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Isn’t this more like Chicago style corrupt politics but only on a smaller level.
29 Council revisits its past schemes to undermine city and state laws.
The City Manager of Twentynine Palms must be drinking his own sweet blend of jimson weed.
I’m against the idiotic creation of a City Economic Redevelopment Specialist, and a Project Manager. The underhandedness of the way this suddenly came up, the expediency of a quick-quick vote and the shifty manner in which it was rammed through does nothing to restore integrity in Twentynine Palms Municipal Government.
In fact, the City Council revisits its past scheme to close off bids and contracts and hold two positions from the bidding or contract processes. The Chamber of Commerce a free city buiding, no-bid contract, now this?
I think it’s time to put out a call for Superman. This outright completely undermines the hiring and bidding processes. Two more no-bid, non-competitive jobs — with hefty pay package – goes to the good ol’ boys. Imagine that, a done deal before it was done.
Now it goes back to the council to hammer out in more detail.
A blink of an eye and its over. No one was a contender. The event was thrown by the City Manager and the Gang of Four Councilmen. The whole thing was fixed. Just like a crocked prizefight is fixed.
The need for a positions like these are virtually naught. Even assuming the need, the very least of ethical considerations would have been to put it out there for everybody like it calls for under current requirements and laws. Fair employment and bidding opportunity for everyone.
But the council fixed the whole thing. They’ll work it out in the best interest of the cronies. 
City Manager Mike Tree wants a “Economic Redevelopment Specialist” and a “Project Manager” to hold his hands So it’s a done deal. Just like that. He recommended the creation of two new position.
A fairy tale comes to life. Mike Tree creates new positions and write it in such that both of the good ol’ boys will be shuffled into a quick and comfy salary, one of which a $120,000 a year salary.
The City Manager is paid over $200,000 annually but he can’t get the job done without another $120,000 investment of public funds for one of the positions, and who know how much for the other? Perhaps the City Manager is not doing his job?
It should be much easier since the Chamber of Commerce is helping the city promote tourism.
Is there that much ‘redevelopment’ and ‘economic development’ going in Twentynine Palms that requires fast tracking two positions, Project Manager and an Economic Redevelopment Specialist.
What are these new assistants to Mike Tree going to do all day? Travel all over the U.S. landscape seeking out developers who are eager to come to the area and build and developed? That’s a pipe dream.
What is so urgent to get this done so quickly? Why the bending, once again, of the rules?
In 2006, the Buxton Report for Twentynine Palms was received. The City of Twentynine Palms eventually became a member and contributed to the funding of the report. The document speaks for itself. In terms of growth, Twentynine Palms has some obstacles and limitations. Why pay for a report and disregarding it findings, and then open up new city positions within the city to work around the findings of the Buxton Report?
Has or is the City Manager hold so-called serial meetings with the Council to line up votes for his pet projects? He’s admitted to as much. This behavior flies in the face of the Brown Act. How many serial meeting have taken place for a resounding 4-1 vote?
How logical is it to create two city positions for two people to hold Mike Tree’s hands. This amount of money the City Manager is paid — over $200, 000 annually — would pay for another cop on the beat, or a cost of living for city employees, take care badly needed streets repairs.
This sort of behavior flaunts Mike Tree’s prowess for backroom deal-making. It premieres the blatant power-politics style of good ol’ boys government of this Council. Be damed the residents and surrounding communities.
The council and its City Manager have shredded the rule books on professional decency. They’ve undermine city rules to the point of looking contemptuous. They’ve fail to comply with standard hiring practices and ignores the open-bidding process. This council is out of touch with its voters and residents.
They’ve overridden city, state and federal laws where they’ve wanted, when they’ve want, how they’ve want and as much as they’ve wanted. Employment opportunities and the bidding process as require by city code are meaningless to the block of four Councilmen. City Positions for cronies or higher management is guaranteed by the Gang of Four.
All these positions are for the good ol’ boys network. All priorities of the Right of American with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and all the other important acts which extend protections to municipal contracting and hiring requirements of governments, have been disregarded by this coucil. So much for the safeguards of fundamental rights.
It is clear that the Equal Employment Opportunity means nothing to the four Councilmen who mock its intent and purpose. And they have closed off an important part of this democracy, equal protection of the laws. The four councilmen and their City Manager have have created jobs, and then usurped those jobs or contracts for their their own friends and cronies.
Once again, the block of four Councilmen snatched a couple of jobs from the community and the public and private sectors. But of course, these positions belong to the exclusive network of friends and cronies.
It shuts out opportunities in city employment. That is not very good for employee and city getting along as a team. How can the employees in all the various departments trust a bunch of bandits of democratic values?
The Twentynine Palms Municipal Government has chose not to compliance with the law. The council has just snatched from the community a couple of jobs or no-bid contract of someone of their choice. The Councilmen belittle themselves. They paid no heed to the community’s need for open-bidding and city jobs. They have put a halt halt to equal protection of the laws and a whole range of federal statutes prohibiting employment discrimination.
The voter and residents need to get to the bottom of local good ol’ boy power-politics in Twentynine Palms. This is our Chicago style corrupt politics but only on a smaller local level. It’s municipal anarchy from the top.
A call to the City Manager’s office by this blogger was not returned.
“The ends do not justify the means.” If you use illegal mean to accomplish a legal and even desirable result, the good result does not make the bad means you used justifiable.
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Update: A return call message from the City Manager’s office was left on my phone. There was a call back. Monday I’ll return the call.
Hi Branson,
Be sure to ask how he can justify proceeding with this $120,000.00 a year job that was his own creation when the Desert Trail poll now reads:
Should the city of 29 Palms hire an economic development specialist for $120,000 a year?
Yes (4 Votes, 4%)
No (95 Votes, 87%)
Yes but for a lower salary (10 Votes, 9%)
That would be 6 more “No” votes since this morning.
I’ll look forward to hearing that it is in the best interest of the City to make this position and that a poll that reflects otherwise really does not matter or some sort of stuff like that.
Good Luck Branson!
Hi Steve,
I hope the City Manager will answer a few reasonable questions. There was little to justify the need for the position in the DESERT TRAIL article. It was a good article, but it fell short on informing the community because it only reported on the Council meeting happenings. The TRAIL should have followed-up with some questions to Mike Tree and a councilman or two.
The people know very little about this hiring proposal. Hopefully Mr. Tree will take the plunge and answer a few questions for Cactus Thorns.
Hi Branson,
I just found out that the City manager has asked at least one Councilmember to have lunch and discuss this job of $120,000.00 a year.
I was not the one chosen.
Here we go again, at least two Councilmembers in the bag because they are part of the Personnel Task Force and the movement to cement the third and perhaps fourth is on the way.
If I ever saw a serial meeting by use of an intemediary -- this is it.
I think I will be writing the State Attorney General in the evening hours.
Lunch? I should join them since meetings by law are open pursuant to the Brown Act. They know that, don’t they?
At 120K a year I think I could qualify for the project managers job. I do it now for about 65K a year on a federal level. It can’t be that tough in a city this small. There needs to be a audit of what the city manager actually does at the job he has. Maybe it is justified. I know I am overwhelmed in my position with all the “extra” added duties to the job. Maybe it is warranted, or maybe not.
Stanley