Call for City Manager Norman-Vacha's resignation is not in Brooksville's best interest

For a little longer than two years, Brooksville City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha has guided this municipal government during difficult economic times. She negotiated agreements to share services and costs with other governments, encouraged business development, worked with the county to try to improve South Brooksville, put the city on the road to better long-range planning, and rode herd over employees, some of whom didn't like the new way of doing things.

Her initial reward was a $5,000 raise and an appreciative and unanimous City Council review in late 2007.

That, apparently, is no longer enough for one council member, Richard Lewis, who unveiled a list of grievances against Norman-Vacha Monday evening and acknowledged he had asked for her resignation. The rest of the council correctly balked at his position.

Essentially Lewis' three-page memorandum indicates a belief police Chief George Turner has overly generous contract perks that weren't scrutinized by the council. Lewis contended, but was refuted by the city attorney, that Norman-Vacha violated the City Charter in giving Turner a contract without council blessing. His other beefs included alleged unprofessional behavior in front of city employees, how she handled employee evaluations, and allowing an employee to assume temporary duties as public works director without a contract of assigned compensation.

In other words, Lewis doesn't like how Norman-Vacha manages employees. It is an unfortunate, but common gripe whenever a new manager arrives to make changes and it is exacerbated when the call for a renewed worth ethic corresponds with limited revenues to offer workers financial incentives or even long-term job security. Like Norman-Vacha, County Administrator David Hamilton and departed school superintendent Wayne Alexander faced similar complaints over the past two years as have appointed and elected government officials in other counties.

Lewis said he was looking out for Brooksville's best interests. We don't think so. His position advances the interests of an unhappy city employee or employees who have failed to embrace the advancements under Norman-Vacha's leadership.

Doing things the way they've always been done should not be an acceptable attitude to any local government in Florida facing constrained budgets for multiple years. Across the region there are pushes for new efficiencies, reduced payrolls, and attempts to curtail service cuts while limiting property tax increases.

Lewis should be appreciative, not critical, of the standards demanded by his city manager.