The Bright Side

Terry O’Neill continues to write on about the City of Lake Geneva:

In addition to the unexpected ending, humor usually has an underlining element of truth in it. As the following reveals: There was an old manager that was retiring and he handed three envelopes to his replacement and told him “When you get into trouble open one of the envelopes and it will explain what you should do.” Like most new managers he ignored his predecessor’s comments, but he put the envelopes in a drawer. Later when a major problem occurred, he decided to see what the old manager had put in envelope No. 1.

He opened it and it said, “blame your predecessor.” Sure enough his supervisor accepted the explanation and the new manager escaped blame and the crisis passed. Sometime later a second crisis occurred, so he opened the envelope No. 2 and it said, “reorganize.” So, he reorganized his department and the crisis passed. Then about a year later a 3rd serious problem occurred, but the new manager was not worried because he still had one envelope left. When he opened envelope No. 3 it said, “prepare 3 envelopes.”

How is Lake Geneva City Administrator “Utah” Blaine Oborn doing in this 3 envelope process? Well, currently he is on envelope number 2 “reorganize”, but unlike the humor above, he has not blamed his predecessor (although others have), but he has taken the time to learn how Lake Geneva was functioning and what was wrong with it before taking steps to reorganize it. As often referred to by ex-alderman Tom Spellman, each department in the City of Lake Geneva was run as its own separate fiefdom (independent authority), often operating outside of City Council control. Departments did things for their own benefit, and not necessarily for the benefit of the residents or the city itself. The City Council had relinquished some of its control to Commissions.

The Utility Commission was the worst having its own source of income and run completely independent of City Council control. The Utility Commission maintained a good image by keeping rates frozen, but the Utility Commission did it at the expense of the city’s infrastructure and future residents. The street department’s salt fiasco, and their use of the fountain and scrap money (city property), for their own benefit was a typical, but inappropriate, use of city property. The public works department’s diversion of contracts and etc. to select persons and companies was all part of the city’s method of operation. They diverted all towing to one towing company, and the disposal of “abandoned” vehicles infiltrated other departments. In reorganizing the city, Oborn is guiding the city council on a path that will both simplify the city’s operation, and enable the City Council to establish better control and unify the city’s departments as well as guide the direction of their efforts.

If he is successful, as it is hoped he will be, then envelope No. 3. Will not be needed.