MARCO ISLAND — “I view my role as a city councilor like a corporation’s board of directors ... Whether just or not I have lost all confidence in our CEO, our city manager ... I personally believe we need to remove our CEO and find another one.”
– City Councilman Frank Recker on Steve Thompson
“I’m not too sure the state attorney’s office shouldn’t be involved in this to determine if there is fire beneath the smoke.”
– City Councilman Chuck Kiester on financial questions
“We have a club not a scalpel.”
– City Councilman Frank Recker on council’s lack of options to direct Thompson in personnel issues.
“I gave feedback (to Parks and Recreation Director Dana Souza) on my expectations for an assistant city manager. If you want more details you can ask, but I don’t recommend it.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson
“You (Recker) said if Mr. Souza doesn’t become assistant city manager, you’d become my worst enemy.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson
“That’s fantasy.”
– City Councilman Frank Recker on Thompson’s allegation of the threat of becoming his worst enemy
“(Greenville, S.C.) will be very different from Marco Island ... It’s going to be chilly. I don’t want anyone to think that (difference) translates into my thoughts of Mr. (Bill) Moss (former city manager) or Mr. Thompson.”
– Parks and Recreation Director Dana Souza
“I didn’t think releasing the report would reflect well on Dana or anyone else until I got through it.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson
“It’s more of a housekeeping issue than anything else.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson on transferring $9 million for the Collier Boulevard project from fiscal year 2009 to 2008
“(The transition report) implies someone is going to jail and I can ensure you that is not going to happen with these types of issues.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson
“ ... Because I didn’t offer an assistant city manager position to a parks and recreation director this becomes an issue.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson
“Now I’m just supposed to go home and grab my little teddy bear and sleep great?”
– City Councilman Frank Recker after Thompson completed his presentation on how he addressed council concerns
“I think (Souza) is the third most important person in this town after Police Chief Thom Carr and Fire Chief Mike Murphy.”
– Pat Reese, chairman of the parks and recreation committee.
“I was a one issue guy and (Recker) saw the big picture.”
– Resident Bob Brown on his changing opinion of Recker from Recker’s support for the central sewer project versus Recker’s take on the financial debacle in Monday’s council meeting.
“I went through (the presentation) fast because yeah, I’m very familiar with this. I’ve been working on it for five months.”
– City Manager Steve Thompson on his presentation regarding how he addressed financial concerns raised by Souza
“This issue, this wound cannot stay open for months. This island will just fall down.”
– Resident Ken Honecker regarding his position that Thompson should be given 10 days to convince council he should not be fired
“You (City Council) are a distant future and you (Thompson) are a not too distant future.”
– Pat Reese, chairman of the parks and recreation committee.
“We wanted to stop the whole search for a city manager. We wanted to retain Dana.”
– Councilor Rob Popoff regarding council’s discussions in an April council meeting.
“We’ve had questions on our accounting procedures since I attended my first council meeting in 1999 ... Let’s show them we have nothing to hide.”
– Councilor Rob Popoff
“(Thompson) has only been here five months. As much as he wants to mess it up, I don’t think he’s had an opportunity.”
– Councilman Ted Forcht
“They’re guns for hire. They’ll work for us.”
– Councilman Ted Forcht on forensic auditors
“I guess that’s part of my cooking the books.”
– City Finance Director Bill Harrison on his note to council about possible upcoming challenges for the city to receive low-interest state revolving fund loans
“If you’re staying around, rethink what you should be reporting to council.”
– City Councilman Frank Recker as a recommendation to Thompson
“Too bad (Thompson) didn’t give 10 percent of what he offered tonight months ago.”
– City Councilman Frank Recker at close of the meeting.
“Git-r-done.”
– Councilman Wayne Waldack on providing itemized water bills
Marco Seafood Festival
Marco Island Seafood Festival
Marco council members sworn in
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Comments » 5
August8 writes:
Do the darn audit and reduce the volume control until the facts are known!!!!!!!!!!!
Recker is a hot head who has been searching for an issue since his election, only perhaps he has found one, but in the best interest of the City he should refrain from his present level of high handed statements until there is supporting evidence.
Most importantly, his suggestion that Mr. Souza should be an assistant City Manager, given his current qualifications, is not only dumb but not a very responsible position for an elected official??????????????????
Put a lid on it Recker
shadow writes:
i don't seem to recall a single councilor talking down steve thompson when he was up for consideration...sounds like they're all trying to stay ahead of the hounds to me.
ejburger writes:
van, I countinue to agree with many of your blogs. Seems to me the council wanted to reel the city mgr. in and set the record straight and let him, and the citizens know who is really going to run the city from this point forward.
At times I felt bad for Thompson but he handled himself with grace under fire. This was more about the council taking control than anything else.
yankeefan1 writes:
Dana Souza has been an asset to Marco Island from day one! He has proven himself to be qualified for the job by acting as a watchdog for tax payer money. Get the audit done and keep Souza in city govt!!
shadow writes:
HEY GUYS....HOW CAN YOU SPEND MONEY TO CHANGE THE COLORS OF THE POLICE CARS WHEN WE AIN'T GOT ANY MONEY???? WHAT SAY YOU?
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