Wow. What an asshole, man!
Assistant to the City Manager (ATTCM) Ryan “Dwight Schrute” Ward will be scurrying back to Santa Fe for a bigger paycheck. He gave the minimum one-month of notice and ALSO decided to bolt right as his boss Finley is retiring as well – just to make things even more chaotic! Kind of a dick move.
Oh sure, there was the usual blathering about “being with family” just like Gary Cox said when HE “resigned” – but we all know the truth: Santa Fe county Public Works Director pays about $30,000 more.
And from what I’ve read online, Santa Fe county also sounds kind of shady and given over to corrupt shenanigans. It’s probably a LOT easier to self-deal there than it is here.
Here is a blurb about Bryan Snyder, the guy Ward will be replacing in Santa Fe:
“He was named city manager in 2013 and served in the position for five years before he was asked to resign by Mayor Alan Webber over a controversial action he took on the eve of Webber’s inauguration.Snyder had quietly authorized 10% and 15% pay increases for 37 staff membersin a plan executives had devised without the City Council’s vote just days before Webber was elected.“
Handing out big raises and implementing costly (yet questionable) programs? Where have I heard THAT before?
Oh yeah…
Ryan “Dwight Schrute” Ward Wants To Waste $38,840 To Save a Few Grand.
ATTCM Ryan ‘Dwight Schrute’ Ward Suggests MORE Ridiculous Benefits For City Employees.
That would be the moronic program Ward instituted two years ago to save himself and Finley a few hours every month calculating overtime for City employees. Now Finley and Ward are gone, but the idiotic program remains – and I GUARANTEE you when this year’s bill for the software comes next month, it will NOT still be the $8,339 that Ward said it would be. Anybody want to bet??
Hilariously, our own Utility and Billing Department has seen costs SKYROCKET about 32% over the last two years under Ward [see page 2]. There are FOUR full-time employees and one part-time employee in the Utility and Billing Department of Lampasas – costing the City $331,000 per year. If ANY department was rife for automation to reduce labor costs, it is THAT one.
Unfortunately, Ward never got around to streamlining the ONE area that could probably use it. I guess he just never found the time. Probably too busy taking $40,000 change orders on the Hostess House debacle.
Then again, if you look at his resume, he never stays ANYWHERE more than 2-3 years. He is the consummate government bottom feeder: constantly looking to jump up to the next rung on the ladder and milk the taxpayer for another chunk of money and fat pension.
Good riddance.
I would suggest to City council that Ward be replaced with NOBODY. We went forever without an ACM and MANY towns our size DO NOT HAVE an ACM. In fact, the BIGGEST proponent for creating the ACM position seven years ago was….wait for it…Misti Talbert [see page 10] and we all know how good her ideas are!
So in summary: good riddance, fuck that guy and by hiring nobody to replace him you won’t even notice a difference and you’ll save the City about $200k a year in salary, benefits and stupid ideas.