Tomorrow's story today: Penman and Morris clash
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By Andrew Edwards and Robert Rogers
Staff Writers
SAN BERNARDINO -- Mayoral aide Kent Paxton said he's moving forward as Operation Phoenix coordinator although City Attorney James F. Penman continues to maintain the City Charter prohibits his new role.
Paxton's new job was revealed Friday as part of Mayor Pat Morris' Operation Phoenix reorganization plan. The plan was announced as a way to eliminate communication breakdowns among officials involved with Phoenix activities.
Paxton said that on Monday he participated in his first management meeting as Operation Phoenix coordinator.
He said the meeting focused on plans to train city employees how to comply with state law that requires several classes of government employees to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement.
The meeting also touched on how recent events have been bad for morale.
"I was concerned how everything that happened would affect staff," Paxton said.
A source inside the Department of Parks and Recreation spoke on the condition of anonymity because of internal warnings not to talk to the press amidst the investigation. The source confirmed that morale is down and several employees have "broken down" emotionally amidst the scrutiny following employee Mike Miller's July 3 arrest on charges of child molestation.
The training is scheduled for Friday, Paxton said.
Mayor's Office officials have acknowledged that a recent attempt to learn what kind of training policy was in place within the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department revealed that no one could find any such policy on file.
San Bernardino Police and District Attorey's Office personnel are investigating circumstances surrounding Miller's arrest.
Penman challenged the Mayor's reorganization plan -- and Paxton's new role -- almost as soon as Morris revealed his ideas Friday.
Penman reasserted his claim Wednesday that the City Charter, which places adminstrative oversight in the City Manager's hands, prevents Paxton from supervising any city employees who participate in Operation Phoenix.
"They're are many problems with the plan," said Penman, who also repeated his view that the reorganization needs to be approved by the City Council in a public meeting before it can be enacted.
Penman insisted his objections are not just a new salvo in the Sixth Floor rivalry between him and the mayor.
He said Morris' predecessor -- Judith Valles -- would have had the power to enact the current reorganization plan, but the voter-approved Charter that went into effect the day Morris took office only allows the City Manager's office to issue orders to city staffers.
Penman -- who ran against Morris for mayor in the 2005-06 campaign -- went on to say that San Bernardino doesn't even need a full-time mayor with the new charter in place.
"It's probably time to go back to having a full-time mayor," Penman said.
Paxton and mayoral chief of staff Jim Morris defended the plan, saying that it was never Pat Morris' intention to make Paxton some kind of Operation Phoenix overlord.
The plan itself describes Paxton's role as facilitating "communication, coordination and collaboration among the Operation Phoenix Partner agencies." It says nothing about supervisorial duties.
"It's not my job to give orders to departments. It's not my job to micromanage city departments," said Paxton, who emphasized that City Manager Fred Wilson convened Monday's Phoenix meeting.
Jim Morris scoffed at Penman's questioning the new plan's legality.
"There is absolutely no ambiguity," Jim Morris said. "Every city employee continues to report to their department through its chain of command, up to the city manager."
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Maybe we should get rid of the mayoral position and just keep the Chief of Staff position. Like we are playing over for $100,000 for Mayor Morris who defers everything to his Chief of Staff, Jim Morris, who we get for free. And he is even providing legal advice to boot....maybe we should replace the City Attorney position too...another $100,000 plus salary savings......
There is a budget savings! But then we would be getting what we paid - nothing.
Jim isn't free - Pat gives his paycheeck to him!
people get a grip.all is not perfect in nothing we do as humans,now it's time to make things better.no matter where you line in the county of San Bernardino.it's still south central San Bernardino.we can make a change if everybody stop pointing fingers,let the judicial system deal with miller,let the prisoners deal with miller,and we deal with whats going on where we should be making a difference.
Shan how would you know.?
I do believe that some of these bloggers kids or themselves had Mr.Morris for their drug court.Is that the problem with you hateraids?
people get a grip.all is not perfect in nothing we do as humans,now it's time to make things better.no matter where you line in the county of San Bernardino.it's still south central San Bernardino.we can make a change if everybody stop pointing fingers,let the judicial system deal with miller,let the prisoners deal with miller,and we deal with whats going on where we should be making a difference.
Linda,
Why else would Pat not have his paycheck sent direct deposit like the rest of the staf????
Shan -
I've heard that rumor. But the city pays him nothing and that is what his services are worth. He should quit playing "Sim City" with San Bernardino and get a real job where Daddy isn't helping his career - be a man.
"There is absolutely no ambiguity," Jim Morris said. "Every city employee continues to report to their department through its chain of command, up to the city manager."
See, things have gotten better already!
The same City Manager who has run the city budget into the ground to the tune of 17 million dollars. This from a city that has a 20 million dollar overage last year.
I feel so safe with Fred at the helm.....NOT!
Joe: Wilson didn't run this city's budget into the ground. It is Morris and Son. They make the money spending decisions on things like OP Phoney. And where did you come up with a twenty million overage last year. No such animal in this city. They barely made ends meet last year. But Morris had only been in for a year or so at that point so not too much damage could have been done by then. But anyway, it is still a mess under Pat/Jim Morris' watch.