Commissioners reflect on first year in office

During every election the promise of change becomes the mantra that inevitably sweeps new faces into office, with the incumbent candidate or his party kicked to the curb for who is hoped by the electorate to be a more accommodating public official.

One who listens to the people. One less arrogant and more open. A person from the neighborhood who shares our work ethic and values.

Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn’t. More than a year ago, Dothan voters in Districts 4 and 6 rejected the incumbents for two political unknowns.

One man - a 52-year-old counselor at Troy Dothan who ran because nobody else planned to - promised to be more available and accommodating to the people who put him in office. Keith Seagle believes he has accomplished that much.

A second man - a 78-year-old retiree - promised nothing and said little. Just before the 2007 summer election, John Craig refused all interviews with the newspaper. A Q&A ran with Craig’s name and 20 column inches of blank space, next to his opponent’s responses. It was a bold move that didn’t alienate him from voters.

One year ago both men were elected and sworn in, marking the beginning of a tumultuous year of the Dothan City Commission where grand-standing accusations were made; many, many questions were asked publicly - some for the first time; and disagreement became the norm.

There was the city manager’s contract, which was not renewed, then it was. There was the moving of meetings from morning to night, and then back to mornings. First weekly, then bi-weekly. There was a half-million dollar press box expenditure and a $12 million bond issue for ball fields, road construction and an air conditioning project.

Lots of issues. Lots of votes.

There has been a learning curve, Commissioners Seagle and Craig say, and the public has either loved them or hated them - extremes people are prone to feel about elected officials.

Before, there was the impression of rubber-stamped decisions. There was too much harmony, some said, and too little discussion. The last year has been defined by more public disagreements, split votes and a few out-and-out arguments, that some believe is healthy in a democratic system.

The Eagle recently sat down with both freshman commissioners to reflect on the year, with Craig saying he thought people cared more about what goes on in their city, and Seagle saying being a commissioner is the hardest job he ever had.

John Craig:

Q: Is being a commissioner anything like you thought it would be?

A: To be frank, I hadn’t attended very many meetings and I didn’t know how it was supposed to operate. That was part of the learning process I had to go through. I initially thought the public was more interested in what is going on than they are. We had the meeting times changed and did whatever we could to get people to come.

As far as the protocol of meeting, there is nothing out of the ordinary there, except the way some things come to the agenda. There are things to be voted on that could be handled differently and we could cut down on the time in meetings. We give the city manager the authority to buy anything up to $15,000, yet we vote on it. I say why? If we give him the authority, what are seven more votes?

Q: You voted against most of the bond issue items, based on your fear of the mounting debt and excessive spending in poor economic times. Was your vote right?
A: I still have the fear of mounting debt. I don’t know the thought processes of the other six commissioners, or what logic their vote was based on. I am even more so concerned about spending with the transition of things going on. I look at what is happening to Jefferson County with a $300 billion debt and potential bankruptcy. If you read the history of all that, it reads like some of the things going on in Dothan. The thing that got them drastically in trouble was the sewer system. We are facing a $46 million-plus system upgrade. They are deeply in debt with their retirement fund, like us. There are other similarities.
Q: You voted against renewing the city manager’s contract early on. What are your thoughts on the city manager’s performance and the city manager form of government?
A: I thought and I still think, and it will face the new commission, that they will not have enough time to really know what the city manager has or has not done, if it was done properly or not, or in the city’s best interest. Because of the way it is, you have to vote. I did not vote against the city manger. Two months (into office) is not enough time to assess if he is doing an acceptable job. I did vote against his type of contract which is in favor of the city manager and at the detriment to the city. I am not sure we have looked after the total interest of the city.

The other thing I didn’t like about it was that the efficiency grading becomes public information. It is grossly unfair to the city manager and the people who are grading him. Grading is a personal opinion. We should sit down and discuss it without it being blasted in the Dothan Eagle or on Channel 4 or wherever.
Q: Since you bring up the media, there have been editorials and letters to the editor critical of your performance. How does that feel?

A: Part of it just comes with the job. It is not fair to the people you are writing about. You don’t know these people. You take one segment of what they do or say and make a big thing out of it. The animal control ordinance is an example. They (the editorial board of the Eagle) don’t ask me anything. They took some verbiage given by some people on the committee. Letters to the editor, pro and con, that goes with the job. If you are that thin-skinned, you don’t need to be a city commissioner.
Q: Is this a hard job?

A: In some instances it is. Sometimes it is absolutely aggravating. When you have to make decisions about spending money, it becomes very burdensome. You look at taxation and what the money is being spent for. The special interest groups don’t want to look at the big picture of the city. They look at what they want at that time - be it press boxes, ball fields or what have you.
There are people in town who think the city runs on nothing and there are people who are opposed to everything. Some people think there is subterfuge, that every move we make is diabolical. Dothan is not a one-horse town. We are a major city. People don’t want to change their lifestyle or anything. You can’t stand still in this world, unless you die.

Q: What’s the biggest surprise for you coming on this board?

A: The biggest surprise was the status and shape of the retirement fund. In my wildest imagination, I couldn’t believe we had an unfunded liability of $99 million. I don’t understand why steps weren’t taken to remedy it before now.
One of my biggest surprises was the 2-year budget. I don’t agree with it, but I can’t do anything about it.
 
Q: What are you most proud of from your first year on the commission?
A: That I brought a more conservative view to the spending habits of the city. And helping the constituents with problems they have when they call me.
Q: What is your biggest failure, disappointment or frustration as a commissioner?
A: The animal ordinance situation. I failed to recognize the intensity of the animal lover - especially their spreading of falsehoods, misinformation and not recognizing the problems being created by animals in the city. We are euthanizing over 3,000 animals a year, which is sad. People have labeled me as an animal hater, but to the contrary, I love them. I hate to see them in that shape. And it bothers me to see animals put down.
I’m also disappointed over the plight of our senior citizens. The senior group in Dothan is the least considered group we have and yet they do most of the voting. We are going to have to come up with public transportation, knowing full well there is not a system in the U.S. that doesn’t operate at a loss. Seniors are living longer and losing their ability to drive. We have to get them transportation around the city. Signage needs to be changed. There needs to be larger lettering and in a better position for seeing.
We are going to need a different type of senior citizens facility because the baby boomers coming down the pike are not going to be content with making bird houses.
Q: Do you regret running for office and will you run again?
A: I do not regret having run. Part of what I ran on was no more taxes and I still believe in that. I have tried to curtail some of the spending I consider unnecessary. Will I run again? I’ve got three years to decide.
Q: Sometimes there is disagreement among commissioners. Is this a good thing?
A: I believe contention can be a good thing. I don’t vote out of spite.

Q: Was the one-cent sales tax increase needed, and would you have voted for it if you had been on the commission at that time?
A: Much to my surprise, the sales tax probably was necessary. I also found, as I walked the street, people were not against the tax so much as they were the way it was done. They were not listened to when they said, ‘Don’t do it.‘ The officials did not do an adequate job in convincing voters it was needed. If they had known there was a $99 million debt on retirement and infrastructure was down, that we needed roadways, then they would have been more amenable to this. I still believe there should have been a vote of the people. At least the people would have had a say and it would have forced the city to explain, even it they had to pass it after the people voted against it.

If I had been presented the facts as they are, I very well could have voted for the increase. What the general public has not recognized is the cost of running the city is increasing proportionally to their own costs. While we have the ability to tax, it becomes incumbent upon the city to be as thrifty and spend as wisely - curtail ball parks - as we can until times are more favorable. Realizing now, the impact of leisure services on the city is considerable. It brings ball players, tennis players, whoever, to sports venues. It does increase taxes and the one dollar becomes $4…. Not withstanding, we still have to take a look at how we spend money.
Q: Do you favor a sewage rate increase and a garbage fee?
A: I would have to take a look at that in conjunction with all the other services offered by the city, such as water, electricity, garbage. Those things come out of one bucket. We have got to find a way to meet the cost. We can’t rely on one element of the city to support the others. It may be that it becomes necessary.
Q: Do you favor the continued funding of Dothan by Design?
A: Within limits. Dothan by Design, or the DDRA, or other agencies that receive funds from the city, is going to have to curtail their activities or the city will have to take a hard look at what they fund.
We have to find different ways to get interest in downtown and Dothan by Design. There are people who don’t see the need for it. They would rather see a road paved.

Keith Seagle
Q: Is being a commissioner anything like you thought it would be?
A: That and more because of the contact I’ve had with neighbors and citizens. That has been the most impressive part to me. We live in a wonderful city. Many of us take it for granted and I did too before I entered public office. We get up in morning, get our coffee, read the newspaper, get the kids off to school and go to work. We are all focused on our lives.

This has expanded my view on what a wonderful city we have. So many people do care what is going on. I knew our city was good with volunteerism, but I am able to see there are a lot of people who care. That has helped me realize who I work for - the people. I feel strongly my role is to be the voice of the people. I reject top down leadership in city government. If you think people don’t know what’s good for them, then you don’t trust the people. But if you believe people have a basic sense of right and wrong and have common sense, then you are in the right place for leadership.

Q: You voted against most of the bond issue items, based on your fear of the mounting debt and excessive spending in poor economic times. Was your vote right?
A: I believe I was right, but I don’t take any joy in that. The only time I brought props to a meeting was when I brought Dothan Eagle articles and others that talked about poor economic times. That is what we are living right now. The city is not immune to that. It has become my number one priority now, to get city spending under control.

I think there have been steps in that direction. Maybe the overall situation has forced the city into that. When we prepared for a meeting to discuss a mew library, I had some conversations with the finance director. It turned out, it wasn’t possible to (fund the construction) if we wanted to and the mayor started the meeting saying that. We have had to look at cuts in spending.

Q: You voted against renewing the city manager’s contract early on. What are your thoughts on the city manager’s performance and the city manager form of government?
A: That was one of the most difficult situations I have dealt with in my first year. It was one that best illustrates the point of the power to frame the question goes a long way toward influencing the answer. My point was and probably still is, the contract itself is a bit one-sided and when a contract comes up for renewal, it should include renegotiation. The question before us was all or nothing. It became for the city manager or against the city manager. That kept us from getting to debate the performance of the city manager because it was established we would not renegotiate the contract. I have grown to respect Mike West as a city manager. He is very experienced, but it is still a fair question. When a contact comes up, someone should be looking after the best interest of the city.

As far as I am concerned on the city manager form of government, it is a dead issue. It was brought up, discussed, and didn’t go anywhere. If it comes up again, it won’t be me bringing it up.

Q: How does the media criticism and the message board chatter affect you?

A: I’ve learned to keep it in perspective. I have learned to not worry so much about what individuals say that’s critical. There are some people you couldn’t please if you declared every day Christmas. I respect their rights to speak, but there is a vocal minority that may or may not understand reality in the city. Some fellow politicians do seem to react to things on the Internet forums. My thought on that, these are people in office a lot longer than me and it didn’t take me long to realize not to react.

I respect the media’s role to be a watchdog. I don’t expect the media to protect me. There are times when the attacks or slant may seem personal, but that is my point of view.

Q: Is this a hard job?
A: It is the hardest job I ever had. There is so much to know and there are so many opinions based on lack of insight. I ask questions to get the answers out there. I want the public to know I asked it. It is a hard job if you care - if you do it right. One of the things that makes it difficult is, it is a part-time job. I am trained as a counselor. Mike West has 30-plus years experience on running a city. I couldn’t expect to know how to run a city, like he does not know how to be a counselor.

Q: What’s the biggest surprise for you coming on this board? What have you learned?

A: The role of the city commission has been compared to a board of trustees and that is the role we need to take. We sit in chambers and are asked to vote on if the attendant at Water World can have $25 in the cash box. We should be looking at the big picture and where this city will be 5, 10, 15 years down the road. We’re really not very focused on the small picture either. City staff can do that. What does the city commission do? I think we are enamored with shiny, new things. We are the designated buyers. The danger in that is we look at ways to spend more money and then we start measuring accomplishment on what shiny, new things we bought and how much we spent. We look for immediate gratification.
And trying to please special interest is a surprise. That is evidently a very strong motivator in politicians and therefore you have a coalition …. There are times it is difficult for a politician to say no to spending, but we have to sometimes rise above it and say no.

Q: What are you most proud of from your first year on the commission?

A: I am most proud that I think I have handled the pressure of go-along and get-along very well. I have stuck to my principles. I have been in situations where someone has said to me, ‘This is going pass anyway, you might as well vote for it.‘ I tell them I will stick with my principles. What validates that is the feedback from the public. I get calls and emails from people.

I have learned to trust my instincts. I do not have a problem with someone disagreeing with me if they are being genuine. If they think spending this money, raising this tax, is the best way to move a city forward, then that’s what they should do. You just shouldn’t say one thing and act on another.

Q: What is your biggest failure, disappointment or frustration as a commissioner?

A: The limited success I’ve had in engaging other members of the commission in public debate and discussion. If I had my way, every meeting would be more like a working meeting where we sit around the table and say what you think about something and go around the table. I issue an invitation to respond and many times that is met with silence. The prevailing notion is, these things will be decided amongst ourselves, behind closed doors but let’s present a united front. I don’t think that is the best way to discuss something. I think we should have more public debate. I firmly reject the “team” analogy in government. We have a two-party system. We don’t expect the party out of power to be part of the team in power. In politics, the team lends itself to the idea that one person is the quarterback, and that would be the mayor, and we are following his lead. Everybody on the commission has an obligation to represent their views.

Q: Do you regret running for office and will you run again?

A: I haven’t had any regrets. It has been a marvelous experience. It has its ups and downs but it is something new to experience. I like challenges. I get bored easily and this is a totally unexpected boost of energy for me.
I’m too focused on current problems to even think about (running again). To me, finding ways to get city spending under control and get us through some tough economic times is far more important. That said, I serve as the voice of the people, at the pleasure of the people, and the extent of my public service will be determined by them.

Q: Do you think the public gets you? Do you feel like you fit in on the commission and are you a team player or a maverick?
A: It is a matter of degree. I don’t like the analogy of teamwork. We don’t work for one leader. We work for 65,000 leaders. I don’t have a boss here. I have 65,000 bosses.

I think (people’s understanding of me) has improved a great deal recently because of the economy. It got people interested and they are seeing that some of my proposals, like asking the city manager to join me in asking for ways to cut back, (makes sense.)

Also, holding the monthly lunch meetings has helped. The next meeting is Oct. 14 at noon at Po Folks restaurant. It takes a while for people to understand that I want to hear from them even if we disagree…. And I mean it. I don’t learn anything speaking with just those people who agree with me. I am getting some feedback that people appreciate that. They realize I am approachable. I am a reasonable person. I will consider your point of view.
Q: Was the one-cent sales tax increase needed, and would you have voted for it if you had been on the commission at that time?
A: It is hard for me to say it was needed. I would not have voted for it the way that it came about. Not before we had exhausted other possibilities in cutting spending. I acknowledged that money seemed to be spent in necessary ways, the problem is, as we get addicted to spending, that grows and grows.

The person who gets a raise, you would think they would use that money to pay some debt. Instead, it gets them a higher credit rating and they borrow more. The city got a $14 million-a-year raise with a one-cent sales tax. Instead of it going to paying down debt and infrastructure, it has encouraged some to say, ‘Look what we can borrow now.‘

Q: Do you favor a sewage rate increase and a garbage fee?
A: I favor a plan where water and sewage are paid for on an actual cost basis, but not increasing the total fees the citizens are paying to Dothan. We charge extra for electricity to cover the losses for garbage, water and sewage. What makes sense is to realign those as separate enterprises. What it cost us to deliver a gallon of water, treat 10,000 gallons of wastewater, or process a ton of garbage, is what we should charge.
The only way I can be in favor (of increases) is if it goes with a corresponding decrease in electric rates. There will be rate studies done to find out exactly what services cost. We must index that so we keep up to date.

Q: Do you favor continued funding of Dothan by Design?
A: I do. At the time (I was indecisive, when speaking to the Young Professional’s Club), the mayor had just made comments about the future and threats to the future. I was shocked, feeling defensive, and if you had asked me what Dothan by Design was at time, I couldn’t have told you. I made a mistake and was not prepared for that question. Having gone back and spoken with Matt Parker, Bob Theune, and Barbara Alford (at the Chamber of Commerce), I do feel comfortable with Dothan by Design. It fits well with my philosophy of supply-side economics where you measure in terms of productivity, not on money spent. Dothan by Design and appropriate incentives for business are ways to increase more productivity. I want to see better jobs for Dothan. We know we can attract retail. I’d like to see a focus on better-paying jobs.