When I Was At The Energy Department...
Tim Fleck has an interesting article on the recent history of institutional tension between the mayor and city controller in the city of Houston.
In his quest to be loved by all, Bill White indicates that he will try to have a less adversarial relationship with the city controller than previous mayors:
White indicates he will be more flexible than Brown in bringing the controller into a management partnership.I thought the best thing to come of the last election was the fact I would no longer have to listen to Mr. White reflect on the good old days when he "was a big effing deal at the Energy Department" (making contacts that led to being made CEO of a holding firm) or "creating jobs in Houston as CEO of Wedge Group" (the holding firm)."I think there is a role [for the controller] in what we call reliable management information systems that can be used by decision makers. And I know there may be some within the departments who will resist it."
White recalls how, during his tenure at the federal Energy Department, he used the agency's inspector general office to scour the bureaucracy for waste and inefficiencies.
"That is a big role where somebody's going to have to do it, and if we can use dedicated personnel at the Controller's Office to perform that useful function, that would be great for the city."
Alas, it was not to be. But surely it must end soon. Surely.
Interestingly enough, Annise Parker does comment that she thinks the new mayor is a micromanager. The question is, will he be the inept micromanager of Frontera Resources, or a Lanier-style micromanager who gets the potholes fixed?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/10/03 18:53 | Houston | Technorati
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