EDITORIAL THE HARD QUESTIONS CITY MUST NOT JUST RUBBER-STAMP DWP APPOINTMENT.APPOINTEES for city jobs and commissions know that when they come before the City Council for their hearings, they've got nothing to worry about. The confirmation hearings are really just that - political theater designed to confirm the designee des·ig·nee n. A person who has been designated. while lobbing softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' questions and verbal air-kisses. But when Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton comes before the full City Council for his hearing to become general manager of the Department of Water and Power, the council would do well to pin the career bureaucrat down on some troubling issues. For the sake of the city and the integrity of the troubled utility, members must break from tradition and ask the hard questions. If Deaton's hearing last week before a council panel is any indication, the council isn't up to the task. So we offer the following suggestions: It would be useful to know how Deaton plans to upgrade the security of the city's water and power facilities without raising fees again and again, particularly when the mayor and council keep raiding DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection profits. In light of the recent audit that found the DWP was overbilled for public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most work, the council might ask what Deaton would do about ending wasteful budget choices. And, more importantly, would he reverse the scandalous MATTER, SCANDALOUS, equity pleading. A false and malicious statement of facts, not relevant to the cause. But nothing which is positively relevant, however harsh or gross the charge may be, can be considered scandalous. 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 4163. 2. 11 percent water rate increase from earlier this year that many residents feel is illegal? In the end, the council may conclude that though he's the most competent bureaucrat in City Hall, Deaton is not the man to restore the credibility to the utility that has been operated like a private fiefdom fief·dom n. 1. The estate or domain of a feudal lord. 2. Something over which one dominant person or group exercises control: for years. Members may rightly conclude that this important job cries out for an outsider who can clean house and get the billion-dollar utility working for the people once again. More important than the questions that the council members ask Deaton is the ones they must ask themselves before voting on the appointment: Is he the kind of person who's going to do the best job of rescuing an enormously important and at-risk department, someone who's shown over the years an unflagging commitment to the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. ? Or does the city, and its people, deserve better? |
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