In this this morning's mail I received the city's newsletter, The Vision. A delightful publication giving all sorts of good information, colorful photographs, and Mayor Nickolas Guccione's personal publicist's spin (Mayor's comments) on what's going on. His spin is well written, informative, and leaves a plethora of questions about what he's doing (and who's actually doing the writing).
During the Board of Aldermen meeting this past July 24th, there was a young boy scout there who was trying to earn his citizenship merit badge. He led the pledge of allegiance and afterward he was introduced to the board. Alderman Forrest Gossett asked him, "What do you need to do to earn this badge?" The young man responded, "To find out what the Mayor does." I understand that he was there to earn his badge and could really care less what the mayor does but I thought his answer innocently naïve. At any rate, I hope he found out because after watching Guccione for a year and a half, I'm still wondering what he does.
Back to the "Mayor's comment." In The Vision, he gave a rosy report on the state of Splash Station, and devoted a short paragraph on Heartland and Peruque Valley Park. His author's comments about Splash Station were so inviting, they had me running to get my swimsuit out of mothballs, the short introduction of the other two parks was vague and perhaps filled with the patented Guccione style of gloss.
He failed to mention that Splash Station is a year late in opening due to "unforeseen rock excavation." He took no responsibility for the rock issue being unseen when he didn't mention that he led the charge to hasten the building of the station at all costs. Guccione brought groups into city hall to pressure the aldermen to proceed by using his chant, "Start moving dirt, start moving dirt, start moving dirt." Had he not badgered the board so much, the Splash Station would probably not have been in its current location and just might have opened on time if he hadn't kept on chanting and pandering to voters to make him the Parks King.
One other slight omission in The Vision; "Mayor's comment" was that the Great and Mighty Wonderful Wizard of Wentzville , Mayor Nickolas Guccione neglected to tell voters that because of his chant, Splash Station is almost a half-million dollars over budget. He also ignored telling the voters that because of his chant, all of the parks will suffer the loss of at least half-a-million dollars worth of amenities, that's a lot of beach umbrellas.
I know I'm going to take a load of crap from die-hard Guccione Kool-Aid drinkers about this post, but I defy any of them to prove my facts wrong. Guccione's personal agenda to make the aldermen look bad cost the taxpayers $500,000, and all of the parks completion dates pushed off one year.
Statics are like bikinis, what they reveal is interesting, but what they conceal is vital. On January 15, 2013 I posted "Unanticipated Anomalies" (click here) which discussed the overrun problem and Guccione's responsibility in forcing this project forward knowing there was a mountain of rock just beneath the surface. Mayor, get off your ass and start leading this city, stop campaigning, read the materials presented to you, and do something other than fire employees and divert the blame. Take responsibility for your miserable record!
There is an important announcement coming up in the first or second week of September which could bring more insanity to Guccione's administration, I may owe Alderman Shryock an apology.
ReplyDeleteTo the Meat Grinder where ever you are—you are onto something. I Can't wait to report on it.
I remember someone tried to raise a flag last January but no one listened.
ReplyDeletehow does gooch always seem to avoid responsibility? I don't understand it.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding?? You mean the City of Wentzville thru away $500,000 of taxpayer money for 'Splash Station' because the city management including the department directors did not want anyone to know that they really knew of the rock 2 feet under the surface. Whoever said the phrase "unanticipated anamolies" about the rock being there, when every one in the Parks dept knew about it years ago when they looked at building sports field there and didn't because of the rock, is among the real culprits in this FIASCO. Come on folks, whoever signed off on the Splash Station and said it "was the right thing to do" should exit stage left before the the 'Whistleblower Express 'pulls into town.
DeleteJust read in the "PATCH" that the city goes to an outside recruiter/search firm for hiring.If that's true, why does the city have a Personnel Department? Can't the city HR do the hiring, recruiting and save the city a boat load of money? It would seem with all the turnover in the last years it would have acquired the expertise to recruit, interview, and hire competent city staff by now. Or is this another problem the city has???
ReplyDeleteAnyone with a head on their shoulders doesn't want to work for Wentzville.
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