City Manager for the Day

In April, my family (Aaron, Travis, Denise, Ryan, and Gwen) and I attended an event to raise money for The Capper Foundation called An Evening As A Child.  This event, at the Expocentre, was a fun event filled with food, games, wine, live auctions, and silent auctions.  It was at this fundraiser, that the events of June 12, 2009 were set in motion.

I was walking through the silent auction, wanting to see what auction items were available, when I saw it… It was the chance to bid on an item called, Spend a Day with the City Manager.  How awesome was this for an auditor and TransformTopeka board member, like myself?  I wrote in a bid with less than 5 minutes left in the auction.  A nominal donation to The Capper Foundation, and it was done.  Little did Norton Bonaparte know what he was getting himself into by placing this item on the auction block…

Our day together (Friday June 12, 2009) began at Washburn Institute of Technology (formerly Kaw Area Technical School) for a Heartland Visioning Steering Committee Meeting.  This meeting adjourned and it was off to City Hall.  In true management style, we sat down in his office and the first thing he wanted to know was what I wanted to get out of my day with him.  I told him, that as an internal auditor I am always intrigued by the inner-workings of any organization, but as a Board Member of TransformTopeka I am immensely intrigued by the inner-workings of our City Administration.  I just wanted to gain a better understanding of his management style, his organization, and how the city operates.  He told me to feel free to ask questions or speak up at any time (which I did frequently) and off we went.

We had a lot of meetings with various city staff to fill the rest of our morning.  First on our agenda was a meeting with Dennis Taylor, City Performance Coordinator, to discuss a presentation he was making to the Council in the coming weeks.  We discussed managing change in an organization and how difficult that task can be.  Second on our agenda was a meeting with Jim Langford, Director of Budget and Financial Services to discuss the 2010 budget (currently being worked on by City Administration).  The final meeting before lunch was with members of the Public Works team to discuss the proposed city ordinance to have trash pick up moved from alleys.  This city ordinance was not well received in the public and the team just wanted to discuss the public perception of the idea.

Mr. Bonaparte and I went to lunch at the Kansan Grill and during lunch discussed TransformTopeka and where we both saw the city.  We discussed the city’s self image, Heartland Visioning, other obstacles the city faced, and the projects that TransformTopeka is currently working on.  We also discussed how we can work together to ensure that messages are communicated correctly and positively to the residents of the city.  After lunch we returned to City hall for another budget meeting with Mr. Langford.

At 2pm, we left to visit the Fire Department.  A long time employee (an accountant) was retiring so Mr. Bonaparte wanted to stop by and wish her well.  Then he turned me over to the Fire Department so that I could ride along with a Battalion Chief for a few hours and get a feel for the operations of this department.  We spent the afternoon delivering CO2 monitors to various Fire Houses throughout the City (I believe we visited 4 of them before returning to City Hall).  I had the opportunity in April to ride along with the Police Department and took the opportunity to compare the experience.  I noticed that the only computers on the Engines, Trucks, and department vehicles were a simple GPS machine.  I was really shocked by this considering that the Police Department has full computers in their vehicles able to provide them up to the minute dispatch information as well as search tools to aid them in their job.  I found it deplorable that this same equipment is not available on the vehicles of the Fire Department.  Morale has been a huge issue for the Fire Department and not having the tools needed to effectively carry out the responsibilities of your job can contribute to low moral.  The Chief that I rode with showed me around and explained the duties of all involved.  I really enjoyed my time with him.

Upon returning to City Hall, I was given the opportunity to tour the offices and City 4.  I met with David Blevins, Chief Public Information Officer, and looked at the video rooms and equipment.  I also toured the Council’s offices and looked at the many pictures of past governing bodies.

I wrapped up my day in Mr. Bonaparte’s office.  We discussed what I had discovered and I was able to ask any remaining questions I had.  I left City Hall that day with admiration for the City Manager and appreciation for the work that lies ahead.  I truly believe that he understands what needs to be done to help the city, but, in the past has not been given all of the authority needed to carry out his responsibilities.  I also know that from my own experience change is hard, and he is going to be seeing the city, its employees, and the governing body through a lot of change over the coming years.  He truly understands the challenge that is going to bring to all involved.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend the day with him.

Thank you to Mr. Bonaparte and all who made my day and experience I won’t soon forget.

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