I'm on deadline and don't have time to track down the link, but this morning I ran across another item that doesn't reflect too favorably on Sarah Palin's experience as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which we are told now qualifies her to be president. It looks like Wasilla has a city administrator form of government, which means a paid hired hand, as in Billings and many other cities, actually does most of the hiring, firing, budgeting and managing. In such systems, mayors typically preside over city council meetings and ceremonial functions and then vote like any other council members on ordinances -- sort of like senators, only on local rather than national and international issues.
If that's all true, then her resume just got a few years thinner.
UPDATE: A couple of commenters have noted that the city of Wasila's website shows no city administrator. That's true. The Outpost is out now, so I went back and found my source. If this link is right, then Wasila did have a city administrator, at least for a time, apparently in direct response to Palin's mismanagement. No way to be sure yet how true this is, but I will keep looking.
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2 comments:
Hi David,
Might want to double-check what you heard. I just went to the City of Wasilla web site (http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=1) and snooped around. You and I have both covered enough city government to find the "footprints" of an administrator (e.g. organization charts, agenda items, etc.) If this city has an administrator, he/she is very well-hidden. Methinks the mayor does run the show.
Actually, David, from the city regs listed on a political irony website, it sounds like a mayor/Council form of government. The mayor is in charge of city government employees at a salary of $75,000 for the first term.
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