A flurry of wine-saturated delirium

Recently, the Director of Facilities met with Maintenance staff to deliver the news that a clerical position, to be determined almost at random, will have to be offered up to the herd at the trough. A decree has been given - clerical support is not important. The District has just too many sows to feed and we all know the importance of sows. They produce pork chops, bacon and pork rinds.

It was also reported that a mysterious website has brought the new administration site to a standstill. No, it wasn't for a lack of funds. No, it wasn't for a lack of interest in the District's properties available for long-term ground lease. No, it has nothing to do with the contamination. The Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations has been so busy responding to an endless stream of public records requests that she can't manage to do anything else. Let's hope her shoes stay tied for fear she may tumble down the stairs at the ESC.

I find it mildly bewildering that the Assistant Superintendent has a number of law firms at the ready, dozens of capable employees at the end of her telephone and even an assistant with an assistant and yet these requests have gummed up the entire organization. There must be a lot of requests coming from a lot of other people - because it isn't me. I have six outstanding requests and they are on hold, due to a personal matter.

The delays at the new administration site have more to do with the manner in which development normally occurs in the District. Bamboozling taxpayers takes some degree of planning and coordination. You don't just rush in and baffle the public. You have to take your time fabricating circumstances and manufacturing illusions. It is becoming far too difficult to screw taxpayers when everyone is watching. Lay low for a while and then orchestrate another miscarriage of due process when everyone is distracted by something else.

Why wouldn't the construction process involve Capital Projects? Don't they manage the construction of district buildings? Why wouldn't they be moving the new administration site forward? Is it simply a matter of selecting a developer? I have never seen the Assistant Superintendent involved in "officially" selecting a contractor. Why wouldn't Purchasing be involved in this process? Isn't that why we have a Public Works Contract Coordinator and a Purchasing Manager? Shouldn't they be working to move this issue forward? Just what is the real reason for this lengthy delay?

To the Director of Facilities Operations, on behalf of the mysterious website, please refrain from advertising for others while on the District's dime. If we have something to share, we have the medium to do so. With your employer cutting deals with friends of management, the rest of the District would like to stay informed and this mysterious website seems to be meeting a demand. While we would love to take responsibility for forcing people to stop and think about the new administration site, I fear the actual reason has nothing to do with thinking or deliberation. The time for that was back in 2005 when lesser minds rushed forward in a flurry of wine-saturated delirium.