Fort Myers, FL
Last night the Gateway Board of Supervisors chose Libby Anderson of Human Resources Now to conduct the external review of the district. The bid Anderson made was less than $10,000. Stoneybrook resident David Lethem was not chosen. As our previous story points out Lethem and Supervisor Stanley did not see eye-to-eye during his presentation. Lethem responded after the meeting.
Well, let me first say that I applaud Ed Sichel for running with this proposal. I believe that if done properly, a lot of good recommendations will come from it, which will benefit all of Gateway. As far as last night goes, I felt I was walking into an ambush. I barely got to finish my introduction to the Board before Stanley started going ballistic on this "conflict of interest" issue because I live in Stoneybrook and have made public of my intention to run for the Gateway Services Board. (Keep in mind my proposal was submitted March 10th, well in advance of me even considering running for the Board)
I didn't mind her bringing up the issue, which if you understand business ethics isn't an issue, and tried to respond. Unfortunately, I kept getting cut off, unlike all the other candidates who were allowed to answer questions unfettered. And when it was obvious any more attempts at addressing the issue would be fruitless, I simply told Stanley I respected her opinion, which I believe she then stated something to the effect that it's her opinion and her vote. I just wonder why I was not asked the same questions the other three candidates were, other than a couple coming from Sichel and Neubauer.
I was never asked about my experiences (other than working have I worked for government agencies before) in human resource management, process improvement, business re-engineering, etc. And when I tried to explain how I conduct a business re-engineering, there was a somewhat lengthy discussion amongst the board about public records because I handed Sichel an example of my work, as I was told I could do if I wanted to. You would have thought I just violated five of our constitutional amendments the way some people reacted. It was a total lack of respect and decorum by some.
To be honest, I've dealt with Boards and executives in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and even China..I've never been treated so poorly and disrespectfully as I was last night. And all I wanted to do was a) try to get a fair shake to earn a living at what I do, and b) try to benefit the Gateway community in the process by saving them some tax dollars. I'm sure there'll be some people who may think I'm crying "sour grapes", which is fine. I've lost bids before..it's part of what I do. I don't mind losing bids because of my competitor's qualifications or their price is better than mine-but when I don't even have a chance from the get go to discuss with the Board how I can benefit them and all of Gateway?
I have never met Carol Stanley before (that I recall anyway). I understand from several people she said something like I gave her a "rash"-now there's a professional, insightful analysis of my proposal. I would suggest asking her and letting her respond...comments she made last night are so unfathomable I don't know how to respond. I obviously represented something she didn't like, as I never had a fair shot with her from the beginning. Makes me wonder where she is getting her pre conceived notions about me...gee, at least she told me "it wasn't personal"...I feel so much better.
