Broken Arrow City Manager FIRED

[Composer]

The Broken Arrow City Manager was terminated tonight by the Council.  Assistant City Manager was named Acting CM until a national search attracts someone new.  Good the Council is listening to its constituents.  Mayor Lester said Jim Twombly did a good job but its time the city move in a new direction. 

[RecycleMichael]

The assistant City Manager is a very capable fellow. I am sure the city of Broken Arrow is in good hands.

[cannon_fodder]

Fired with a $120,000 severance package.  The official line is the guy has met his goals and they need a new person with a different skill set now.

[Gaspar]

I know Jim.  He was the City Manager of Pella, IA for a long time before coming to Broken Arrow.  He did a lot to bring Broken Arrow up to date from a business and development standpoint. 

What used to be a rather restrictive bedroom community for Tulsa, gained it's own identity, and I attribute much of that to Jim.  He made it easy to do business and develop business in BA.   He did a good job. 

Sounds like he ruffled feathers along the way, but that's typically the plight of city managers.  It's simply not a job with much longevity. 

I hope he finds something local.  He's got a proven track recond. He knows how to help a community grow.

[sgrizzle]

Fired with a $120,000 severance package.  The official line is the guy has met his goals and they need a new person with a different skill set now.

He was given $120,000 to leave by wednesday, the same day the Fire Chief, who he suspended has a hearing. To add to that, his contract ends in two weeks at which point they would pay no severance. Add this to the BAPS no-bid contract/mysteriously burned records fiasco and you start to look for black helicopters.

[Gaspar]

Who knows.  He was appreciated by the progress minded, and young BA residents.  He was disliked by the status-quoe and old-boys. 

Many things may have contributed to his firing:
Union pressure?
Some who wanted Broken Arrow to remain non-commercialized and rural?
Tulsa powers felt pressure by his ability to clear the path for large scale developers like Bass Pro?
Scapegoat for recent budget shortfalls?

I think it's interesting that they waited until he was gone on vacation to fire him.  Perhaps they felt guilty.  Hard to look a guy in the eye and fire him when you know he's doing a good job for you.  He came back to a public vote yesterday knowing the outcome.  Had to feel bad.

He's got a long positive track record.  This is nothing more than politics.  He will find another community to help.

On a personal note, he's an interesting bird.  Public service is his life.  He has no political aspirations, he's just a soft spoken critical thinker.  Like a skilled mechanic he enjoys seeing complicated things run smoothly.

I could never do a job like that.

[Wilbur]

Fired with a $120,000 severance package.  The official line is the guy has met his goals and they need a new person with a different skill set now.

The unofficial, official reason is, he put the fire chief on paid leave over a p!ssin!g contect, which made the council mad.  After he leaves, the fire chief is coming back.

[Gaspar]

The unofficial, official reason is, he put the fire chief on paid leave over a p!ssin!g contect, which made the council mad.  After he leaves, the fire chief is coming back.

Budget had to be trimmed, so the city had an extensive study done that recommend the closing of a fire station and some ambulances due to redundant coverage.  With no pleasure, Jim took their advice.  Hard choices, in hard times.

The fire chief disagreed publicly.  I assume that he pushed the matter too far and was put on leave.  I don't know, wasn't there.

I guess the fire chief wins. 

Hard to manage anything when your employees get to pull the strings.

[Gaspar]

The unofficial, official reason is, he put the fire chief on paid leave over a p!ssin!g contect, which made the council mad.  After he leaves, the fire chief is coming back.

No, I think the Chief is done.
Baggage the city does not need in seeking a new Manager.

[sgrizzle]

Hmm... Looks like the plot thickens:

Report: Broken Arrow school officials circumvented state law

by: CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
Friday, August 27, 2010
8/27/2010 1:37:09 PM

Document: Read the letter requesting a second audit here.



BROKEN ARROW -- Former Broken Arrow Public School officials circumvented state competitive bidding laws to secure business for a Broken Arrow heating and air vendor, according to audit documents obtained by the Tulsa World Friday.

Meanwhile, the state Attorney General's Office has requested a second audit - focused on any possible criminal misconduct - be conducted by the state auditor and inspector, the Tulsa World has learned.

The current audit was conducted by the state auditor and inspector at the request of the school board into the budget and business processes.

Audit documents contain several allegations of wrongdoing against school administrators, school board members, vendors and the district's legal counsel.

The final version of the audit has not been made public but is expected to be released on Sept. 2.

In addition to competitive bidding violations, the report states that various school employees and officials tried to cover up the violations.

It alleges school officials broke open meetings and open records laws, falsified or possibly destroyed evidence and violated procurement transparency laws.

The documents also allege that city officials intervened in at least two Broken Arrow police investigations into the school as well as an investigation by the fire department into a suspicious storage facility fire in 2009 where documents detailing financial involvement between a vendor and the school were found.

The audit has been pending since 2009, and the investigation into the school and surrounding allegations of wrongdoing have been examined by the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, Broken Arrow Police and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which stated that it has forwarded the case to the FBI.

No charges have been filed in the case.

State Auditor Steve Burrage said if there is a draft document concerning the special audit for Broken Arrow Public Schools circulating, its early release is unprofessional and irresponsible.

"It's unfortunate, unprofessional and possibly unlawful that someone deliberately sought to undermine the authority and integrity of the State Auditor's office by releasing a draft of this special audit," Burrage said. "Sadly, the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the ongoing controversy at Broken Arrow Public Schools has turned this normally routine process into a spectacle."

"A draft version is just that -- a draft version."

The documents state that between 2003 and 2008, heating and air company Air Assurance received almost $3.2 million from the school district despite never having a contract or a service agreement laying out what work was to be provided.

State Auditor and Inspector's Office spokesman Trey Davis said the auditor's office received the request from the Attorney General's Office for a second audit today, and that the new audit may begin within a week.

"Our office has received a complaint regarding possible improper procurement practices and possible illegal conduct during the period between July 1, 2006 and March 31, 2009 at the Broken Arrow Public Schools," the letter, dated Friday, states. "Because this involves an investigation that could result in criminal charges being filed, this audit and its results are to be kept confidential until the investigation has been completed."

Check back to tulsaworld.com for more updates and see a full story in Saturday's Tulsa World.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=318&articleid=20100827_19_0_BROKEN958777