Open Letter to Chairwoman DiSciullo:

By Byron Erickson

Greetings Chairwoman DiSciullo:

I am dismayed by predictions made today in the NDN regarding the Personal Evaluation of City Manager William Moss and some comments attributed to you.

The article predicts that this City Council will again reward Mr. Moss with a salary increase.

How can this be? Admittedly, I have never had to work directly with Mr. Moss but I have been able to observe his performance during the past year and I cannot for the life of me agree that he has consistently performed at a level deserving of recognition. That said, you certainly are entitled to your opinion. I ask only that before you make up your mind you consider the following and weigh the opinions of your constituents along with your personal experiences.

I submit to you that it is a substantial portion of his job to do the City Council's bidding. Repeatedly, members of this Council have recommended changes and suggestions to the STRP assessments to make them more equitable to those being impacted. Repeatedly Mr. Moss has spent an inordinate amount of time and energy formulating excuses and justifications to not change it. Mr. Moss appears to be on a mission and that is to keep the STRP as it was originally designed, whatever the political cost to the Council. His suggestions for improvement and alternative payment plans are not real changes, they do not make the plan more equitable.

The City Manager's tenure is marked by constant and growing disharmony in our community. Although the Council shares the blame, much of the discontent is directed at Mr. Moss. Political Action Committees have been formed to change the City Charter and others to stop the STRP. Citizens have filed legal actions against policies and programs he designed and ultimately approved by a majority of one. A major contamination of our City on his watch has occurred during the last 12 months. His attempt to cover up the Asbestos mishap alone is enough to stop any bonus payment. The making and distribution of a glossy promotional book directed to our citizens contained false and misleading information that our septic tanks were contaminating our waterways. The making and writing of that document was his doing not the Council's. He is a manipulator and promoter with skills expected of a used car salesman, not skills we should be rewarding.

Public officials have a basic responsibility to protect the public from harm and corruption. Mr. Moss exhibited extremely bad judgment when he requested that the contractor move asbestos pipe to hold down construction material during Hurricane Wilma. It is Mr Moss who is responsible for a flawed contract procurement policy lacking sufficient adequate oversight. This policy has led to accusations of corruption by some of our citizens towards Rony Joel. Mr Moss should know that this type of Policy should be written to deny any implication of undue influence by a contracting official. Former employees of contractors bidding on jobs should not be part of the process.

I have seen written evidence that when he wants to discuss a controversial issue with the Council he requests that he be permitted to meet with each of you on an individual basis. Requests like that are designed to inhibit the council from making decisions under "Group Think". He takes from you the benefit of questions, information and thoughts that the other Council members may have regarding the issue. This is manipulative behavior and should not be entertained. He should be counseled about this and told that this practice is contrary to the spirit of Florida's sunshine laws. He should not be rewarded for these efforts.

You are quoted as saying that his communications skills have improved. I find this statement surprising considering the way he addressed your initiative to make the STRP assessments more equitable. I found his written response to be disrespectful to you and your initiative by consistently referring to your proposal as "The Problem". He now will not communicate with citizens about the STRP because of pending law suits but finds plenty of time to address Marco's commercial community. His limited target audience for these talks are clearly political and should not be permitted. He should be counseled that if he intends to address the community it should be an address to the community at large and not to politically influential groups or institutions.

I suggest that prior to promoting this individual or awarding any further bonus payments you also read the web site at www.earnmarco.com you will see not only evidence of his wrong doing in the asbestos mishap but also statements revealed on video clips of council members and citizens questioning Rony Joel about the asbestos incident. These video clips clearly offer evidence of the crushing of asbestos pipe. Mr. Moss followed this discussion with denial of wrong doing and an admission that he ordered the movement of the pipe.

In spite of what Mr. Moss may believe, the law suits against the City and some of it's employees including Mr. Moss may still go against the City. If it does, any promotion you give him now will look pretty silly and reflect directly upon those that recommended it. Please for the sake of your creditability don't recommend a bonus payment, he really does not deserve it.

Sincerely and thank you for your service.

Byron Erickson,
1735 Hummingbird Ct.