Gettysburg Borough Manager... Krummerich?

[Venter]

Haven't heard much about the Borough Manager position lately.

It's been a long time now since Flo Ford left the office - so what's been happening?
I know that the Council has temporarily hired Peter Marshall in the interim... at $85 per hour!
Sure, it's not a full-time gig, but even 10 hours a week adds up to $850; 20 hours = $1700.
Not bad for part-time work!
I actually like Mr Marshall, but come on, let's look at replacing the Manager sooner than later.

A couple weeks ago, Fred Snyder's article in the Times mentioned the possibility of former Councilman Bob Krummerich throwing his hat into the ring.
I also like Krummerich.
While in charge of the Finance Committee, he showed that he has a good grasp of Fiscal Responsibility.
He also showed nothing but respect for me during the times I was constantly facing a not-so-friendly Council.
Bob was always like a calm-in-the-storm.

He has a low-key, laid-back sort of way about him - and doesn't seem to be interested in the "Drama" that sometimes surrounds Gettysburg.
Maybe that even keel is something that Gettysburg can use right about now.

[Dexter]

My opinion, he's "too close to the bone". They need someone unassociated with borough. It gets too hard to deal with problems if the person is too close to his boss(es). Imagine if the council has some issues with his performance, I don't think they will be able to honestly and openly deal with them as they have a "relationship" with Bill.

[lifesaver]

Oct 15, 2013 15:59:42 GMT -5 Dexter said:

My opinion, he's "too close to the bone". They need someone unassociated with borough. It gets too hard to deal with problems if the person is too close to his boss(es). Imagine if the council has some issues with his performance, I don't think they will be able to honestly and openly deal with them as they have a "relationship" with Bill.

Dexter, if the borough would adopt measurable evaluation standards it wouldn't matter how close of an association he may have with the borough.  His like or dislike of borough members, and vice versa would have no bearing as long as he was performing to the standards for which he was hired. The fly in the ointment is developing that fair evaluation process.  I would hope, if he was interested in seeking the position, that he would be hired because he was the right person for the job, not because of his relationship with sitting borough members. 

[Venter]

You may remember how adamant I was about not hiring John Lawver from "within" the old Borough regime.
I even spoke up about it at a Council Meeting... while John sat there at the table.
I really thought the process of a "Manager Search"was necessary to break the ties that bound.
In retrospect, I believe Lawver was a fine choice for the time-being, as a sort of "smooth transition period" after Sterner, and before a "permanent replacement" was found.

I wasn't concerned about John Lawver, the person, but what I considered a continuation of the "Charlie Sterner Mode of Borough Management" - which IMO was not quite the right thing for the health and growth of Gettysburg.

Now there have been a couple of Managers in place since, and the Bureaucracy at Borough Hall has had major turnovers.
It's a different atmosphere, and a different time.

Krummerich is not a "home-bred" Gettysburgian.
He's not "from here", but then again, neither are many of the inhabitants of the town.
He has shown his love and concern for the town, and his commitment.

Remember, Peter Marshall "found" Manager Flo Ford, right in our own back yard.
To truly understand Gettysburg, I believe it is necessary for it to be someone who is "Local" in the sense of having lived in the area, and understands its idiosyncrasies.
As crazy as it is to think that people in Harrisburg can control our unique traffic patterns, it's also asking a lot for someone who hasn't lived here to become the Manager.
This ain't a baseball team - it's Gettysburg, and I believe that a "local", whether homegrown or transplanted, is the best option.