HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-24 Public Comment - K. Powell - Jeff Mihelich and Anna Bentley - recent videoFrom:KPowell & S Griswold
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Jeff Mihelich and Anna Bentley - recent video
Date:Sunday, February 11, 2024 7:09:45 PM
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To: Mayor Terry Cunningham
Deputy Mayor Joey MorrisonCity Commissioners: Jennifer Madgic, Chris Coburn and Doug Fischer
From: Kathy Powell
1215 s 3rd AveBozeman
The recent video conversation between City Manager Jeff Mihelich and Community
Development Director Anna Bentley was disturbing.Both were disrespectful & insulting to city residents, City Commissioners and other staff.
The conversation was unprofessional and not very smart to have this kind of discussion overZOOM post recorded staff meeting.
It was not just the conversation but the attitude of both of them.
Jeff Mihelich
Refers to Bozeman as “a cow town with small town shit.” He says in 1 more year he will be vested and then “I will have my F…U Money”.
(Didn’t know that was a real phrase).
After he gets this vested money he can turn around and give Bozeman the finger. Geez!!!
This is a City Manager who values the City of Bozeman? Or is he more interested in the
money?This concept is further repeated when he talks about the City of Austin, Texas having a high
paying City Manager position open.He then said if he would get a job there “ I could suck it up for 5 yrs, get vested there, retire
the next day and would really be loaded.”So this attitude is not only toward Bozeman but toward another city too.
Jeff and Anna are both dismissive and disrespectful to Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor
Joey Morison and other city staff.Jeff says City Attorney Greg Sullivan is not to be trusted about the legal side of land use.
Anna Bentley
Refers to Mayor Cunningham as Jeff’s challenge and his Albatros. But says oh well theMayor “is only here for 2 years”.
Shows irritation with community members coming out of the woodwork that are antsyabout things they don’t need to be antsy about.
Becoming a director, she must have some professional expertise. Yet she fawns over
Jeff’s every word,
As a woman I found this behavior nauseating, especially for a woman who is a director of a
department. Woman have worked too hard to become respected professionals to then have a “professional"
behave like that.
Jeff’s post video release comments that saying the conversation on video was private and notmeant to go public is no excuse.
The attitude, the ego, the disregard for City staff, commissioners and Bozeman residents isreal and documented on this video.
One of the priorities recently set by City Commissioners is to rebuild trust with its citizens of
Bozeman.Well this video sure doesn’t help that priority. It just further damages citizen trust.
These two city employees do not represent the views or values of Bozeman.
They should resign or the City should fire them and hire people who are both competent andtruly care about the Bozeman community.
Finally, what is the role of City Commissioners meeting with developers? The City Manager
says they should not and says that Mayor Cunningham sometimes does talk to developersDo developers then only talk to the City Manager and the Community Development
Department?This developer issue needs to be seriously investigated, clarified and made transparent to the
Bozeman community.
Question? Does the City Manager form of government give the City Manager too muchcontrol?
Should the city relook at a Mayoral form of government? Or does it depend on who is hiredor elected and how much they care about Bozeman?
Kathy Powell1215 S 3rd Ave
Bozeman