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The best screen shot of Anaheim’s new Interim City Manager Linda Andal from the Redistricting Commission video shows her with some Anaheim logos superimposed — which, come to think of it, is just about perfect for today!
As we’ve noted in our previous post, the fate of City Manager Paul Emery was to be decided today by 5:00 p.m. It took an extra hour — why that is, in a moment — but at the end of that time the Council came in with reports of three votes:
- Paul Emery’s resignation was requested and accepted on a 4-3 vote, with James Vanderbilt joining Mayor Tait, Councilman Moreno, and Councilwoman Barnes.
- Paul Emery was granted an additional two months of severance — a bit upwards of $50,000, though I think under $60,000 — as a settlement to fend off a lawsuit. This was on a different 4-3 vote: James Vanderbilt joined Councilmembers Murray, Kring, and Faessel in voting Aye. Aside from this cash, on top of the $150,000-plus he’d already received for the past half-year, the most significant aspect of this is probably the content of the settlement agreement between the parties — which I doubt will be made public. If (as I presume) it contains a bilateral confidentiality agreement, and possibly a non-disparagement agreement as well, that could be a problem for transparency (which was probably the basis of the votes against it). I wonder to whose benefit it ultimately operates. If Emery is willing to give up any confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements that may exist, I hope that the City will do so as well.
- On a 7-0 vote, City Clerk Linda Andal was named the City’s Interim City Manager. This certainly wasn’t on my radar — I expected to be seriously irritated by the appointment of Christine Ridge or slightly deflated (with some hopes remaining) by the appointment of Greg Garcia — either of whom were more plausible than Matt Cunningham’s agitating about the prospect of Mike Matsuda taking the position.
I’ve spent the past almost four years suing Anaheim on behalf of CATER and Cynthia Ward in part for acts that came out of her office — although I suspect that those acts was ordered by the City Mgr./City Atty/Council Majority and their patrons rather than by her — and EVEN I think that this was an inspired choice! The City will find out whether she has the skills to be a great City Manager — it surely would not surprise me — but at a minimum she’s someone she is someone who can steer the “Ship of City” until a permanent replacement can be found.
(Best screen cap of Andal from the video I could get without the superimposed image.)
I’ve dealt with Andal primarily in two contexts: in the context of California Public Records Acts requests, one of which being the subject of the part of the lawsuit mentioned above, and the other with her work on the Election Districts process, where she got to “spread her wings” a bit, especially in dealing with the Judges’ Advisory panel. My opinion of her is that she’s neither friend nor foe to me or to anyone else. She’s fair, smart, competent, polite, and professional. That and fundamental honesty — and while I don’t know what to expect of her under pressures she’s likely never faced before, I have no reason for doubt in hers — is all the city can reasonably ask of a City Manager.
Between Council factions, between the city’s wealthy interests and its reform activists, she has never hinted that she is on anyone’s side except, dispassionately, that of the public. I cannot stress enough how unusual that has been among City officials. What this gives her is credibility. If she believes that something is right for the City, she is guaranteed — at least until strong indications that she doesn’t warrant it — the attention and consideration of the City’s activists. I’d like to think that the same will be true of the monied interests that have held sway in the City for so long.
This is not to suck up to Interim City Manager Andal. It’s something even better than that. I don’t think that there’s any POINT in sucking up to Linda Andal — or in trying to score points with her based on anything other than the merits. She doesn’t seem to be the type who wants it or rewards it.
That’s GREAT news for fans of good governance. That’s exactly what I look forward to seeing City Manager Linda of the Andals, First of Her Name*, can do in aid of a City with a great past and — at this moment — perhaps a brighter-than-imagined future.
*(It’s a Game of Thrones reference. Season 7 premieres on Sunday night, and the Andals are one of their main ethnic groups. Just roll with it.)
I will go one further, and say I hope that Linda Andal becomes the permanent City Manager, forget this “interim” thing.
Hold on there. What experience does she have overseeing capital public works; or labor negotiations; or city-wide budget development, etc., etc, etc.?
These are not insignificant issues Right now the old regime still has its people in charge across the department head level. I point to the example of our City Engineer who was perfectly happy to scam the public on the Convention Center Change Order #2 – $6 million worth.
I’m sure this woman is nice and honest and competent in her domain, but, frankly, making her the City Manager would be a perfect example of the so-called (and misunderstood) Peter Principle at work.
Yeah, I gotta agree.
The CM is the chief public safety officer for the city as well. There are multiple areas of decision making and authority here and Anaheim requires significant wisdom to successfully navigate all of them.
Honestly and professionalism are great, but let’s not jump the shark to anoint anyone just yet.
Yeah, yeah — but please, let us enjoy this scent of fresh air for a while longer! This breeze is so welcome.
It could be promoting her beyond her capacity. But we don’t know that it is.
You don’t know her background either, do you? For all I know, she graduated first in her Masters program in Public Administration.
“It could be promoting her beyond her capacity. But we don’t know that it is.”
Exactly. This form of management is defined by the Peter Principle: promoting someone until they fail, and all the while hoping for the best.
An MPA means very little. They are handed out to government employees at CSUF and CSULB like party favors. There is zero practical application as one might expect.
Ok, what professional qualifications would you suggest are appropriate to look for in a City Manager, and how would you assess them? What useful info could you find on a resume aside from “City Manager,” “Assistant/Deputy City Manger,” etc. for “previous positions”?
If subordinate government positions would be credible, which would they be? What about military, academic, or government admin positions?
I agree with Cynthia, and also hope that Linda Andal becomes the permanent City Manager. She will put residents of Anaheim first.
I have high hopes, but I don’t think that it’s necessary to go that far as yet. For one thing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her resume — and even if I did, I wouldn’t know if it indicated the specific amount and type of training that we’d expect from someone in this position, because I don’t have a clear idea of what that training is.
She seems to have the character, temperament, work ethic, and intelligence that Anaheim would want from someone in such a position — and she seems to have managed to stay clean in a city government where doing so was, to say the least, a challenge. If she really has been preparing for a transfer to this sort of role for all of her adult life, then that’s reason for real optimism. If she hasn’t had it yet, that’s not necessarily damning — those above traits do count for a lot, after all, and training can be acquired and deputies can be brought in to help until it has been attained.
She should have as much of a trial period as Interim City Manager as Marcie Edwards or Paul Emery did. If Anaheim has the opportunity to have someone really sharp, competent, and honest in this position for what could be three decades — helping to steer the city through a battleground of dangers and opportunities — then this will be a red-letter day in the city’s history. And, frankly, even the reasonably foreseeable downside of her being in the position as an Interim is not that bad. She doesn’t seem to be the kind who would react well to people trying to buy her off — and after this show of confidence in her she could probably stroll into a City Manager position in a smaller stage if she wanted to.
I wonder whether she sought the position out or whether, as with Interim City Attorney Pelletier, it was foisted upon her. If it was the latter, I wonder who had the inspiration, because this really was inspired.
I like that this was unanimous, too. That speaks well not only of her, but of the Council — and perhaps even bodes well for its dynamics over the next year.
I’m going to go try to find a better screen capture from the video of the Redistricting Commissioner — this was the best of about ten that I tried, but I couldn’t quite land on her smiling — and I’ll take out the Game of Thrones stuff. But I may still call her “Linda, Queen of the Andals, First of Her Name”!