Sarah Palin - pros & cons

[Vanguard]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

The news continues to get worse for John McCain and the Republican ticket. McCain’s own hometown paper is now concluding that he may have undercut his own message by picking Sarah Palin for the VP slot. The Arizona Republic makes an astute observation that Palin hijacked the central focus of the Republican National Convention and her narrative with all its controversy, became the eye of the media frenzy, fittingly enough, during the middle of storm season in the Gulf Coast.

Interesting film.

I find all this ironic considering McCain's attack ad against "celebrity" Obama (with clips of Spears and Hilton spliced in). I believe that comparison is far more apt where Palin is concerned.

Kilkenny's letter also undercuts one of the jabs that she threw at Obama, when she cracked, "A small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities" But as Kilkenny points out, Palin didn't do the day-to-day work of managing the town of Wasilla. An administrator was hired to carry out that responsibility.

Wow, I didn't know you could do that!

1) Run for mayor
2) Win
3) Hire someone else to do the lion's share of work
4) Profit?

[pzarquon]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Kilkenny's letter also undercuts one of the jabs that she threw at Obama, when she cracked, "A small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities" But as Kilkenny points out, Palin didn't do the day-to-day work of managing the town of Wasilla. An administrator was hired to carry out that responsibility.

I've read this elsewhere, specifically that the 'administrator' was implemented due to a flap over Palin's adminstrating, and what I want to know is, who is this administrator and why hasn't anyone interviewed her/him? Or did I just miss it in all the noise over the other troubles?

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Kilkenny's letter also undercuts one of the jabs that she threw at Obama, when she cracked, "A small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities" But as Kilkenny points out, Palin didn't do the day-to-day work of managing the town of Wasilla. An administrator was hired to carry out that responsibility.

Hiring an administrator wouldn't change Palin's responsibility, so I don't see the relevance. Obama's remark comparing the size of the Wasilla administration with the size of his own campaign staff was just (uncharacteristically) dumb. He deserved the jab.

[TuNnL]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Hiring an administrator wouldn't change Palin's responsibility, so I don't see the relevance.

You are incorrect. Hiring an administrator was a step Palin took under severe pressure, after the Wasilla city council threatened to recall her as mayor, because of her alarming blunders. Obviously, the administrator was there exclusively because of Palin’s own incompetence, so the Palin’s responsibilities shifted directly to the administrator, including reworking her entire budget.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Found the 'economic director' for Wasilla during Palin's mayor time, is that the same as city manager? I'm thinking it is just from my understanding of how it's used around here.:

Ron J. Singel
http://www.chippewa.com/articles/200.../news/766j.txt



Errmmm...oopsie?:

http://www.frontiersman.com/articles...9138187268.txt


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...l?hpid=artslot


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us...in&oref=slogin







Caribou Barbie?

http://www.collegeotr.com/college_ot...realized_11282




Here's the vetting by the Dems when Palin was going for gov:

http://mudflats.files.wordpress.com/...06-vetting.pdf

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Obviously, the administrator was there exclusively because of Palin’s own incompetence, so the Palin’s responsibilities shifted directly to the administrator, ...

Be that as it may, if Wasilla is like most cities, the responsibilities of the mayor would be defined in a city charter, and could not be changed by "pressure" from a city council.

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Found the 'economic director' for Wasilla during Palin's mayor time, is that the same as city manager?
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us...in&oref=slogin

Thanks for the references. The NY Times article names the city administrator: "Ms. Palin, who had campaigned promising to cut her own full-time salary, reduced it from about $68,000 to about $64,000, but she also hired a city administrator, John Cramer, adding a salary to the payroll."

[Peshkwe]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

He's also shown as being the lieutenant mayor. Makes me wonder if he was both or there's a mixing of positions.

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

You are incorrect. Hiring an administrator was a step Palin took under severe pressure, after the Wasilla city council threatened to recall her as mayor, because of her alarming blunders. Obviously, the administrator was there exclusively because of Palin’s own incompetence, so the Palin’s responsibilities shifted directly to the administrator, including reworking her entire budget.

I read your two references -- the first is about Palin's getting rid of some city officials from the previous administration, and the second is about the book banning inquiry episode. I don't see anything here, or elsewhere, about the city council pressuring her to hire a deputy administrator. So where are you getting this stuff?

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

He's also shown as being the lieutenant mayor. Makes me wonder if he was both or there's a mixing of positions.

The Web tells all. Here is an excerpt from Wasilla Municipal Code 2.16 defining the duties of mayor, and section 2.16.020 B says "The mayor may appoint a person to the position of administrative assistant and deputy administrator.":
http://www.cityofwasilla.com/Modules...documentid=485
But I don't know just what the Code said in Palin's day.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

I read your two references -- the first is about Palin's getting rid of some city officials from the previous administration, and the second is about the book banning inquiry episode. I don't see anything here, or elsewhere, about the city council pressuring her to hire a deputy administrator. So where are you getting this stuff?

Here's what I've been able to find.

First off, there's Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny's e-mail, which said,

"During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign."

Kilkenny is certainly of the opinion that Palin was pressured into hiring a deputy administrator (John Cramer) after nearly being the target of a recall effort. You can dispute or spin Kilkenny's account of the matter. But given a choice between believing you or her, I hate to say it Greg, but in my mind, you would lose.

The following link also sheds more light on Sarah Palin's rough start as mayor of Wasilla and the deputy administrator who was hired to clean up Palin's mess.

http://foolocracy.com/2008/08/from-m...-ruthless-pol/

During the election, the city department heads lined up in favor of Stein. When Stein was defeated, Palin took no prisoners. Shortly after taking office, she requested that the police chief, public works director, finance director and library director resign as an act of loyalty. The director of the city museum had already resigned a few weeks earlier. Palin, in one of her first moves as mayor, eliminated his position.

Palin then proceeded to fire the police chief and library director. The city museum, now without its director, also faced an additional $32,000 in cuts. The three remaining employees, elderly and generally nonpolitical women, knew that at least one of them had to go. Refusing to choose among themselves, they protested by resigning en masse.

The change was a little too much for the townspeople of little Wasilla. A group of about 60, calling itself the Concerned Citizens of Wasilla, organized for the recall of the new mayor. At this point, Palin had been in office for four months. However, the group held off on the recall, asking Palin to explain herself first.

At that point, Palin backed down a bit. The library director could remain, but Palin was adamant that the police chief, Irl Stambaugh, be dismissed. Stambaugh responded with a lawsuit accusing the mayor of contract violation, wrongful termination and gender discrimination. The lawsuit did not do Stambaugh any good as he was replaced. The recall fires slowly smoldered away. Palin survived the crisis that could have ended her political career.

The article goes on to relate how Palin entered the office of mayor with a $3 million dollar surplus. When she left office six years later, Wasilla had a debt of over $20 million. This happened, despite an increase in the sales tax imposed on Wasilla residents during Palin's tenure as mayor. As both Glenn Church and Anne Kilkenny point out, the Sports Complex land purchase snafu and various other extravagancies led to the town being buried in red ink.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

And here he is:

http://www.ak-prepared.com/DMVA/biographies/cramer.htm

[GregLee]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Here's what I've been able to find.

First off, there's Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny's e-mail, which said,

"During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign."

Yes, I've seen that version of the rumor. But "party power-brokers" is not the city council -- it's the Republican Party. And, wandering about the Web, I see two versions of this: (1) it was political patronage -- a party stalwart needed a job, or (2) the Party saw her as an up-and-comer, and the administrator was sort of a watchdog, grooming her for bigger and better things. Now, pray tell, what did the city council have to do with it?

Kilkenny is certainly of the opinion that Palin was pressured into hiring a deputy administrator (John Cramer) after nearly being the target of a recall effort. You can dispute or spin Kilkenny's account of the matter. But given a choice between believing you or her, I hate to say it Greg, but in my mind, you would lose.

There was a recall effort, for sure, but not by the city council and not, so far as I know, having anything to do with this hiring of a deputy administrator. I'm not disputing Kilkenny's account at all, and you're the one distorting it, at least judging from what you quoted.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Here's a Wasilla planning meeting with other names to look up if ya want:

http://cityofwasilla.com/Documents/0...PC_MINUTES.pdf

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Sarah Palin - pros & cons

Yes, I've seen that version of the rumor. But "party power-brokers" is not the city council -- it's the Republican Party. And, wandering about the Web, I see two versions of this: (1) it was political patronage -- a party stalwart needed a job, or (2) the Party saw her as an up-and-comer, and the administrator was sort of a watchdog, grooming her for bigger and better things. Now, pray tell, what did the city council have to do with it?

I didn't say the city council had anything to do with it. As far I can tell, it was TuNnl who brought that up, not me.

There was a recall effort, for sure, but not by the city council and not, so far as I know, having anything to do with this hiring of a deputy administrator. I'm not disputing Kilkenny's account at all, and you're the one distorting it, at least judging from what you quoted.

That's rich of you, Greg. Saying that I'm guilty of distortion when, right here in this post, you attribute to me a statement that I did not make.