Drama at city hall about to play out

All signs indicate City Manager George Shackelford will be out by the end of the month.

What we still dont know is why.

We know his recommendation of Capt. Joe Bunting as police chief rankled some of them, but this parting is about more than a breach of protocol, as some council members have alluded.

Exactly what is the mystery.

But on Monday, council members will consider one ordinance offering Shackelford a severance agreement from the city. They will consider another to appoint an interim city manager beginning May 1.

That pretty well lays out the groundwork for the changeover. After another closed door meeting on Monday and a vote in open session these parties will be parted.

Many residents could give a gnats hat about what happens at City Hall or how it happens. But there are folks, at least a few, that want to know how this situation has evolved without explanation. They want to know who is wrong and who is right. They want to know if this is about politics or performance. And they want to know if this isnt solely about the police chief spat, then what is it about?

Their questions have been ignored, or at least have been handled on a case by case basis. Most have been left out of the loop, and some are offended by that exclusion.

A lot of people simply do not understand and they think they should. They think they should be privy to the debate, even part of it.

And they are right. Because of this particular posture, information is relegated to the realm of rumor and there is little solid for a citizen to stick a fork in.

As a result, citizens are not in a position to give relevant feedback. It is difficult to have public discourse when the concerns arent even clear.

Whats left becomes a question of trust. Do you trust your councilman or woman? Are you okay with being excluded from the process? Are we better off with private deliberations or public disclosure?

Maybe through these closed deliberations the council believes it can be kinder to Shackelford, give him an easy out. Life in the public eye can be so messy.

But nobody knows for sure, or at least most of us dont.

What we do know is there are two basic parts to this conundrum: The city council-city manager relationship, the city manager-police chief relationship. Each must be viewed separately.

The way the city manager form of government is set up, the city manager works for the city council. They are certainly within their rights to dispose of this or any city manager for whatever reason, either substantive or petty.

But while the council directs the city manager, the city manager directs the personnel. The council cant meddle directly. They cant jump over him to remove, assign or reassign any city employee, including key positions like the police chief.

But with Shackelford out of the way, the council can put an interim city manager in place who might be more inclined to see things their way, or, if not him, then the next city manager.

How this will affect a Bunting confirmation is hard to gauge.

While one council member seems to have switched to the Bunting camp, Councilman Steve Mayos last public comment indicated he wasnt convinced Bunting was the right man. Others are playing it close to the vest. While there has been a swell of public support, there is no indication the votes are there to get Bunting confirmed.

In addition to appointing an interim city manager, at Mondays meeting, councilmen will also vote on an interim solution to the police chief position, rotating four captains on a monthly basis to fill the void. Bunting is up first in April.

That can be seen as a good sign, since it makes him first in line to work with the new city manager.

Conversely, a protracted process would seem telling in a negative way except to the extent council members may want to delay action until after elections

So even though the Bunting nomination seems to have gained new life on a wave of public and police support, as a practical matter, the only support that matters is the councils support.

While the Bunting decision seems destined to linger, Shackelfords dismissal is on track for quick resolution. That he will go is all but settled. Why he must go, based on the public record, thats hard to discern.

Shackelford undoubtedly has some shortcomings, maybe some glaring ones. Most managers arent equally adept in all their duties.

And maybe the City Council is fixing something that needs to be fixed. Maybe this will all fall in place for the better.

The problem is the public is in no position to evaluate either way.

And thats a shame. Everybody loves a good mystery except when its staged at City Hall.