HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-09-24 Public Comment - D. Sauther - City Manager VideoFrom:Diana SautherTo:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Manager Video
Date:Thursday, February 8, 2024 3:59:03 PMAttachments:Screenshot 2024-02-08 at 11.34.12 AM.pngEssential Work of City Manager.pngCity Manager Required Skills.pngCity Manager Required Skills part 2.png
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Dear City Commissioners,
Our city management is broken and community members gravely mistrust city government. The hot-mic video of City Manager
Jeff Mihelich and Community Development Director Anna Bentley seems to point directly at the source -- a City Manager and
Community Development Director who:
· disdain our community and its “classic small town shit”
· have contempt for engaged citizens who dare to voice their concerns
· have contempt for Commissioners who dare to meet with citizens or staff to gain understanding of issues
· actively work to silo Commissioners from staff and citizens, in order to control all information Commissioners receive
· have no long-term interest or investment in our community or what becomes of it – because Mr. Mihelich seeks only his “F-
U money” and intends to leave as soon as it vests.
The behavior exhibited by both Mr. Mihelich and Ms. Bentley is appalling – and entirely consistent with the contempt and
condescension that I and other citizens have felt from both in public meetings during their tenure.
Commissioners, you’ve stated that one of your priorities is to rebuild trust and pride in local government. That will not be possible
if Mr. Mihelich and Ms. Bentley are allowed to remain on staff. They have publicly violated every single one of the City’s purported
Core Values:
The damage is done -- trust in City government is gone. As long as these two continue to be “leaders” on the City payroll, that
damage will be irreparable. Both should resign. If they fail to offer resignations, they should both be fired. Mr. Mihelich and Ms.
Bentley clearly are not fit for the positions they hold and have alienated the very constituencies they were hired to serve.
Per his employment agreement, Mr. Mihelich is to “perform the functions and duties specified by Section 3.04 of the Bozeman City
Charter, the Bozeman Municipal Code, state law and the City Manager’s class specification and job description”. He has clearly
failed the following requirements of his class specification:
A manager who bad-mouths both his superiors (the Commissioners) and his clients (the citizens) to his team (Ms. Bentley) is an
utterly incompetent manager creating a toxic environment. Given that Ms. Bentley feels free to join in the bad-mouthing of both
Commissioners and citizens, it is obvious that the foul culture Mr. Mihelich has created permeates amongst his team.
No wonder our City is a mess. It’s time to clean house, and it’s your responsibility to do so from the top.
While we’re on the subject: It’s time to re-evaluate our form of government. We are growing fast, and what served our
community in the past does not seem to serve it now. We desperately need adept, sure, transparent leadership – ideally via a full-
time mayor and full-time Commissioners who represent specific neighborhoods. In other words, it’s time now for full-time elected
leaders who are part of our community and responsive to the citizens they represent. Let’s do away with the model that vests too
much power with an unelected City Manager who comes from elsewhere and is likely here only briefly as a stepping stone to
another, bigger job elsewhere. Bozeman deserves leadership that is invested in our community and cares about what we become.
In the meantime, as long as there is someone in a city manager role, please ensure that the management contract does NOT
provide a big payday to someone who fails in the job. The idea that Mr. Mihelich will be owed a year of severance pay plus a
contribution to his retirement account is absolutely undeserved and completely ridiculous. Let’s do better with the next contract.
Thank you for your service. And, moving forward, please ensure that those who are employed by us serve us with respect and
adhere to the City’s core values.
Regards,
Diana Sauther
1865 Boylan Rd., Bozeman MT