IT Move Ignites More Tension at City Hall

City Manager Robert Bartolotta warned city commissioners Monday that a vote to move the IT department out of his office and into the city auditor and clerks would be taken as a “vote of no confidence.”

Bartolotta said while he has received word from all five commissioners that they support him, the vote says something different.

“I do believe I am the CEO of [this] organization … in the charter it does say I’m responsible for the admin actions, and I take those responsibilities very seriously,” Bartolotta said.

He added that there have been few specifics as to why the IT move is necessary. “We don’t have a broken system. I can only interpret this as a vote of no confidence,” he said. "Without saying that there is anything wrong with way [records requests are handled] I ask you to trust my counsel [and] advice."

The commission voted 3-2 to approve the city’s organizational chart, which includes the move of the IT department from Bartolotta’s office to Pamela Nadalini’s.

Commissioner Paul Caragiulo originally brought up the idea because he thought it would help streamline information requests and help transparency.

In a memorandum dated Aug. 8, Caragiulo wrote, “During the budget workshops, there was a question posed to the city auditor and clerk relating to how she obtains records that are requested. ... She stated that, with the exception of files in storage, she has to request individual departments to provide the requested records. It is very difficult to understand how the city auditor and clerk can perform her record keeping oversight when the department that effectively controls the records in this digital age, reports to the city manager.”

He added, “Since most of the operation department of the city reports to the city manger and the IT staff report to the city manager, there is no separation between those creating the records and those responsible for preserving those records. Given the , I feel there is an elevated concern for transparency …”

Vice Mayor Terry Turner said the move would only create more tension and more confusion within the city. “All of my experience in both small and large organizations causes me to conclude, moving this is a very bad idea,” Turner said.

At the beginning of the meeting before any official city action was taken, Mayor Suzanne Atwell read a brief statement about better collaboration and cooperation between the city manager’s and city auditor’s offices.

Atwell, who voted against the organization change, said, “In light of the recent allegation towards the city auditor and clerk’s office and others …  the city manager and city auditor and clerk desperately need to do lunch and begin a realignment of their offices.

“We cannot continue to have a front row seat of the continued infighting.  … All of us need to get our act together, build collaboration, civility and trust,” Atwell said.

Caragiulo said despite the back and forth between the city manager and city auditor, “No one is trying to undermine anyone. [We are] looking for a process to put in place that adds for better transparency, that’s what I want.”

Commissioner Shannon Snyder, who has scolded staff before for bickering at the commission table, said he doesn't care what it takes but staff needs to get their issues resolved.

“I do think there is a conflict. They need to sit down and get it taken care of,” Snyder said of Bartolotta and Nadalini. “We should get on with it, [we don’t] have time to sit around and figure out the deep seeded roots.”