Mayors and city commissioners must have effective working relationships with a number of key audiences in order to successfully undertake their responsibilities. These audiences include citizens/voters, community groups, the press, governmental agencies, other elected officials and nonprofit organizations. However, critical to a successful city commission is the effective exchange of information between the city manager, agency department heads, and subordinates.
After watching three meetings, I am left with the opinion that the Bowling Green City Commission is ill served by the current processes used to prepare for these events. During the meetings I viewed, commissioners at times appeared confused and seemed to lack the necessary information about a particular topic. It also appeared that commissioners were not well briefed before meetings or the information provided beforehand was limited.
Having served as a Fortune 500 executive for a number of companies, I have grown accustomed to receiving 1-2 page briefs, for anything that merits my review and approval. In comparison, city commissioners seem to receive rarely more than a paragraph, based on what I see in the supporting documentation supplied with the Commission Agenda. Perhaps this casual approach worked when Bowling Green was a small town with a population of 10,000-15,000, but that’s not the case anymore. With an annual budget of $110 million, and a population of 65,000, I believe it’s time to expect more though in meeting preparation, detail and diligence.