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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPeter Cowell-1986 pring manager fires pianfler Winte• s r I make a comment," formed.Wedneat the facts before -- Kirateu Gallagher- day afternoon that said R Koehler, was called Rozansky ar THE sasnasLar�rr fired Cowell. and "i.nt sure city manager had his were told that a reasons to do it," sat' Maims, who WINTzansky SPRINGS as Sired city planner panel of city de- was told directly"DY Pmt Y• Dick Ro ellty C city planner - partmant beads was ode of the to peter Cower, city WM Thursday.iaaioners-°Od `will review the hearing to, see what the facts the city attorney osmisuredaY• ,i1, -catmint record at were . . None of the rnmmireawos ,/.7l' the public meet- Trencher,Mil comment make patem t i'i t . �& Commissioners Marty the Wednesday Wig, but said they Rosen sky on Jacobs.end Art Hoffmann said they hearing g toe ay at city after a S Dame Thursday would suspect Romaelry had cause to rue. Road 43 today at city ball on State not return a reporter's phone Falis, miss t vreth arausky, notified Roan y commissioners Onti aer pn to Phil attend the ccoommCent�Cowe amass not att work Frank Trencher H Attdiney and Cindy Koehler Dian Thursday. f?IBase eB8 PLANI �9 Comodesivaers..sand_thee.were_In.. '�,uyat Want tq be there to hear all of- . t *��rssasR Cowell on egdmnmental and develop i�`�N im si ■,. neat philosophy have been well �" ��* ■■■ known among homawoners'been well ation members and city employee!. From 1 In December Cowell and Rozansky disagreed in public over the interPre- "The city manager is responsible tattoo of acity'eode'on tree removal. to city employees) and.ha will.have During commission meetings to show the connnelbion that he is last six months some commissioners handling his responsibility well," said have also asked Cowell not to state Hoffmann. "I don't think he is acting opinions when discussing a planning capriciously. To do it for any other issue• reason would subject him to possible Some developers and members of lawsuits." appointed city boards who consulted Reiterating earlier stands,Trencher Cowell on planning quesuons said he said the city city charter gives the gave them profassronai advise. city manager the reeponsibity to man- "I lfke Fete.I like his comments and age and fire employees. Therefore, he he gave ua htaight,"said Harry Reid,a state reasons f is not is obligated to fatr-3 member of the city's board state re"son' for the of his and of adjustme t"He'd answer questions that them"won. go out of his wal ' to without beating around the bush." find them out. "We felt comfortable making the If the en a "fair shake," feels he recommendations that we did with the isn't given a should shake," is g the information we received," said Robert commission encher hear his griev- Smedley, planning and zoning board mesa,said Trencher. chairman for 11/2 years. Cowell, the third city planner in De�ntb manager of The 1984 after Walter Elwell resigned. three years. was hired in September Kathleen subdivision, said the city is losing Highlands lanne city Differences between Roranalry and losing"an excellent city P c-GDao3 Board backs firing of Cowell Winter Springs manager correct Rozansky strongly defended his decision. "I will stand by what I did," Rozmhaky said Tues- to dismiss planner, panel says Tues- day. "What I did was in the best interest f the do . Given the same set of circumstances,By K]raten Gallagher again." He said he had not searched for reasons to fire CF THE SENnNEL STMT f.'owell. '1 don't have to look for excuses. I wouldn't do WINTER nR SPRINGS — ed h Manager Dick Ro- that," he said, adding that the city attorney advised missal on city planer Peter his ell position in the i iw him not to comment any further. s move and panel of port d planner Peter Cowell after a review Kaehier, who has criticized Rozansky' panel supported his move. said his job performance should be reviewed, said In a letter board, handpick dated Monday,to o er its Tuesday she was disappointed that Rozansky had member on Co handpicked Cowell's rd,said Rozansky m offcruse not reconsidered the dismissal. planner," to opinion fithe Cowner. record,said R uesday had cause •I feel the city has lost a very fine city p el fire the in which Rozansky c fir confirmed Tuesday dismissal.l Cow- she said ell a Cowell could not he reached the o mien Commissioner Bill Jacobs, however, said that Cowell could not be reached Por comment Tues- based on evidence,he has seen, the city manager day. was justified in letting Cowell go. Rozansky also defended his •'I agree with the city manager that it was in the City Commissioner Cindy best interest of the city," said Jacobs. "He [Cowell] job performance Tuesday after had the possibilities to do a good job,but didn't use Koehler criticized him Monday for not performing his job du- +r them." ' '? ? Commissioner Phil Kulbes said unless Cowell or ties adequately. ? Rozanaky show him questionable reasons for the "I think this is dwegi-run axr .r� dismissal,he does not plan to look into why Cowell city," he said. "I don't give a �.,.=,¥; was fired. Commissioner Marty Trencher deferred damn what anybody thinks." comment until he has seen hozansky'e reasons in Rozansky said he hopes this '•p' writing.Commissioner Art Hoffmann also would not month to fill the $20,000-a-year comment. planning said hen.will Meanwhile,as city Rozanaky Rozansky said Tuesday that Kaehler's criticism of Rozansky lan n r, said he n h act once city his job performance was unwarranted. On Monday city ma a position he once held before becoming !feebler said that besides firing Cowell, R city manager. quickly on city residents' and City Engineer Len Kozlov, Fire Chief Chuck Holz- had not adequately performed other managerial man and Public Works Director r Gil Artman six ties,m such as s'requests. s ° that hap- failing chard to Cowell Friday ans shim. Tey ncluded �""II willhaccept responsibility for anyt hi g charges Rozansky made alai failing eo ing ,submit speaking reports,without asleep n commis. April 1,i1�"lty said Rozanaky. "1 thought I always soon meetings, speakinc withsut nee manager's v responded to the commission. I'm the oldest sitting ing developers at a county commission iorm meeting and giv- city manager in Seminole County." ing developers incorrem reformation. �l‘ o ,.. CS Rozansky should learn lesson in boldness from fired planner whwhen Dick Rozansky fired rfx:. en Winter Springs city J ` Much of city man- the x planner recently, he put to test r� the theory thof at t city manager goy- _ ager government's etnment in that city. _ u ; . problem in Winter k Though it is still too his to Springs has been ih. tell if he hurt or helped fiis own position — arguably, the firing Don Bogen Rozansky's own do- wns poorly handled — the city SEMINOLE COUNTY EDITOR Ing manager may have, in the long run,done Winer Springs a favor The attack on Rozansky and by bringing a problem to a fiend. the manager system started Much of city manager govern- soon after IMMININIMISSI ment's problem in Winter - last fall's Springs has been Rozansky's election. ing papers — a move that obvi- own doing. Neophyte ously irritated Kaehler. His timidity and unsureness Commission- For his part, Cowell had be- open left him and the system ;, Fo , er Cindy come this par, Cl open to attack. Too many prob- Kaehler be- lems he should resolve come to gan chal- the commission,for example. # lenging Ro- To some he was a hard-nosed That he zansky's planner and environmentalist wasn't chat- management others thought his idea.of crKaehler powers; not growth management was to out- lenged in the past was be- so much the city manager per- law hammers. cause of sonally, but his authority. That the city corn- she was an unabashed fan of city It was significant, however, mission was planner Peter Cowell didn't help that two developers with whom weak, but matters; Cowell and Rozansky Cowell had tangled publicly be-growth prob- were already crossing swords. fore the city commission had lams are As Kaehler began involving high praise for him as the firing mounting herself in management matters, issue boiled. Rozansky and pressure builds. Those problems and a Rozansky became defensive of But Cowell had committed a stronger commission are putting his position, and rightfully so. cardinal sin or two: He had not the retired Air Force officer to a In a recent commission meet- concealed his disdain for Ro- test. zansky, and he had struck out ing Kaehler fiercely defended too much on his own in trying to Rozansky Springs' first was named Winter her right to nose into any ciTy mold the character of Winter Springs' first city manager in matter she wanted, and Ro- Springs. 1979. He joined Winter Springs zansky, just as fiercely, chal- city government in 1976 as city lenged that right, saying in ef- planner, Having concern for the future hired under a CETA feet that he would resign if she grant after his military retire- or others mucked around in his of a community and working meet. territory. toward that concern is corn- Understandably, he has since R was shortly afterward that mendable and vital. — walked cautiously, some say too Rozansky gave Cowell his walk- cautiously. kl o . a9 Such efforts by a member of the staff, though, must remain within the constraints of man- agement authority. Cowell -crossed those lines. One might argue, with valid- ity, that Winter Springs lost in that firing. But there can be only one skipper of a ship, and Cow- ell was not wearing the cap hav- ing scrambled eggs. That Rozansky passed final judgment on the firing to a tri- bunal- of his own department heads was a weak signal on the manager's part. Who would expect them to do other than endorse his decisions, and the attempt to have the blame shared only weakened his authority. Still, a final analysis of the fir- ing must place most of the right on Rozansky's side. He is the skipper, and a crewman's taking the tiller for an ti : independent course, no matter how valid, cannot Whe be counte- i nanced. By the Cowell same token, though, the city manager must be held account- able for that final course. Cowell's firing has brought to the surface the touchy issue of who is in charge at city hall in any city manager-type govern- ment. In theory,the commission sets policy, the manager executes it, and the two stay off each other's turf. It is a shaky line to walk, and Kaehler goes too far across it. 0 a 0 But if Rozansky is to manage 9 the city as it should be managed, he should adopt traits of the man he fired. Boldness is needed.