Permanent Leaders Needed ASAP

Just think, right now the PMUA, the school district and city government all have interim people in charge!

PMUA comptroller Duane Young is the acting executive director of PMUA, Anna Belin-Pyles is interim schools superintendent and David Kochel is acting city administrator.

While there have been several changes at City Hall and the school district, the PMUA has not had a shift in leadership since its inception in 1995. Earlier this year, Executive Director Eric Watson and Deputy Executive Director David Ervin announced their resignations and Chief Finance Officer James Perry announced his retirement. The authority has been under fire since rate hikes in January 2009 prompted a group of city residents to question its spending practices.

It was two years ago this week that PMUA officials appeared before the City Council with a presentation that mixed hard facts with some very unusual language from Watson. Read Plaintalker's report here. City Council attempts to have another joint meeting failed in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Plainfield school district saw the departure of Superintendent Steve Gallon III and City Administrator Bibi Taylor resigned in January for a Union County position.

So now all three of the city's top public entities are in the classic "challenges and opportunities" mode.

The PMUA has several holdover commissioners on the board that will be selecting a new director. One seat has also been vacant for some time. The mayor and council have not been able to agree on viable nominees for the board. Perhaps that is the biggest challenge, and then assembling new leadership will follow.

The school board must decide whether to have a national search for a new superintendent as was done for Gallon, or to hire from within.

Over at City Hall, the mayor still has two and a half years to go in her second term, but her administration has had tremendous turnover and currently is on its third acting city administrator this year, with one of its three directorships vacant as well.

All three of these entities have multi-million dollar budgets with dozens of lucrative contracts to give out. The sooner each can establish solid leadership in these increasingly tough times, the better. For PMUA, it could mean a decade or more of progress, if new leaders can mend relations with ratepayers. The school district may not be able to count on a long stretch of stability, if its recent past is any indication, but it needs to get squared away with a "permanent" superintendent to meet the increasing challenges of public education.

As for City Hall, it may be difficult to get someone aboard as permanent city administrator for the balance of the mayor's term, but at least the city can try to get as professional a municipal administrator as possible for day-to-day operations and not attempt to make do with fill-in officials such as the mayor and corporation counsel.

Three years without a chief finance officer until January and the high turnover in the cabinet have undoubtedly marred the functioning of city government. Recovery is needed.

If tough times continue, astute stewards of public resources must be in charge. If things get better, leaders with vision can then make the most of new opportunities. Let's hope these people will be found soon, for Plainfield's sake.

--Bernice