"I will cut their throats, I will cut their throats!"

Labor negotiations were in full swing during the Fall 2013 when City Manager Grant Yates made the raving rant…”I will cut their throats, I will cut their throats” in reference to City employees. This crazy talk of employee violence took place at a closed door management meeting at City Hall. As a long time Director, I couldn’t idly standby and allow the new City Manager to degrade employees, so I spoke up to put a halt to this lunatic’s monologue. I had worked with my fellow employees over many years through thick, thin and the Great Recession. Most of the City employees were hardworking individuals just seeking their part of the American dream. I think if any other City employee had talked about cutting the throats of co-workers that they’d have been immediately fired and escorted out of City Hall by the Sheriffs.

City Manager Yates is currently paying 9 long term employees a bonus of $30,000 each to retire. This pretty much completes the dirty work of driving out long term employees. There goes the last of the City’s corporate memory on how complicated and specific tasks function. It should be evident to all in the know that City Manager Yates prefers loyalty over competence, even at the expense of taxpayers. Rick DeSantiago, Superintendent of Public Works, is the only remaining employee who would remember the closed door rant of City Manager Yates. I doubt Yates will let that stand without retribution.

Management Staff has been leaving in droves since City Manager Yates arrived, including City Engineer/Director Seumalo, Administrative Services Director Riley, HR Manager Block, Management Analyst Carlson, Traffic Engineer Beardsley, IT Manager Soto, second IT Manager Herrera, Recreation Manager Davis, second City Engineer Allison and Director of Public Works Damasse. I too decided to retire in March 2014 after 20 years, because I disagreed with City Manager Yates on personal principles, management style and stymied Lake Restoration.

In the past, Mr. Yates has eluded to management leaving as part of reorganization. This isn’t reorganization folks…its disorganization. If you’re a competent City Manager who plans to reorganize the first place you’d start is by understanding job functions and creating an Organizational Chart. Look at the weblink below and the Organizational Chart and you’ll see I’m still cited as the Director of Lake, Parks & Recreation Department even after being retired almost 2 years. This is clear evidence of disorganization.

http://www.lake-elsinore.org/index.aspx?page=335

As more evidence of disorganization, just consider that the City of Lake Elsinore doesn’t even have a full time City Engineer; instead they use a contract engineer. A contract engineer may be competent, but when working through extensive, complicated and large development projects it’s critical to have a City Engineer follow the projects through multiple years.

Relevant weblinks:

http://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/city-management-scapegoats-poor-park-maintenance

http://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/million-dollars-nearly-lost-by-city

Pat Kilroy

(23 year resident and retired Director)