Applicant ranked among ‘best qualified’ not right for city manager post?
To the editor:
Recently, we have been reading commentary in the local media regarding applicants for the city manager position. I question whether Cape Coral has been afforded the full story on one of the applicants, Gary R. King, a “retired financial services executive.” I have read both of King’s resumes. One dated Nov. 12, 2009 (three days after Stewart’s resignation) and the other dated April 15, 2010. What I see is an IT and systems networking person who has worked for a couple of banks. I do not see a “financial services executive.” I also noted the embellished differences between the first and second submittal.
Mr. King is a recent addition to our city and prior to the last city election few people in the Cape ever heard from him. Mr. King organized a political machine, The Road Ahead, via the internet and e-mail notification chain that was coupled with John Sullivan’s “minuteman” e-mail list. King also parlayed his e-mails with the now defunct internet news letter, Grass Roots Daily News, that helped distribute their brand of news, mocking and discrediting anyone who offered an opposing view to their leanings. The minute men, road ahead and grass roots were very adept at putting “out the word” which resulted in the mob rule disruption at city council meetings and the utility informational meetings held last year in the council chambers, Mariner High School and the Baptist Church. In my opinion those demonstrations were designed to intimidate and disrupt others who were attending to gain knowledge. How interesting that I didn’t see these political accomplishments and involvements listed on King’s resumes.
Of late King has been quiet with his input at council meetings and comments in the news media. Perhaps he’s staying under the radar and away from the controversy of the city manager appointment. However, one must question the ethics of past performances from this person who campaigned to get someone fired from a job so he could then take that job. Isn’t this what he did to the former Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Cape Coral? Many people believe this is precisely what King did to Terry Stewart and the City of Cape Coral. He and his ilk questioned facts with innuendo and made conclusions punctuated with question marks, as if surfacing questions was their proof of wrong doing. To date, with all of the information at their finger tips, the fact is that they, the Roadies (Brandt, Deile, Kuehn, Leetz, and Sullivan) have failed to produce any evidence of wrong doing by the previous administration. There have been no smoking guns.
As an IT and network person surely King knows this does not make him capable as the CEO of this city any more so than my 30 years in cardiac medical electronic instrumentation makes me capable to perform the duties of a cardiologist. King has no past history in public administration so what besides his ego makes him believe he is capable of being a city manager? As far as I am concerned the possibility of an experiment with King as city manager does not provide for the best interests of the citizens of Cape Coral, especially when there are other applicants who are far more capable and have “been there and done that” with proven results.
Ralph LePera
Cape Coral