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It is obvious Boks will not be here for another year. I hope he has been looking for a new job and will leave on his own. Of course, he will be leaving with a lot more baggage than when he left Maricopa or New York, making getting a new shelter management job more difficult.
Maybe it is time for Ed to start a new career. He has such a great need to be a celebrity that maybe he should get into politics, such as running for mayor. Everyone in the animal community would support his campaign as a way to get rid of him. And, we know he will not interfere with any future GM running LAAS, and will spend all of his time as far from animals as possible.
Any suggestions concerning potential candidates for a new GM?
Three years ago I was part of a committee trying to find a replacement for Greenwalt. I called big deal animal honchos all over the country. One name kept coming up over and over: Nathan Winograd. Nobody else wanted the job. Even Nathan turned the job down when it was offered and even declined to consult with the City.
Recently Nathan told me he would not have much time even to consult with the City after January 1 of next year. Since, I predict, Ed will be leaving about March, we are apparently out of luck using the Nathan/protege model he has been using successfully for the past 2 years.
Laura Beth Heisen's name keeps coming up. People say she is extremely hard working, knows everything and everyone connected with the LA animal community and is liked/respected by all. Of course she has a history to overcome, and probably couldn't become GM without the entire LA animal community behind her.
Susan Cosby has left Philadelphia to go to another shelter system, so she is out of the picture, but Nathan's proteges at other shelter systems may be available.
Carl Friedman, director of SFAC&Csaid he wouldn't come here--ever. He has an 80% save rate and a fraction of LAAS's budget.
Perhaps Blackman can find another well-known failure to appoint head of LAAS, like Ed Sayers. He must not appoint Marcia Mayeda who I plan to put out of business at the County. Of course, since she is terrified of the ADL, she'd probably not come here anyway.
In any event, whoever steps in will inherit a department that is much better functioning than when Stuckey left. There have been a lot of positive changes that make staff more accountable, such as creating an employee manual, written Standard Operation Policies (SOP), much better finacial management by Linda Barth, and now we have four vets and more in the wings. Of course we also have Eric Jones, the grossly over-paid and grossly under-productive head of the spay/neuter clinic at SLA.
So what to do now???
Please send comments on search methods or specific recommendations for a new GM.
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14 comments:
We had an employee manual before Boks arrived. We've always had one. His staff is just making some changes to it as all GMs before him have.
In October of 2005 the Mayor met with people in the animal community. Marcia's name came up. Antonio said what about her? How is she able to do so well with County? He meant what is she doing that keeps the activists from attacking the County. He had no idea how bad they are doing. He thinks she must be doing something right to keep the activists away. That's all he cares about, bad press.
I have no idea who could be the GM who is qualified and would actually want the job. Maybe they should just let an interim person run it for a while like they've done in the past. Of course, who would want that job.
They need to really do a thorough investigation into any new Director's past. It turns out Boks lied on his resume, lied about his past, lied about his "success," lied about everything. He had problems every place he went but people were just happy to get rid of him so they said nothing. Now they're talking.
"What do we do after Boks goes?"
We celebrate and promise to do a better job selecting a Director next time.
Ed Boks would be leaving behind a much better run department only because he hired Linda Barth, an excellent city administrator, as one of the Assistant General Managers. It would be ashamed to see her reputation besmirched by association as she is truly professional and has done much to bring the department up to standard city practices.
Ed Boks will probably blame Linda Barth for his mistakes. He already blames employees, activists, commissioners, councilmembers, public and even the animals themselves for his failure.
If Linda Barth is so good, why can't she control Boks a little? Why can't she advise him about the proper channels for getting programs approved? She just said yes to him on the pitbull academy. That doesn't sound like a good city administrator. If her reputation is besmirched because of Boks' actions, it will be because she went along with him all the way. If she feels he's doing a bad job, she should tell him to start doing a good job. She should report him to Blackman and the Mayor. Someone needs to get a handle on this loose canon, this walking liability.
It is a serious mistake to think anyone could control Boks' behaviors. Linda is not his boss and it is not her job to be his handler. He doesn't listen to Council, Personnel and apparently not even to the mayor (who does?). I hear she is running a much tighter ship than did Ed, and LAAS will not go bankrupt this fiscal year.
"I hear she is running a much tighter ship.."
1. What's with the "anonymous" from everyone? Stand up, for Dog's sake! What are you afraid of, and doesn't that just prove that "they" have you scared to death? The terrorists win, I guess.
2. Barth is running a tighter ship, you hear? Examples, please. These comments help nothing if they are not authored and not signed. Get a backbone!
George W. Bush said...
Fiscal controls. She watches every penny,thoroughly understands the city's accounting system and tracking budget expenditures.
That kind of accountant mind usually creates better controls in other areas, such as work flow in the office and/or managing protocol creation, SOP, thoughout the department, or making communication more orderly, or personnel more efficient.
To name specifics would be to become lost in details. Naming any specific thing would be trivial. It is the accumulation of little things (and big things)that makes one a better manager than another.
Of course Ed may ignore anything anyone in the department does or sets up for controls, but that would not be her fault.
If you know otherwise, be specific. If it is about specific animals or events, that may not be part of her job description. She is not the boss. For example, if you think she is stonwalling you, maybe she is or is doing so at Ed's orders, but that would not make her a bad manager.
Of coures all of this is hearsay.
Ed,
I haven't said she is or isn't a bad manager, and we all know that Boks does as he pleases. I was at NC yesterday and witnesses myself the horrid conditions in which they make the rabbits suffer. The "shades" that are down to block the sun block the airflow, too. This has been an issue for months and nothing gets done.
It's time for EVERYONE to put down their axes and band together to rid us of this guy. There are former foes, now writing in his favor because they hate Cummmins. Others who wouldn't think of helping a rabbit rescuer if they are a dog rescuer or a cat rescuer. We are nearly as bad as them.
I wish that Pam Ferdin would organize a protest that everyone felt they could attend without getting labeled a terrorist, because you know...Rocky would toss all of us in jail. Pam may think that's what it takes but I disagree.
The resignations should continue. Barth should resign in protest and tell the mayor she'll come back when someone competent is in the house.
The stories and the missteps (understatement) pile up , yet Antonio backs him stronge than ever. It seems to be up to us. I don't know what your readership is but I doubt it's enough to move people (people who don't know what's going on ) to act and they are the one's we need...the other taxpayers who have never been to a shelter or who have no idea whom Ed Boks is.
How do we do that? Feel free to email me privately...but not anonymously. I'm disgusted with that.
stu.911@gmail.com
anonymous said....
Barth is the one advising Ed. She is just as bad as him. She needs to go as well.
I agree with the previous commentor. Anybody who has had anything to do with Boks, inany capacity, who has ever agreed with anything he said, or any employee who has done what he asked, should be fired.
Anyone he ever dated, who rented an apartment to Ed, who attended any one of his meet and greets,should be shunned.
There is no need to give any reason except knowing Boks. Anyone who did anything with/for Boks has got to go.
Ed - Have you seen everything Grillo from Delta rescue has on Mayeda, the county, and animal control?
The problems keep happening because of the inabiltiy to see that the right person to run a/c isn't ness. an "animal control" person. A/C is a buisness, and needs someone who can run a buisness, manage employees, a budget, programs, interface with the public and still understand and accept that they are dealing with LIVE animals that have feelings. Marcia is on her way out, Boks may still have a few tricks up his sleeve.
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