Link to full report: Year 2004

City Council Budget savings matrix turned into City Manager Mark Wollenwebber
           December 2003 for 2004 budget

              (When Curt Dumas was Mayor, Erin does not recall a review on Wollenwebber)

  A Peek at Erin's plan if she was hired as City Manager in 2010
(included in application folder)

Year 2010 NEW budget process
Streamlined budget process
(more participation / less "dog and pony" show)

Email Erin At: Erin@ErinStahl.com

Paid for by: Friends of Erin Stahl
20113 Avalon
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
(586) 774-8181