We rate the city manager
Council gets to do it, so we thought we'd throw in our official evaluation as well. You can join the fun, too: just download the form, print it out, grab a crayon, and send it in to city hall, attn: Ed Martin -- BONUS: if you do send it in, it'll automatically become a public record
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/17/08

 

CITY OF VENICE
CITY MANAGER
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
 

City Manager's Name:  MARTIN BLACK
Appraisal from:  www.veniceflorida.com
Date:   posted to the web on June 17,2008

 

JOB PERFORMANCE RATINGS
E=Excellent                  FS=Fully Satisfactory               S=Satisfactory              U=Unsatisfactory

 

ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT:
The ability to structure the organization, and plan and organize its work in such a way as to effectively and efficiently meet the municipal service needs of the citizens, and carry out the goals and policies adopted by the City Council.

Rating:__E__
Comments:_Marty has the rare and amazing ability to let a crisis fester and brew until just the right level of municipal panic and angst has set in, thus creating a diversion for other, more important goals to be achieved without too much fuss or notice. Examples include Brenda Diggs, Chris Sharek, and presently, Hans Behrens.

 

BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT:
The ability to plan, present, control and facilitate operating and capital budgets which realistically meet the City's needs within its ability to pay.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Money? What money? We can’t mismanage what we don’t have. Pure genius.

 

POLICY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT:
Demonstrates the ability to recommend and assist the City Council in the development of specific, successful policies and programs which will implement the City's goals and objectives.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Goals and objectives have been successfully eliminated through interdepartmental bickering and internal and external political sabotage, thus eliminating the need to actually achieve them.

 

LONG RANGE PLANNING:
Demonstrates the ability to anticipate accurately the future environment, needs and problems of the City, recommending policy options and adopting management procedures which will enable the City to respond appropriately to that future scenario.

Rating:__E__
Comments: With the excellent progress so far in the removal of pesky elected officials from the actual decision making process, Marty has managed to position himself nicely for future reconsolidation of total municipal political power back where it belongs – in the front office of the Boone law firm.

 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:
Demonstrates the ability to implement and achieve strategic objectives as set from time to time by the City Council.

Rating: __E__
Comments: To be successful in this area, the skill needed involves the ability to confuse, dilute, and obfuscate actual specific council directives into something that is impossible to achieve or, at the very least, impossible to understand. Key phrases like “as I recall,” “to the best of my knowledge,” “as best as I can recollect,” etc., are all signs of successful integration of this procedure into the strategic planning process. A review of Marty’s own produced documents provides a plethora of occurrences of these and similar phrases. Machiavelli would be proud.

 

SHORT TERM GOALS:
Demonstrates the ability to set and accomplish realistic and practical goals for the next fiscal year, both for his own department and for all other applicable departments/operations of the City under his authority.

Rating: __U__
Comments: Unfortunately, Sue Lang and Ed Martin are still alive.

 

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT:
Demonstrates the ability to (as the need arises) recruit and retain high quality personnel for City employment, to set a high standard of performance for City employees, and to foster a sense of commitment to providing a high level of public service to the citizens.  Coupled with this is the ability to analyze staff development needs for key personnel, expanding their management capabilities through staff development and training.

Rating: __E__
Comments: Not paying overtime to employees who have worked the extra hours? Not a problem. Keeps the costs down and allows the employees to misdirect their anger to something that they can’t do anything about. Refusal to put wasteful and inexpensive GPS trackers on city-owned vehicles ensures employee privacy.  All smart moves.

 

ETHICS AND INTEGRITY:
Conducts self in accordance with the ethical standards of the office of Charter Officer.

Rating: __E__
Comments: These are highly overrated and counter-productive concepts, but the tricky part is to give a realistic appearance of having these attributes and behaviors without actually indulging in them. To that end, Marty’s PRIDE program has been a resounding success.

 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Demonstrates effective oral and written communication skills, conveying ideas and information in a manner that is clear and concise and well organized.

Rating:  __E__
Comments:  Marty can email and Nextel text out of sight of the public eye with all of the skill of a college student. Nobody in city hall has a faster and more accurate texting thumb. Top notch work.

 

INTERACTION WITH THE PUBLIC:
Displays ability to effectively represent the City and its policies to citizens and citizen groups, both collectively and individually.

Rating:__E__
Comments:  Public? We thought we were going to do away with the public. Are they still around?

 

INTERACTION WITH PRESS AND MEDIA:
Maintains a constructive relationship with the press and media.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Public relations coup with the Herald-Tribune is pure genius. Has managed to keep key embarrassments out of the Gondolier (AAB chair Paul Hollowell’s recent comments about the public being a bunch of wackos, e.g.). Internet publicity has not been as good, but nobody reads the web, so that’s a minor annoyance.

 

INTERACTION WITH MAYOR AND COUNCIL:
Maintains an open and trusting relationship with Council members, both collectively and individually, and responds to their concerns in an effective and timely manner.  Plays a supportive role to the Mayor and Council in their responsibilities as elected officials, without getting involved in partisan politics.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Mayor? What mayor? Oh, him. Continue on in the stroke and coo behavior, he’ll never see the knife.

 

INTERACTION WITH INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PROFESSIONAL AGENCIES:
Works effectively with policy makers at the federal, state and county levels, and amicably facilitates solutions for community problems, while strongly representing the interests of the City of Venice.  Fosters a high level of respect for the City of Venice. Enjoys a favorable personal reputation among fellow municipal management professionals and takes an active leadership role in professional organizations.

Rating:__S__
Comments: Relations with the Boone law firm need to be strengthened and made less overt. Continue on in the policy of occasionally acknowledging that the County of Sarasota exists, but don’t overdo it.

 

INTERACTION WITH CHARTER OFFICERS AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS:
Establishes and maintains a positive working relationship with other City Charter Officers, displaying support and concern for their role in City government.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Input from common employees and lower-rung management has been successfully reduced to eliminate background noise. Those mandatory monthly sessions using the Ludovico Technique are paying off handsomely. Brilliant.

 

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Maintains a high level of personal direction, manages stress effectively, maintains a healthy tolerance for the uncertainties which are inherent in municipal management.  Demonstrates a friendly and supportive attitude toward others, encouraging them to seek guidance in resolving problems related to the City organization.

Rating:__E__
Comments: Just the wording of this question alone is pure genius. How can anyone argue with that? As for anyone who would argue with that, their names are known and listed and they will be dealt with.

 

MOST SIGNIFICANT ASSET(S):  (Attach additional page if needed)
What do you feel are some of the strongest points, finest accomplishments and strongest leadership traits demonstrated by the City Manager?

Comments: He still has a great ass and we love the cowboy boots.

 

DEVELOPMENTAL AREA(S):
What areas of the City Manager's performance do you feel need growth and development?  Why?  Do you have suggestions as to how the City Manager can improve in these areas?

Comments: As long as the George Hunt playbook is still in effect, where’s the gun? Every once in a while, just shoot someone in council chambers. Anyone. The rest of the rabble will quickly get the message.