I like a mayor who shows this kind of leadership . . . and confidence in (mostly) awesome city employees.
From: Mayor
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 10:48 AM
To: All Email Users
Subject: Building TrustDear City Employees,
As you know I believe that the only way we can serve the public is by building a city government on a foundation of trust where fear is eliminated from the work place. That is why I am distressed at the reporting yesterday that “the city will expand a program to keep employees in check…”
Nothing is further from the truth.
I want you all to know that I have full faith and confidence in your ability to perform your work at an exceptional level and I believe overwhelmingly that employees of the City of Madison provide outstanding customer service and engage in appropriate and respectful communications with each other and the public. In no way the reported comments of one city employee , exemplifies or epitomizes the behaviors and actions of City employees in general.
I am always interested in improving our service delivery. With that in mind, in conjunction with Human Resources, we will be introducing some new training opportunities in the area of culture and civility and employee engagement. These trainings are designed to build trust and improve the overall work environment and service delivery. However, contrary to what has been reported, these trainings were being developed long before the issues with Officer Heimsness came to light. They are part of an ongoing effort to continuously improve the City and our service to the public and not a response to recent events, as recent reports might suggest.
Please keep the following in mind: we expect every city employee to be free to express themselves in an open manner, in an environment that welcomes candor and honesty. We also expect every city employee to express themselves in a courteous and dignified manner in regards to their co-workers, the people we serve, and our partners.
Attached, please find the statement I made yesterday. Note that my reference to the Police Department states, “the most serious faced…in four decades.” I never used the word ‘scandal’ a report that was a most grievous mistake on the part of one media company.
I appreciate the work that you all do and I will continue to support and encourage your ongoing efforts to deliver quality services to for the City of Madison. Thank you.
Paul R. Soglin
Mayor
City of Madison
210 MLK Jr. Blvd
Madison, WI 53703
