New_Year_2005_e-forum.pdf

 

For several years, I have prepared detailed year-end evaluations of City of Richmond services, problems challenges and wishes. Originally, these were conveyed to my City Council colleagues and the city manager as a way of providing input into the annual city manager performance evaluation and establishing my priorities and legislative objectives for the coming year.

 

In 2003, I shared one of these priorities on the E-FORUM in New Year's Resolution - a Full Court Press on Blight, January 3, 2003.

 

In 2004, I tried to be whimsical and authored Out With The Old – In With The New, E-FORUM, January 1, 2004, providing a number of awards and multiple choice predictions. Remarkably, several of the predictions had choices that were dead on.

 

This year, I decided to expand the New Year’s Day E-FORUM to become a broader evaluation of the City of Richmond and to give E-FORUM readers an opportunity not only to participate but to also play the principal role.

 

Due to the volume of responses from E-FORUM readers, this year’s effort sort of got out of hand and expanded to 20 pages before I ran out of time and energy. Due to the volume, it is attached as a PDF file. If you can’t download it. contact me via email, and I’ll try some other method of transmission. What constitutes this year’s effort is not a scientific poll or survey by any standard. Some of it reflects my personal opinions, and some of it reflects the opinions of people who live or do business in Richmond, including some City employees. The only public input quoted herein is from readers of the E-FORUM, which is a self-limiting sample.

 

Finally, I have pulled no punches. For the most part, I have included E-FORUM readers’ comments without editing or censorship, which may offend some people. As always, I welcome responses, comments, arguments, debates and corrections.

 

The Table of Contents of the attached PDF file is:

 

Introduction. 1

Richmond Issues of the Year 2004. 1

No. 1 - The 2004 Budget Crisis. 1

No 2. – Point Molate. 2

No. 3 – Election 2004. 3

Richmond Achievements and Follies of 2004. 3

Tom Butt Nominations for Best 2004 Achievements. 3

E-FORUM Reader Nominations for Best 2004 Achievements. 4

E-FORUM Reader Nominations for Worst 2004 Debacles. 4

Development Projects During 2004. 4

E-FORUM Reader Nominations for Best 2004 Development Projects. 4

E-FORUM Reader Nominations for Worst 2004 Development Projects. 5

Organizations in 2004. 6

E-FORUM Reader Nominations for Best 2004 Organizations. 6

City Employees. 7

City Employees Nominated by E-FORUM Readers for Roses. 7

City Employees Nominated by E-FORUM Readers for Garlic. 9

Roses from Tom Butt for City Employees. 10

City Departments, Policies and Services. 11

City Departments, Policies and Services Nominated by E-FORUM Readers for Roses. 11

Everyone. 11

Recreation and Parks. 11

Design Review Board. 11

Tom Butt E-FORUM.. 11

Fire Department 11

Veolia. 11

Planning. 11

Parks and Recreation. 12

City Clerk’s Office. 12

Police Department 12

Sewer Service. 12

City Departments, Policies and Services Nominated by E-FORUM Readers for Garlic. 12

Phones and Phone Calls. 12

Street Sweeping. 13

Street Deterioration. 14

Parking Enforcement 14

Code Enforcement, Abatement and Dumping. 14

BNSF Railroad Regulation. 16

Mayor and City Council 16

Building Department 16

Permits and Licenses. 16

Sewer Maintenance. 16

Planning Department 16

City Departments, Policies and Services Nominated by City Employee E-FORUM Readers for Garlic  17

Internal Communication. 17

Human Resources. 18

2005 Predictions from E-FORUM Readers. 18

Tom Butt 2005 Projects and Legislative Objectives. 19

Happy New Year!