As I See It
Who should decide if La Crosse needs a city administrator?
Will La Crosse voters get to decide once again? The La Crosse City Council is expected to vote, perhaps as early as next week, whether to add another position at City Hall. Mayor Mitch Reynolds has proposed La Crosse hire a City Administrator, and the council could vote on that on Tuesday. The idea has come up several times in the past, but never gained much traction. The latest plan calls for the hiring of a city administrator to largely run the day-to-day operations of the city. Whoever is hired would likely draw a salary of close to $200,000. If hired, an administrator would be responsible for developing an annual budget and overseeing city departments, something the mayor is currently responsible for. So what would the mayor do? Preside over council meetings and attend ribbon cuttings. So if we need a city administrator, do we still need a mayor? If we do, should the mayor continue to draw the current salary of about $80,000 per year? When the idea last came up, it went to referendum, and voters got to weigh in on the idea. They overwhelmingly said no to the idea of hiring a city administrator. Hiring an administrator would be a big change, and would cost taxpayers a lot. Instead of the council making this decision, it should again be put to voters, to see if any minds have been changed since they last said no.
Munchkin
September 26, 2024 at 6:47 am
I vote NO to a city administrator. However, I believe the decision is a done deal and it will happen regardless the wishes of the citizens.
The Mayor will then become a figurehead and his duties reduced to groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies. The Mayor’s salary should then become a part time position with a substantial reduction in pay.
Roy
September 26, 2024 at 7:19 am
The current mayor had barely gotten elected 3 1/2 years ago when he began to lobby for a City Administrator. In addition , he wanted to hire a Public Relations rep and a Homeless Co-ordinator, a position on which the Council agreed and a man was hired.
You have to ask, didn’t the mayor know what was expected of him, and what has been performed nicely by his predecessors, when he ran for the job? We vote for our city executive, the mayor, so we can rid ourselves of him if he isn’t up to the job. City Administrators are hired, not elected, much like School Superintendents, and it’s tough to get rid of them if they are duds.
Maybe the next mayor will be happy with the job requirements as they are.
walden
September 26, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Munchkin and Roy you are correct, but it is worse than you suspect.
A City Administrator will have a multi-year six figure contract and will be hired by, and answerable to, the Council, only.
The current council has been frustrated by an opposition citizenry that objects to doling out millions for homeless and other Left projects. An administrator will NOT be directly responsible to the citizenry and would receive a large lump sum payout if terminated. Once hired, it is almost impossible to terminate an administrator without first replacing the City Council that hired him/her.
The citizens of La Crosse would be fools to allow this change in government. If the current disc jockey turned mayor can’t do the job he should resign and allow new representation to be voted into office by the citizens. Clearly, the current mayor is in over his head but an administrator is not the solution.