This isn’t a knock on the alders – this is a problem with all the committees being shut down and everything being controlled by the mayor’s office and the EOC and maybe, to a much lesser extent, if any, council president.
MOST RECENT COMMUNICATION
From: Obeng, Kwasi
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2020 1:47 PM
To: All Alders
Cc: Mayor; Bottari, Mary; Crawley, Katie
Subject: Essential services and staffing concerns
Good afternoon Alders,
Some of you have been contacted by some city staff regarding essential services and staff who are allowed to work from home and those still being asked to work in the field.
After conversation with the Council President Bidar, Mayor’s office and EOC, I would like to ask you to please forward any issues or concerns that you have or receive to me and I will ensure that the EOC is aware of them and factors it all into their planning, decision making and recommendations. . I am in constant contact with the City’s emergency management team. The EOC’s planning section which includes Heather Stouder and Harper Donahue are working hard on clarifying guidance to department heads on what are essential services and to determine who should be coming in to work, as well as developing work plans for those working from home. Guidance also includes the various leave options available to city staff.
A more centralized process will be of great help to staff, particularly those in the EOC, at this time. Thank you so much and I hope everyone is well and staying safe.
Best regards,
Kwasi K. Obeng, Chief of Staff, Common Council Office
WHO IS THIS NEW SHADOW GOVERNMENT MAKING ALL THE DECISIONS?
From the email above:
…please forward any issues or concerns that you have or receive to me and I will ensure that the EOC is aware of them and factors it all into their planning, decision making and recommendations.
Um, isn’t this a little backwards? Shouldn’t the staff be providing information to the alders and they will consider that in their planning and decision making?
This isn’t just about the issue of essential and non-essential staff, it’s about so much more that is going on right now in our community. The alders have been pushed to the sidelines.
More importantly, who gave this authority to the EOC to be making all the decisions? How would the mayor’s constituents and the alder’s constituents give input about their concerns? We have to contact our alders, then the alders tell the Council staff, then the council staff may or may not submit it to the EOC, who will take it into consideration while they make all the decisions that we, the residents of the city don’t hear about?
MORE ABOUT THE EOC?
Right before the council meeting where the alders agreed to scale back city government and give their power, and the power of their constituents to the Mayor and Council president, they heard about the EOC that had just gotten up and running earlier that morning. There was a chart that was handed out at the time.
That’s the entirely of the information that I have about the EOC. I suggest reading this post but its a few days old and probably a lot has changed since then.
When I look at this chart again, I’m realizing that homeless services, community services and issues that help lower-income people and people in our community who are vulnerable didn’t even make it on to the chart.
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE MOST IMPACTED BY THE DECISION MAKING?
I guess we all get pushed aside in an emergency.
I think the public would feel much better if they understood what is going on, what the priorities are, who is making the decisions and what they are basing those decision on. I’d like to know that my alder, elected to represent me, has a say in what is being decided. The council and council executive committee don’t meet for another entire week. By the time they meet they will have very little to say about how things are going in this city. I feel like our entire legislative branch of the government has been taken away from us.
The world is upside down to be sure, but our democracy doesn’t have to be. It’s bad enough the public has been shut down by shutting down the committees, but it feels like we are being shut down a second time when our alders have no voice in what is going on.
