A couple of important articles by Lesley Conn about Savannah’s city manager search in today’s Savannah Morning News: Public has doubts on city manager search and Alderman wants GBI investigation in Savannah acting city manager leak.
A couple of quick comments:
A significant number of Savannahians are using the term “whistleblower” to describe the source of the leak about an insurance company’s refusal to bond acting city manager Rochelle Small-Toney, which should have happened 8 months ago. It would simply be politically deaf for city council to call upon the GBI to investigate. The acting city manager has apparently been serving since May in violation of the city charter. So far, there has been no challenge to the facts involved. The information should have been made public anyway.
The community members’ questions about whether the process should even move ahead from here are understandable. But, as I have noted in my posts about candidates over the last few days, I think there is some obvious merit in the field. I say the same in the second half of my City Talk column today. I’m a bit concerned, however, by some of the complaints directed at the search firm. Yes, the firm should have included information about resignations and other issues, but such key information about the candidates is easy to find in a quick internet search. It seems puzzling that the members of city council whittled the list of finalists down to five without a single alderman or the mayor even making a cursory attempt to google a name.
My quick takes on the out-of-town candidates can be found by clicking on the names: Wayne Cauthen, Pat DiGiovanni, and Alfred Lott.
I’ll be posting about other topics for a few days and let the dust settle a bit on this issue. I’ll have more to say later in the week or in print on Sunday.