Powell Says
Freeze Ma
On Thursday, Augat 24, expect from 12 to as many
City Manager OrviUe H, as 100 complaints dependPowell
visited the Chronicle in8 on what kinds of things
office* for Q&A Interview. we have happening. The
Powell has been city ma- last couple of weeks have
nager for five years. been kind of slow. 1 don't
know whether it's because
Q. Give as an overview of People are on vacation or
what the citizens can expect vvhat,>ut I thought maybe
from city government da- my phones been out of
Ing the balance of the fiscal orderyear?
0? anY given day, especially
following any major
A. Ws've got a pretty rimsinn, I'll hrar frnni t Inl
??naive praarsm of swiese Q*
this year. As far as the can almost always on any
normal services citizens ex- maj?r decision count on a
-JufSBIzmSZin- In- a--job *hose who are in favor; you
fra a<?/> | inct Uoi>a v"" ?U
11 y m || we S B V C J 11B T W LU AddUlll^ Ul^l V
$200,000 and depending on a? some folks who are in
where the vacancies occur, agreement with that.
that might cause some service
levels to drop, but I Q- How many black* do you
doubt if it will be too aee In a week'a time?
noticeable.
That job freeze will have A. It s hard to say.
to last at least six months
and probably the full year. Q* y?u f??' that you and
IThe first month, it saved your top administrator* get
$18.000. whiph is not gwjutto Inpot from the
enough. If we don't do black community?
better than that we won't
be able to meet the payroll A. Well, I think the black
come the end of May or community is a better judge
june of that than we are. If I
We going to have to hold though we didn't, we'd try _
more positions open. Yet anc* something about it.
that's tough because a lot ?ut y?u n?ver know for
of the postions we have are sure- I think our black
emergency positions, ftldcimcn will certainly lrt=
We've got to keep opirSZTl,llknow ^ they think I'm
tions like Ihe water plant na^getting- proper input.
^and the sewage treatment ?ut? again, unless someopen.
They've got to have thing is bothering folks at a
operators. If you have va- particular time, you norcancies
there, you've got to ma^y don * hear from
fill them. " them. If you touch their
You've got to keep a pocketbook or something
certain level of fire and like that* y?u're 8oin8 t0
police protection. So it's hear plenty.
going to be tough to save
the $200,000 but we've got Q? ^ aldermen have
to do it. made some pretty strong
Of course the community "tatemenU about yon. At
development program will one point, It wm reported
not be affected. None of ^ aaked you to resign,
your federally-funded pro- W*1** |? the basis of that?
grams, which really make
up most of the city's bud- * Quite frankly don't
get will. It's only those know- ^ came as a surprise
operations funded by the because jus* a week or so
general - property tax. bef?rc?-they had expressed
That's basically your tradi- satisfaction when j?wastional
ones-fire, police, ^nsideringjhfrFort^Woithsanitation
and streets. i?b anc* ^ey ^ave als?
expressed to me that the
Q. Describe for us a typical article cast a different light
day In the office for Orvllle than what they meant, they
Powell? weren't so upset that they
really wanted me to resign.
A. Really, there's not such
a-thing-as-a-typical day^-Q*-^^ didn't they come
IThat's what makes the job right out and say that?
pretty interesting. Since we
have so many different A. Well, they came out and
kinds of operations, you sa^ ^ anc* ^en Mrs.
never reallv auite know IBurke said in a newspaper
what's going to go wrong ar*icle, "Did I really say
on any given day. But you that. Mrs. Newell has
can almost always count on ^certainly indicated that
something going astray. s^e didn't mean that. So, I
In a tvnical dav. I can ^on * know. LWhen you
t: ,, 1 Or/
EXISTING ! JQffl
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!?!? ? --n -n^"? frn <i r*" - ---kes
Affirm
have nine bosses, it's sel- ^ jll ?
dom that all of them are ul
happv with you at any given Wl
|?| |I*|n|
Q. In reference to the ||| * ? //
question about black Input, ? 111 ?
the fact that the aldermen __ _
. ' _ k - ? -
have been at odds with that. During the budget, I
you... gave up an assistant city
managers position. You
A. Well, have they been at have to have somebody
odds with me or have they looking over public safety.
that was passed by the postion as an assistant city
Board of Aldermen and manager. AVe downgraded
then reaffirmed ._lhy th^ibat from ?ra ^ to-g*??l^.
only carry-out thefboatd of Jolnei Is in. His job as
Aldermen's directions* 1 directoi^of evaluation^war
don't set any policies. 1 hire eliminated. That position
people based on the quali- was combined with the
fications as set out by the budget office. That's one
Board of Aldermen in job l?st there.
descriptions and in the pay There was one secretary
ranges set out by them and lost there. So we gave up an
really assistant city managers'
So I was carrying out an position and an evaluation v
affirmative action plan that director's position and a
had been approved by the secretary's position and inBoard
of Aldermen, it was a stead moved the person
previous board, but it who as evaluation director
hasn't been changed and it in as public safety coordinastill
hasn'tl>een changed as tor, which was a position
of this date. recommended by the citi
' zen's committee on public
Q. How are you dealing safety.
with the promotion of A1
Beaty as assistant dty Q. So, In this case, you've
manager although he's also lost positions but you
Mwyln nn? Mm nlH haven't lost the people. ln~
penoimej director?
A. That's the situation until M ,
we get through this job I I I / iv'
freeze. A1 Beaty has the ' - '
same position I had when I A I
was assistant city manager, K I
in charge of all staff operations.
, Byr
1Q. How do you explain that
In terms of other promotions
that have been made- This world in which we
If a position held by a black ijVe is never static...new
Is not going to be filled, ideas, new methods, new
then why were some other items come thick and fast,
positions filled? To learn to live gracefully
with changes, to examine,
A. Any staff function will ponder, weed out the good
be frozen. That's the kind from the bad, to move with
of thing we can get along the times is vital if we are to
without as opposed to make living - a -success,
tors or water plaint^operas changes, and initiaTF them
tors or sanitation workers, as well.
That trash has got to get
picked up. IWe can double ^ is too easy to stay
up on staff functions for a w^hin our own small ruts,
^whfle' doing the same things, seeing
the same paople,
Q. How do you explain the 8oin8the same places. This
three -promotion* you re- *rend of life demands nocently
made? thin8 from us? asking only
that we accept and make
A. Reassignments. changes for progress, and
of course progress brings
Q. Realignments. problems.
Change demands much
A. The story never really of us' but if we are t0
got out on that as much as improve, to grow, to mawe
tried to get it out. I ture' we must meet its
actually 1o?t nncitmnc in demands, no matter how
: - * ? difficult they may seem at
W Street Proje
f Block West
Beginning Sept. 5, work
will begin to improve the
city's busiest intersection-Five.
Points West--where
First Street, Miller Street,
Country Club Road and
North and South Stratford
roads converge.
Motorists are requested
to avoid the intersection by
seeking alternate routes
whenever possible while
work is in progress.
Regular work on the project
will be Monday
through Friday from 7:30
a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Icrews will
also do some lSaturday
v work the same hours.
Motorists sometimes will
experience delays of sever...'
aJ minutes and one-way
\ > traffir dnrino nnn-nnh
hours, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
^ Delays will be most prevalent
as dirt is hauled on
trucks from the south side *
of South Stratford Road
across the intersection to
fill in the east side of North
1
.V". " 1 ' ' ' ? * * ?? r " T"
>
ative Actic
the case of a black, you've that savings.
got the position but you've That's the kind of bind,
lost a body. Instead of the kind of thing we tried to
having four blacks in top explain to the aldermen,
level positions, you now I've abeen losing positions,
have three. * You can't lose positions on
a very steady workforce, we
A. It's pure economics. I've have very little turnover
OAA ns\r\ ? ? *
gui mvc jzw.uw or noi ana expect to dot much.
make the payroll. Some I've asked for training
positions have to be frozen, positions, where we could
And just because a black bring people along. But of
held a position doesn't course, you can't do that
mean that position is a witnaur
Q. So you're between a rock
Q. Bat In view of the * hard place.
I woTij
-di^^h>'-ih\i-ttTt^tiappeiv to
You see, I've got a me* Why didn't this hap-~
number of things working P611 before I became maagainst
me. I've been in a nager? I don't know how
job freeze--I was in a job lasting lthis feeling of refreeze
for 18 months. We duced governmental exgot
out for six months and penditures is going to be. It
they put me right back into could have an effect where
a job freeze. . I can't hire I'd lose even more jobs.
, people and save money by When you have a very
keeping positions open. Of s*able work force like we
the two, which is the more ^ave and you've got to have
important. - an expanding workforce to
Well,, to me, the more do much in the way of
important is to insure that I affirmative action, or the
meet the payroll come May positions just aren't there
and June for the employes otherwise.
we've got on board. lUntil
we get $200,000 saved, I'm Q- Another complaint we
not sure I can meet that 8e* regarding affirmative
payroll. So, I've got to hold la that moat of the
vacant every position I can blacka employed in dty
hrYM varflnT Unfit u/a opt ei IIIIIHIll Alt 1ft tfc? de?
ceptance M
hange C^L
^aomiC. McLean
Business Writer
the time. And, in return, tice of the everyday qualities
we will learn to live as which are considered. Step
people should..honestly, by step we can accept
open-mindedly, bravely- changes, and step by step,
and joyously. we can initiate them. The
person who is hard to
The growth of a business satisfy moves foreward,
is a sign of progress, and and ready for changes,
progress always brings The person who sits back
changes. It's up to the comfortably and is contentexecutive
who wants - tQ_Led?with what he has aesucceed^
to- adapt_ him^or- complished moves backherself
to new methods, -ward, and he doesn't want
new circumstances, new to think about changes,
people. How you accept therefore he doe^y't con?L
them is a measure of your tinue progressing.
stature as a person, reali- We are all progressing or
zing a self-confident execu- retrogressing all the time.
tive or person generally To progress, we have to be
speaking accepts changes discontented with what we
as a challenge and a chance are now doing and the way
to grow. The real fact, we are doing it. REalizing
change is the order of the we are discontented, we
day and the one thing we begin thinking about
know very well about to- changes we want to make
morrow, next month and for growth and progress. It
next year, all will be dif- is then we think of new
ferent. ideas and methods to enBeneath
all changes lies' able us to live gracefully in
the force of character an a world which is never
understanding and a prac- static.
ct To
End Traffic
LStratford Road. " By Mrs. Dan Gerber
From about Sept. 20 to Many health experts are
Oct. -20, North Stratford concerned about tooth decay
? . r ~ , in young children. To protect
Road from Country Club your baby's teeth, avoid using
Road to Runnymeade Road a bottle as a pacifier at nap or
will be closed completely to bedtime. Prolonged contact
? of baby teeth with juice (or
trarric. formula) can promote dental
caries.
If the bottle remains in the
From about Dec. 1 to baby's mouth, the saliva canDec.
15. traffic will be not neutralize juice acidity,
detoured around the part of ean harm tooth
South Stratford Road that Let me reassure you there is
approaches the intersec- * Plac* for juice in a baby's
- diet, uerber strained juices
tlOITr~, are an important source of
"The major part of the vitamin C and are naturallywork
"that will slow down sweet. After the child is 6 to
. 8 weeks old, juices may be
traffic should be finished by fe(j from a bottle or trainChristmas,
and the whole ing cup Remember that
project is scheduled to be y?ur child should be .n an uPr
J ,, right position when eating or
completed by June, 1979, drinking
said A1 Ray of the city's r???
Engineering Division. I |P
r ?l .
Compare! Drlstan* Tablets ^Jq Wdllt tO do H
relieve more colds
i miseries than Comae
Of Asoirin rn?;?t?:?n ' West 3rd. Winston-Sa
ui Hojiiim. Omia- Conuc A$0>"r ?. ^
^ICLS.,,. / \ A Thfuway Shopping Cem
~i^T, 1 / I / 1 * P?"?w?y Plaza . Parkv,
! | / ' ! / 1 * Kerneravllle ? Boone
/*
>n Difficult
S> A
Orville Howell.
pertinents that are federal- most of the blacks are
ly funded? falling Into you federal
category?
A. Well, I don't know. I
don't have a break out like A. Because that's where
that. your job, your personnel
expansion has been. We
Q. For instance, Hainan adding there. But in your
Services.,. f\ traditional areas, where
y you don't have much turnWelt,
HuimurServices is over and you don't have
primarily black. We treat much expansion, you don't _
federally funded employes have much room.
different th*n most Umm
?We bring them in ay pen ?u ?.??
? ITUVU tfMMI WW ?Wf HHM
manent employes. We get yon mIiaed M opportunity
our money from so many to promote another black
different ways that if we w|thln dty governstarted
setting up and sli- -mW|* cing
off and saying 'Well
now, we pay out of Powell A j didn.t think x had
Bill funds from the stateL so another black in this oryou
re a state employe . ganization this high who
We bring all the reve- was rea(jy for a promotion.
nues in and put them in a i don>t think l do anybody
pool and fund our opera- any good if Heel they really
tions from them and we ean>t hand,e , job You\e
don't classify people as got the person's dissatisstate
employes or federal factionD you've got the
employes. organization's dissatisfaction
and I'll guarantee
Q. How do It happen that See Page 15
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