Largo Commissioner Andy Guyette: Why he voted to oust Steve Stanton

[Natasha]

Largo Commissioner Andy Guyette: Why he voted to oust Steve Stanton

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article463560.ece
4/19/2008

"Ask Andy Guyette about his most trying times as a city commissioner
and of course he mentions Steve Stanton. "It was the hardest period of
my life outside of my father's death," said Guyette, 50, who resigned
last week to take a job in Huntsville, Ala."

[Keira]

Not very convincing argument for the firing, lame even.
But, whatever makes him feel good I guess.
I saw connection... Whooo, frightening...

And I'm not even a Stanton fan, so that's telling...

[tekla]

"Sunday's paper hit me like a brick wall,'' he said. "I don't mind him surrounding himself with people. It was the way he picked and chose and got those people in certain positions."

If Stanton appointed people that she thought were going to be good for her transition rather than just being the best for the job, then she was in error, and deserved to be fired.  No doubt about it.

[Keira]

But, is that obvious, or she talked to the top people
which she had appointed.
And, the guy only made an argument for one person,
what about the others, where they second best?

Saying they where there to help with transition is reaching
considering the facts revealed here. He jumped to that
conclusion, but its no way proved by what he said.

[Sheila]

I don't see anything wrong in picking the people around you for the job, it happens all the time for different reasons. Anyone who is a manager and the ability to hire who you want, if he is smart, will do the same. You want people who are under you that you can trust and not someone who will back stab you the first chance they get. I would guess this person that was suppose to be her friend was not much of a friend. Now, I can see if the people who were placed into the jobs were incompetant and were makeing wrong decisions, then I can understand some kind of committee to look into the hiring process. To fire someone who has had nothing but good reviews over 17 years and got along with most people all those years was nothing short of bigotry.
Sheila

[tekla]

like promoting Jeff Bullock to fire chief over more senior managers — to put people who could help him into influential jobs.

If this is true, then it was wrong.  Granted its how the old boy networks works, but you can't get caught. 

[Kt]

Well that's a very touching story, I guess 
So Stanton is planning to appoint people you don't like, why not try picking up the phone and talking to her about it?
This story does not go into enough detail IMHO, it reads like a promotional article for Andy Guyette, not that I expect anything else from the St. Pete Times, of course.
Frankly, If the City Manager gets the right to appoint a cabinet to work with him/her, it ought to be a cabinet that can work with him/her.
I don't see how Stanton had become unqualified for the job suddenly for reasons other than her transgender status, only now, February 2007, after having BEEN a "qualified" city manager since 1993.
I don't think someone would appoint a cabinet which is unqualified after having been the city manager since 1993.

[NicholeW.]

We continue to have this notion that the St. Petersburg Times, with the San Jose Mercury and Des Moines Register three of the best medium papers the country has, is somehow to blame for Ms. Stanton's own hubris and the outting of herself. It ain't so. Susan Stanton made a mess of herself, she needed no help from any newspaper.

I've no doubt that she cultivated whomever she thought would help her. I also have no doubt that given that Mr. Guyette believed the mayor and the other 'Stanton Camp' person Susan had chosen to confide in had also undermined her politically I am really not much surprised. She has never shown any sort of understanding of the feelings and hopes of others than herself.

There is/was nothing about that woman that I feel shows a very adept 'reading' of other people at all. She alienated many of the workers in her own office, five years before when the 'alternative lifestyle' ordinance first came up she was vehemently opposed to it and pushed the second time for apparently cover for herself. This person has invariably shown a disregard of anything at all except her own skin.

She's politically naive if you ask me, yes, after two decades in the public service sector she applies the 'good ole boy' rules to herself and cultivates no one at all, except if she feels they are of some personal interest to herself.

Honestly, I found Guyette much more believable than I find Susan Stanton. The fact that she's T matters not one whit. She's oblivious and acts much more as though she's a 'guy' than the people she denigrated as 'men in dresses' for their looks.

I agree with Tekla and I am certain that she preferred the Fire Chief because she felt he could ensure her job-security.

N~