HIGHLIGHTS of Issues & My Contributions
Issues
Challenges We Will Address:
- Ensure the continued high level of fire, ambulance and police services
- Work within the financial realties that affect city revenues. Although we have high revenue per capita, it is not likely to grow going forward. Spending decisions must be considered carefully.
- Undertake a comprehensive long-term financial forecast, identify trends and suggest a range of possible actions.
- Maintain core city capabilities, but explore options for outsourcing, shared services and general efficiency gains.
Principles:
- Preservation
of
- Vibrant
Community: Cultural venues, unique local shops, special events, and our
village hospitality are significant contributing factors to our community
and it's quality of life. Maintaining this vibrancy is critical to
- Recognition of Economic Reality: Planning and decisions must be based on three factors: The "new normal" (post 2008 recession), the city's obligation to our employee retirement fund (CalPERS), and responsibility to spend tax dollars wisely.
- Community Involvement: We have far more in common then we have differences of opinion. I listen to all perspectives and encourage participation in order to make better decisions.
Ken's Key Contributions:
- Ken
was instrumental in refinancing the
- Ken
added several provisions to the recent Fire and Ambulance contracts with
the City of
ADDENDUM:
7 comments:
Does Ken Talmage deserve to be re-elected to another four-year city council term? Does Talmage’s knowledge of financial matters and water issues trump Talmage’s egregious unethical conduct as it relates to his knowledge of City Hall’s “hostile work environment” and his subsequent actions and omissions from 2008 to the present?
To answer blogger's question? Yes, he does deserve to be re-elected. And Jason Burnett should be the next Mayor of Carmel, too.
We need Ken's experience and steady hand on the council considering that we will have at least two new people on board after this April election.
Blogger does not give credit where credit is due. It was Ken Talmage and Jason Burnett who had the courage to go public with a Herald guest commentary about the fact that it was time for Rich Guillen to go. That article cause quite a riff between the council members and made working together very difficult, as so stated at a November pre-election public gathering.
And blogger neglects the fact that Talmage and Burnett were consistently in the minority,with the women voting to continue their support of Guillen. Despite the fact that Ken and Jason were the minority on this issue, they were still able to prod the city toward the change that everyone was waiting for. It just didn't happen as fast as everyone wanted because of it.
And they had to certainly be careful how they handled it with Guillen, fearful that he would sue the city. Point your finger at the people who deserve the blame: Sue McCloud, Paula Hazdovac, and the enabler Karen Sharp.
Due to the nature of closed sessions, it is not a known “fact” to members of the public that “Talmage and Burnett were consistently in the minority, with the women voting to continue their support of Guillen.”
In 2008, City Council Member Ken Talmage became aware of the claims of Employee #1, Employee #2, Employee #3, Employee #4 and Employee #5. In 2010, the City Council unanimously voted to approve the $600,000 settlement to former Human Resources Manager Jane Miller. It is noteworthy that it was a city council policy to force Employees #1 - #5 into early retirement and City Administrator Rich Guillen implemented that council policy. Moreover, with the knowledge of the City Council he declared to the Court under penalty of perjury that the settlements were “golden handshakes” when the Council knew that to be false. Presently, given the content of Jane Miller’s legal complaint, the magnitude of the settlements (over $1 million) and the severity of the claims, a worthy public servant would not allow Assistant City Administrator/City Clerk Heidi Burch to be the “designated HR Manager” in the context of the City’s Harassment Prevention Policy. Yet, after Council Member Talmage queried about the numerous HR Manager references in the Harassment Prevention Policy and it was disclosed that Heidi Burch was the “designated HR Manager,” he failed to express any concern about that fact when he could have recommended that City Administrator Jason Stilwell serve as the designated HR Manager.
Furthermore, as a noted city government ethicist stated “Democratic accountability is based on the explanation of decisions by those who represent us and run our community.” If Council Member Talmage believes in democratic accountability, then he should acknowledge the claims and explain why the City paid over $1 million in settlements. If Talmage does not acknowledge the claims and explain why the City paid over $1 million in settlements over the course of the campaign, then he does not exemplify the standard of a worthy public servant and should not be entrusted with another four years in office.
It's time for everyone to move on from the subject of the disagreeable past and the scandal. It's behind us.
Carmelites should be rejoicing that a new day is dawning in Carmel come this April's election and Sue McCloud will be gone. The new City Administrator will no longer have to be under Sue's thumb and in spite of having to put up with her now, he is doing a very admirable job. He holds promise and is a competent administrator. (Quite a contrast to Rich Guillen.) So why don't you give him a chance and the benefit of the doubt?
Your blog was created years ago to rail on Sue McCloud because you disliked her--no, you hated her so much. You should be happy now that she is leaving. This should be your shining moment.
Instead what comes across is a sour, smoldering cranky anger that will never cease. And you seem to want to take down anyone else that happens to have a seat at the dais just because they have to work with Sue McCloud.
Enough already.
Anon’s assertion that The Carmel-by-the-Sea WATCHDOG! was created “years ago to rail on Sue McCloud because you disliked her--no, you hated her so much” is unsupported by evidence and false on its merits. This blog was created in response to the 2005 Monterey County Civil Grand Jury Report on Open Government. From the BACKGROUND of the Report: “A number of complaints were received from residents and former employees of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. These complaints ranged from human resource issues resulting from the organizational downsizing that occurred in 2004 to issues of communications with the residents of Carmel-by-the-Sea and an alleged inaccessibility of elected officials to participate in open debate and timely resolution of issues.” This blog was never about, nor is it now, about hatred of Sue McCloud. It was about Sue McCloud’s policies, her record of dishonesty and her use of deception and deceit to manipulate public opinion.
Anon’s other assertion that “you seem to want to take down anyone else that happens to have a seat at the dais just because they have to work with Sue McCloud” is also unsupported by evidence and false on its merits. The post on Ken Talmage is a challenge to a public official to be accountable to his constituents. The voters will then decide. Democratic accountability is a concept which is greater than one politician, be it Sue McCloud or Ken Talmage, and is essential to the functioning of our constitutional republic. It is unfortunate that Anon chooses to mischaracterize legitimate challenges to city government officials and employees as ”sour, smoldering cranky anger” when it is not, nor has it ever been. It is also disappointing that Anon has such a low standard and expectation of city government that he rather form negative opinions about a Carmelite based on blog content he dislikes than challenge city officials himself on issues of accountability and public service.
Most Carmel residents want to live their lives and could care a less about politics and city hall. A tiny minority show up at meetings all the time. Press accounts are sanitized and slanted in favor of city hall. Without this blog, we would get 100% sanitized and censored news. Thank you blogger.
A lot of Carmel residents like to be deceived by anyone promising Shangri-la.
A lot of Carmel residents are allergic to controversy so they take the lazy way out, the path of least resistance, throw up their hands and scream end the contentiousness yesterday. We must not be disagreeable and have disagreements. We must at least look like we are all getting along.
A lot of Carmel residents want to refashion Carmel in their own image through government.
A lot of Carmel residents believe Carmel is the model in every way for every city to emulate.
Of course all this in nonsense but it does not stop them from believing it.
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