[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 9-16-09

[Bob Jaffe]

I meant to say city engineer. No one is looking for a special investigation. It's just an interesting anecdote. Your comment highlights the contrast with the way things function today.


From: Geoff Badenoch [mailto:geoffb at ism.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:31 AM
To: Bob Jaffe; missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: RE: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 9-16-09

For the record, when Al Sampson was City Council President, Bruce Bender or Joe Aldegarie was Public Works Director. Steve King was City Engineer before he became Public Works Director.  As a further observation, if, in fact, Al Sampson ordered Steve King or any other City employee to perform an act in violation of City ordinance, it was obviously inappropriate.  It doesn't rise to the level of a war crime, but someone performing the duties of City Engineer is not required to perform an illegal action and doesn't have the defense that an elected City Council person "ordered" him to do an illegal act.  Even as President of the City Council, Al Sampson didn't supervise City employees.  A Missoula City Engineer was answerable to the Director of Public Works, and he to the Chief Administrative Officer and that person to the Mayor.  Over time recollections may not be precise but I would be concerned to have a memory of such an inappropriate act laid out in public when the employee didn't perform his duty to uphold City ordinances and the elected official in question was not present to defend himself when the information was stated publicly before a City Council Committee.  I'd be interested if anyone sees it differently.

Geoff Badenoch

-----Original Message-----
From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com [mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com] On Behalf Of Bob Jaffe
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:29 PM
To: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 9-16-09


After lunch we started with Public Works...  We took care of a few other items and then considered a request to order in boulevard improvements at 401 and 417 Rollins. Back in 1986 there was a project that put in curbs on this block. The public works department put in topsoil and seed in the boulevard. The property was owned by then city council president Al Sampson and he ordered the public works director Steve King to take out the topsoil and put in road base to turn it back into a parking lot in violation of city ordinance.  It's been that way since. Over the years the neighbors have complained on and off about the junk cars and trash being stored in the boulevard where the whole rest of the block and neighborhood have grass, trees, and landscaping.  The motion to require bigger curbs, topsoil, grass, and trees at an estimated cost to the homeowner of $4500 passed unanimously. Clearly, there was a time when the city council had a lot more power than it does now. Steve pointed out that the meetings weren't televised or recorded then either.



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