Enough Is Enough, It's Time

 

It's been brewing for a long time—a year and a half to be exact—and even though I've tried my best to warn the good people of Wentzville—it seems my message has fallen on deaf ears. No mayor of Wentzville has ever had so many high level employees quit or be fired from their jobs at a faster pace than that of Mayor Nickolas Guccione. Wentzville's City Administrator, Public Works Director, Finance Director, Assistant Finance Director, IT Director, Director of Purchasing, Accounts Payable Manager, Economic Development Manager, Civil Engineer, and Assistant Civil Engineer, have all either quit, retired, or been fired over the past 18 months. Is it a coincidence that so many employees have taken a powder since Nickolas Guccione has been called "Mayor" for the same length of time? I think not!

It is now my unpleasant duty to announce another high level employee to take leave of King Nickolas' reign, Ms. Lisa Etling, Executive Assistant to Mayor Niockolas Guccione, has handed in her resignation—another coincidence?—I also think not. Ms. Etling had served Wentzville as Assistant to Mayor Lambi, and the City Administrator, and had been with the city for over twenty years. I know Ms. Etling, she was a dedicated, and valuable asset to Wentzville, I have to ask myself—why would she resign? The answer lies deep within the structure that our mayor has neglected—he has relied too much on employees doing the job he should be doing. It also has a lot to do with trust, and the City of Wentzville's employees do not trust Mayor Nickolas Guccione.

Now that I've brought up the issue of trust, I need to address the employees relationship with the Board of Aldermen. They trusted the board of aldermen when they were unified, but now, with Alderman Kross off the reservation, taking Shryock with her, and Alderman Micheal Hays being a pawn, they have lost faith in being protected—they feel more at the mercy of a lunatic who knows nothing about management—Mayor Nickolas Guccione.

Kross and Shryock have pushed their noses too far into the operation of the city. They are micromanaging every department, and Guccione is such a poor manager, he has allowed it. The Employees are confused, they don't know who to listen to; a dysfunctional mayor, or a once unified, strong board, that has been disrupted by Alderman Cheryl Kross, who has broken the solidarity of the Board of Aldermen. I now believe, Kross is a cancer to the City of Wentzville, and in combination with our mayor, who thinks he's the King, our city is going down a path that leads nowhere. Ms. Etling was Guccione's assistant—with all the other city employees leaving, and now her resignation from a long-time position—it speaks volumes about her boss.

I've neglected to talk more about the Board of Alderman meeting of October 9, 2013, which was a total disaster, but I guarantee I will next time. If you go to the city website, and click on the video for the October 9th meeting (click here), you will find that the audio is available, but the video is not. I heard that the city clerk had inadvertently forgot to throw the correct switch, I believe it was an accident. If you want to find out what happened at the meeting, you can listen to seven-and-a-half hours of audio—believe it or not, you may find it interesting. My next post will give you the times to listen to, so you can hear for yourself, the incompetence of Mayor Nickolas Guccione.

As for now, I have two more days of sand, surf, and suds to endure. So next time I'll be back to the 50 degree weather in Wentzville and ready to dig into the crazy situation known as King Nickolas' sinking ship. It's too bad that Wentzville is losing so many good employees and that some citizen hasn't asked their alderman about the process for having King Nickolas recalled——it is time.
 

Let's See How Much $ I Can Waste Today!

 

I'm trying very hard to respect the mayor of Wentzville, Nickolas Guccione, but every day I am presented with more and more challenges to that endeavor. I'm sure I hold the office of Mayor in great esteem, however King Nickolas is killing me with his constant ideas on better ways to waste city time, resources, and tax-payer dollars.

 

This past Sunday I wrote a piece that has yet to be posted because I was waiting for some information about his wasting city money. The information has come now, but I won't post it until after I relieve myself of a more recent burden King Nickolas has placed on my mind and the tax-payers pockets. This guy, who calls himself the CEO of Wentzville is in reality the most inane, unlettered individual to ever claim the honorable position of mayor.

 

It has been stated numerous times that Guccione has an inability to communicate or literate in any capacity of the office. Today, I learned that our mighty Potentate has a problem with his memory, which I suspected for some time. He cannot remember what was said in the meetings he has with his staff. I always figured that he couldn't read his own notes, but in actuality, he doesn't take notes—he relies on his memory, which has undoubtedly begun to fail him.

 

When one of his staff tries to remind him of what he said, or was said to him, he sometimes doesn't believe them. I don't know why, but he went to our celebrated City Attorney, Paul Rost to see what he could do about his new-found problem.  Rost advised him to take his Administrative Assistant, Ms. Lisa Etling to the meetings to take notes for him. I'm sure Rost was referring to his weekly, Thursday morning staff meetings, but Guccione has decided to take Ms. Etling along with him to take notes anytime he drops in the offices of his staff or visa-versa. If you wanted to jog your memory, wouldn't it be cheaper for you to buy a pocket recorder, Mr. Mayor? Hell, the City might even pop for one if you ask nicely. I'd even buy you one if you would agree to release your Administrative Assistant from her shackles and let her do her job.

So here we are, Mayor Guccione has Ms. Etling following him around city hall writing down every word he utters or that is uttered to him, during all of his conversations with the city's directors. It might not be as bad as it sounds because he's only at city hall one day a week and he's out campaigning half of that day. He has dumped all of the tasks of the city administrator on the directors and now he's taking away precious time from Ms. Etling. A word to all city employees, don't stand around in one place very long because Guccione will pile some more of his duties on you. When you have a man like Guccione in power who has the corporate mentality of a gnat, there's never enough slaves to satisfy the overseer.

With everyone in city hall doing Guccione's work, and that of the city administrator (which was assigned to him), what is left for him to do but strut and puff? Every initiative he's brought to the Board of Aldermen, has or will cost the city money, and now he's taking more time away from city staff to do another job he should be doing.  C'mon Nickolas, at least make an effort to take your own damn notes.

I'll be back real soon with more of King Nickolas' spend, spend, spend trend way of doing business at city hall, stay tuned.