On October 17, 2013, The Wentzvillian posted; Enough Is Enough, It's Time (click here), in which was listed the directors and employees that left their positions for greener pastures during the previous 18 months. That time frame coincided exactly with the time of Mayor Nickolas Guccione's term in office. Today, just two months later, the list has grown to include Wentzville's Parks Director, the legal services team, and Wentzville's audit firm—all left during the chaos created by Guccione's administration. Now it's my unpleasant duty to announce another flight.
Gary Miller, Superintendent of water and waste water has turned in his paperwork for early retirement. Mr. Miller has been with the city for 30 years and knows everything there is to know about Wentzville's water works. The telling fact about his retirement is that he only gave the City two weeks notice. In my estimate, Mr. Miller has become frustrated enough with the unpurposive leadership of Guccione's administration that he decided to get the hell out of Dodge while he still has his sanity. It is further believed that the retirements of Mr. Jerry Hillin, Purchasing Director, and the unexpected early retirement of Ms. Mary Jo Dessieux, Parks Director, were for the same reason.
The underlining fabric of Guccione's administration is one of a total lack of leadership skills. It's sad to say, but Wentzville employees just don't trust him and consequently their morale is at an all-time low. One of the city's employees who was fired earlier this year filed a Federal lawsuit for discrimination, and in my opinion the City will probably settle out of court to the tune of around one-million dollars. According to rumor there will be another suit, by another dissatisfied ex-employee filed closely on it's heels. I have also heard that someone has requested all of Guccione's email records for the past five months (probably an attorney) so, King Nickolas had better keep the City's checkbook on his desk. It's times like these that the name Detroit keeps coming to the forefront of my thoughts.
I guess Enough is Not Enough. But It's Definitely Time for someone to take action before Guccione's teething on the Wentzville pacifier creates a predicament that will take longer to repair than his new-found teeth will last, but it may already be too late. Every Wentzville Director except one has left the city payroll and now the list of middle-management personnel to leave is growing. Have the "lack of confidence bells and whistles" not been heard by our Aldermen? What will it take to correct a serious problem residing in the Mayor's office? Am I so far out of whack that I'm blinded by a smokescreen of wanting my own words; "I told you so," to be true? Or is there some other reason that the City is being abandoned by an ever-growing large number of Wentzville's most intelligent and talented employees?
I've stated before that Guccione has been bailing the sinking U.S.S. Wentzville with a drill—I may have been wrong. The damage that has, and is being done, has to be the result of dynamite. Recently I've been seeing parallels between the administrations of Mayor Nickolas Guccione to that of President Obama. Guccione bears a great number of notches on his gun-butt, something needs to change ... quickly. The citizens need to stand up and ask some very difficult questions like; Mr. Mayor, what have you done to our beloved City of Wentzville, and why don't you resign and go back to North County while we still have our life preservers?
The mayor, Guccione does not compromise, or even communicate openly with President Rick Stokes or the board, it's his way or no way. It is impossible for him to say, "I'm wrong, now what can we do to remedy the situation?"
ReplyDeleteI have serious doubts that Guccione has any idea of the magnitude of the problem he's brought to the table. He is totally incapable of being honest with himself.
Ouch! The Truth Is Out There.
DeleteBut will anyone even try to take charge to save my beloved city?
what is wrong with our aldermen? why don't they stop this bafoon guccoone?
ReplyDeletethe employees who left were very intelligent, they knew to get out before guccione screwed them. kross and shyrok are to blame too, don't lay everything on gooch, they played major roles in employee frustrations. i think you should start calling them "doublekross" and "shrek"
ReplyDeleteThe inability of our 2 unprofessional aldermen to manage effectively the resources at their disposal has many city employees throwing up their hands in dismay. Their ongoing calling of city 'staff' to "do this, do that, get me this information, I don't understand why it can't be done", mentality has folks flustered beyond belief. Let the directors do all the communicating with their staff and leave the folks in the trenches alone to do their jobs.
ReplyDeleteEmployees have been treated like slaves for several years now. It's not entirely the mayor's fault. There is a whole board who are all working for their own self-serving initiatives. Residents of Wentzville need to look at every single aldermen during election. Wentzville probably hasn't hit rock bottom yet.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, the mayor is responsible for all city employees, he should take the lions share of the blame. He calls himself the CEO, he should start acting like one! Kross and Shyrock should have been put in their places and told to stay away from the staff, it's none of their concern.
DeleteAldermen should only contact the city directors who are responsible for the work output of their staff. The smart choice is that they contact the City Administrator who distributes work assignments- as their manager- as he sees appropriate and then takes the heat directly from the Aldermen if they have a problem. The Aldermen should not be constantly calling their 'go-to' buddies to get help.
DeleteCall the City Administrator for info first!
From what I understand there are city directors just as guilty of approaching Aldermen on the sly trying to play one against the other to get what they want. Some of the outgoing and already gone got busted playing those type of games and just about any company out there would send you packing or clip your wings for it. There are very few innocent victims here.
DeleteSometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can rise to the top again. There are a lot of brown trout floating around Wentzville, especially in the Mayors office.
DeleteI hate to see Gary resign, but I can certainly understand why he is going. I'm sure leaving earlier than he planned, reduces the pension benefits. As far as I'm concerned that dirties the hands of the BOA who did not demand, from the get go, that Guccione act like a mayor. There should be a recall election. I'm sure Guccione would be removed from office with no confidence vote. City leaders-lead us or go home!
To Anonymous 12/6/2013 3:58 PM:
ReplyDeleteYour comment sounds like a touch of jealously. I say Directors go for it - contact the Aldermen. When there is no leadership at the CEO, the Directors have to fight for every penny they can get for their department budgets. Contacting the Aldermen shows they care for their departments. It is apparent you are a city employee and never bend in the real world of corporations. If you had you would know that is how to move up the ladder. But I suspect you are a employee who sits back and gossips without any real production. By the way who got busted for speaking to Aldermen. That also shows how little you know. The Directors I know send emails to the full board revealing their conversations with the Board and that includes the Mayor. Gosh I live out of town and visit Wentzville once a month and know more than you and you are an employee.
Wednesday Night will the residents of Wentzville finally see the Mayor addressing the budget or even commenting. Oops!! Sorry about that I forgot a person has to be capable of reading the Financial Report!! Well I am sure Shryock would help you Mayor. Oops!! Sorry Again. She has not read it either to be capable of having an understanding. On Friday as I was walking into City Hall both the Mayor and Shryock were walking out together. Maybe they were studying the Budget. Hey Mole why are those two always together?
ReplyDeleteGuccione and Shyrock are close now because she knows she cannot possibly win re-election next April without his suppprt. She is hoping that he won't support someone else. He is campaigning for her as we speak. Guccione has her in his pocket and that's one more alderman to vote with him against Stokes, Gard, and Gossett. It boils down to politics. He has the power of breaking ties on the board right now since Kross has become one of his rag dolls.
DeleteIf Wentzville wants a chance for a sane government they need to get rid of Shryock in 2014 and keep Guccione's replacement for her out of office next April. This is a crucial election because Gossett has less than a good chance and Guccione is going to use every sneaky trick he can think up to get rid of Stokes. Since Kross doublecrossed Stokes to sell out for Guccione, the future looks bleak. Kross needs to go in 2015.
I have a question for the Mole.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that the Mayor hired a professional firm to determine why the directors and city staff are so distraught with the City and their employment. Is that true and at what cost to the city taxpayers? If the final answer comes down to lack of leadership. Do you think the Mayor will blame himself as a poor CEO or will he blame the aldermen?
I had not heard that, but I will investigate.
DeleteIt's true! It was signed by the mayor and it cost the city $9,000 to find out why city employees are unhappy.
Deletedon't forget the IT department also disappeared. Our electrician also bailed while the getting was good. It is truly a sinking ship and the number of people jumping overboard and those being thrown are growing at a rapid rate. The City has a very bad reputation among the groups that replacements are recruited from and basically has been blackballed from getting any good replacements because nobody wants to work with the pressures being applied to the staff. I hope the residents of this City will rise up and demand that something be done about this before this City is no longer worth living in.
ReplyDeleteI thought the mayor outsourced the IT department? If that is correct then how did the department disappear? Wasn't the electrician connected to the facebook page Wentzville employees and thwe mayor went after the originated of that page. Wentzvillian was this the reason the electrician changed jobs. the city does not have a bad reputation. the politics has the bad reputation.
ReplyDeleteThe IT department was outsourced until the city cancelled their contract. Since then, Jerry Hillin, Purchasing Director, has been, and will be acting IT Manager until his last day in January—they will be hiring a full time IT Manager soon. As far as outsourcing the electrician job, I believe they are going to bring that back in house. I was never really sure why they outsourced that job in the first place.
DeleteRegarding the employee facebook page, I know who originated it, but when the Mayor, and others, put the heat on, the originator got cold feet and shut it down. If you are suggesting the job was outsourced to get rid of the electrician, I do not know, but I wouldn't be surprised.
You are correct that the City does not have a bad reputation around the county, but the Mayor and some of the Aldermen do. I know of two mayors in the County who are laughing at Wentzville for electing Nickolas Guccione. It's sad what our Mayor has done to the reputation of his office.
My following of the Wentzvillian has fallen behind, and I usually don't post, but I have to comment about the electrician. I know him well, and he was not tied to the facebook page (whatever that is, he said he is not familiar with it). He did post comments in his personal face book account, and yes his comments did come to the line (that would be the line set by City policies that were created while this existing board was in place), but according to HR he did not cross it. When he left, there was alot of talk about completely closing his department (building services/maintenance) and outsourcing all of the departments work. The electrician opted to leave because he had a family to support and could not take the chance of having his job outsourced. He was employed by the City for 15 years before he left. The mayor was not the cause of the problem, it was comments made by "power hungry" Board Members and Department Directors that the Wentzvillian "strongly" supports that made him start looking for a new job in the first place.
ReplyDelete