The following letter was received from Roanoke City resident Robert R. Craig.
An excellent article and well researched. I hope it will be a wake up call for the current City Council that it is time for Darlene to leave. Having said that, Darlene’s defense is she only did what the City Council authorized. For anyone who has watched a “working session” of the council (we peons are not allowed to speak) it is obvious that Darlene led the council to the well where they drank fully and authorized her to act. So lets give some credit (credit is spelled “b-l-a-m-e”) to such stalwarts who were “for the City” as Reverend Doctor C. Nelson Harris, who pulled in approximately $250,000 during his 19 years of “public” service, Bev Fitzpatrick who never met a conflict of interest he recognized or ever knowingly did anything wrong, little Billy Bestpitch, and Lynda Wyatt who drew a full teachers salary but spent most of her time at City Hall not in the classroom.
Let’s not forget Dr. M. Rupert Culter, now returned to the council bringing with him his six years of prior council experience. Upon close examination it appears to me it is more like one year’s experience six times over, and it wasn’t a good year.
And then there’s us. After all, we are the ones who elected them, or failed to vote, there-by allowing them to be elected. The party is over, and the four sitting on council, not recently elected failed to listen to the warnings that it was ending. They thought Henny Penny was kidding about the sky falling. Lea, Trinkle and yes Ms. Mason who wants to go on to the house of delegates, were complicit. Put another way, they failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the citizens! Did the citizens really care? I suppose the 20 percent of the registered voters who turned out at the last election did. I don’t know whether the rest were convinced nothing could be done, or just didn’t care.
Managing in times of plenty is easy. Managing in times of austerity isn’t. The latter was proven watching the last budget being prepared. It was amateur hour, and the budget process contains at least two significant material weaknesses and the budget itself may have a ticking time bomb if health care costs were not budgeted against actuarial tables. The organization for financial management at City Hall is FUBAR. What is needed is a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) reporting to the council. The CFO organization would consist of, at least, the Management and Budget Department currently captive under the City Manager and the Director of Finance who reports to the City Council. Additionally there would be an internal audit and management assistance section. Until that happens it will be same-ol’, same-ol’ with wasting money at City Hall, stupid projects (think Countryside) with no justification which makes one wonder why our business leaders were not protesting loudly instead of lending money to facilitate such an asinine venture.
City residents have got to be vocal in holding the Council accountable and responsible for what happens. Officially we can’t fire a council member except every four years, but I bet they could be hounded out of office (think Alvin Nash), although at least one recent Council member from a prominent Roanoke family was too obtuse to resign. The council members all say they are “for the City.” Then they discover it is a real job and most seem to be too lazy to make the attempt to become familiar with what they are supposed to do. Court Rosen in a notable, refreshing exception. If he can come up to speed the rest can as well, including the dolts that have been sitting there for years. If they aren’t willing to do so, let’s hound them out of office, just as we should be hounding the City Manager out of town. Maybe we should all go outside and yell “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it any more,” or does that only work in the movies?
If there is anything missing from the excellent article, it is the Roanoke City School System Allocation. The School System receives funding from the city (the largest line item in the city budget). The allocation is based on “I don’t know” and “I don’t know.” The so called funding formula is a plucked-from-the-air number (the polite term) that has no justification. Additionally the allocation contains funding for debt service which is strange since the school system, per se, has NO debt. The debt service is there because, well, the debt service is there. I kid you not, those were the answers to my Freedom of Information Act request. The school system has existed on short rations for I don’t know how long because no one had the knowledge (or marbles) to complain. Instead we stand around making up excuses why the school system is failing. That the school system is doing well, remarkably well actually, I attribute to outstanding leadership on the part of Dave Carson, Chair of the School Board, outstanding leadership by Rita Bishop – who Dave brought back to town as the superintendent, and guess what – the system has a CFO who knows what he is doing. In a more perfect world the school system would execute a coup, throw the city council and city manager out of city hall and take over.
-Robert R. Craig
Left of the Murder …
“Maybe being one of the many employees I work to close to her to see this side of her the article is trying to portray”.
I too worked closely with her at one time. She is a very strong woman in a tough business … I will give her that … but I speak from personal experience when I say Darlene rules by fear. If you value your job, you do what she says … and become yet another one of her little robot drones until such time as you can find another job or retire. In my experience, employees who openly spoke out against her were transferred elsewhere, ruined their changes for any kind of advancement, and ruined their career in the process.
“Regardless, I couldn’t find a link between the facts about the budget to Darlene”.
All I can say is take a few steps back and open your eyes!!!!!
“ … it doesn’t seem likely that Roanoke will ever be anything more than an old railroad town”.
And your point is? I, for one, like the “hometown” feel that Roanoke offered … neighbors raising their hand in greeting as you go by, chatting with your neighbors at the mailbox, visiting the Farmer’s Market, or enjoying a picnic in the park. And in my humble opinion, it would be a shame to forever lose that charm and character all in the name of so-called progress. FYI, large fancy (vacant) buildings and other developments that its citizenry cannot afford do not measure governmental progress, nor is it financially sound.
FYI, at least two members of Council were elected because they vowed to end Darlene’s tyranny … all to no avail. And as long as City Council and others continue to hide their heads in the sand … she is allowed to remain in office, employees are ruled by fear, the cost to the taxpayer to run our government increases while services decrease, and progress is measured by wall-to-wall pet capital projects that we cannot afford and will not support or will underutilize once they are built … and when it is all said and done, we all lose.
To the two or three that state “This seems like an attack!” , well a big BOO-HOO to you! I think this is a breath of fresh air for this city, because for the first time in 3 years since i moved back (lived in Roanoke total 28yrs), I find some people with the same fustration that i have about my city. The information is public, but it seems that we live in one of the few cities in America, where it’s citizens wont confront their elected officals unless they step foot in their front yards, no matter how crappy of a job they are doing. I personally like the city manager, and think she has some good points to her, but I feel she needs to step down.
Our city is mismanaged, BOTTOM LINE>.
I blame them all down to the recycled city mayor, council, and manager for the mismanagement.
I second opinion, that until the people of Roanoke city finally get good and tired of having our mayor, council, and manager leans towards their career moves and pet projects; nothing is going to happen. I love the old clip from the original Batman movie with Jack Nicholson as Joker “This city needs an enema!”
Have you been to a council voting? The turnout is horrible!! Nobody cares who runs their city, but are the first to complain about it. Make sure you tell your friends and family about the upcoming ones, because the only people that truly get the word is the “GO TO” voter areas where these guys get the votes they need to get in their, and the true middle class families that produce the tax revenue to support the city are the ones that suffer. And they eventually end up moving (ex. decrease in population) to an area that they can see their tax money benefiting them and not some council member’s or manager’s wet dream of an amphitheater.
Should’nt we be more invested in a water system that doesnt need a patch every two months and every five feet? How about the crappy roads with potholes and patches every 5feet or the confusing design of the on and off ramps for 581, ect.? Why in the world can we not get decent services for basic city needs w/o hiring 25% of the city to do it? I see a bright yellow shirt (city employee shirts) and city vehicles driving around town all times of the day(and i am stuck in an office most of mine). Anyone ever wonder why we have this many employees working for the city? Dont get me started on the police services or trash carriers, because we would be here all day. I know i am not alone in being fustrated with the current status of our city.
“”"This story seems like nothing more than an attack on someone (without ever asking for her input prior to publication) and an attempt to cause controversy and to make a profit. That’s shameful.”"”
Wow, this amazes me that someone would even say that. Shameful to expose facts. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Heck yes, blame the citizens! I waited in line for an hour to vote for the President last year. I have NEVER waited in line to vote for City Council or other elected City *ahem* officials (and I’ve been a Roanoke resident for almost 20 years). GET OUT AND VOTE (and yes, I’m yelling)!! Council rules over the City Manager so, in essence, we elected Darlene. Think about that. Ask lots of questions before the next election and then show up at the polls.
The question is: What did the citizens get for the $83 million dollars extra spent last year?
I can’t provide a complete and detailed accounting, but off hand some things come immediately to mind.
1. An underfunded school system for which no one can explain the basis of the mythical “funding formula” other than long ago in the mists of time a group of citizens worked really hard, but alas all documentation has been lost so trust me on that – and oh yes debt service is there because debt service is always there.
2. About two million dollars subsidizing the civic center, half for operating loses because the (city) management is incompetent and half for debt service for a structure that isn’t needed.
3. Increased parking fees because the Campbell Parking Garage, build based on a “needs assessment” whatever that is doesn’t pay its way and the other parking facillities of the “Enterprise System” need to prop up the loses.
4. Debt Service on 18 million dollars worth of 20 year bonds for the non-existent multi-use Amphitheater on Orange Ave. Ok, Ok there are two high school stadium that increase school spirit, whatever that means, perhaps keep a miniscule number of football players in school if they can make a D+ average, and provide entertainment for adults but are a lousy return on investment. How’s that for heresy?
The remaining went to the library system – unaccounted for to the best of my knowledge.
5. Debt service on a six million dollar loan at Valley Bank and 4.25 percent, two points higher than municipal bonds, to purchase Countryside of development – a loan the bank would never had made to a private developer based on its merits because it was a loser from the git-go.
6. Salaries for approximately 25 percent city employees than are required and many in the wrong jobs to boot.
And, And, And. The question should be what did we GET that was of economic value, for the inflation adjusted increase in the amount of money spent by the City ?
Apropos of nothing for the downtown business owner – if you are a property owner downtown – what did you get for the 5 percent surcharge you pay in property taxes in the downtown special tax district that the City turns over to Downtown Roanoke Inc, under its contract to do the City’s work?
Not surprised to find government bureaucrats decrying the shamefulness of “making a profit.” Profit is a dirty word to them.
The city takes the profits and the labors of its 92,000 residents and businesses and squanders it, year after year.
Now THAT’S shameful.
I just have one question for this poster: What did the hard-working citizens get for the $ 83 million dollars extra the city spent last year?
And yes, the citizens are to blame. For tolerating this abuse for so long!
Don’t let the citizens off the hook either.
This article was okay, but I don’t see what all the hype is about. Most of the information could be easily found elsewhere, but it was nice to see it all in one article. I get that we live here and should be concerned, but in these times I can’t say that the stats and information were unique to Roanoke.
As far as “the Queen” is concerned, again, I don’t see what all the hype is about. Maybe being one of the many employees I work to close to her to see this side of her the article is trying to portray. Regardless, I couldn’t find a link between the facts about the budget to Darlene. As “Little Gray Man” wrote, don’t let council off the hook either.
And what about the citizens? Are we not to blame for ranting and complaining and convincing city council (who probably complied to get reelected) to poor an obscene amount of money into victory stadium? The stadium was death trap and a money pit, yet the sentimental citizens cried about until they got their way. And then it flooded. Again. I also did see any mention of the “save countryside” citizen groups that formed to prevent any change to the golf course. The citizens are so resistant to change that it doesn’t seem likely that Roanoke will ever be anything more than an old railroad town – Darlene or no Darlene.
And, might I add, how tacky it is to only post part of the article online in an effort to sell magazines. This story seems like nothing more than an attack on someone (without ever asking for her input prior to publication) and an attempt to cause controversy and to make a profit. That’s shameful. But good marketing. Great job.