THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 25, 1994 TAG: 9407210011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ANOTHER VIEW
SOURCE: By V. WAYNE ORTON
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Being a public executive of an older central city in today's world is no easy responsibility. The face of fiscal and economic development challenges serves only to make the duties and responsibilities more difficult and complex. The public has the right to know, but that right should never stray from the truth. Your editorial ``Portsmouth problems'' (July 15) unfortunately strays far from the truth at the expense of my public reputation, a pattern which has, unfortunately, become all too frequent an occurrence when it comes to reporting stories on Portsmouth containing references to me.
There is another more objective view on Portsmouth problems: Portsmouth is meeting its economic and fiscal challenges head on. Change is inevitable. Government is not, and cannot be, business as usual. I have recognized and identified change needed for Portsmouth and, as a result, have had to make difficult and unpopular decisions which most public-sector executives historically and currently have been reluctant to make.
I have not added three new executive positions within days of the layoff of 35 mid- and upper-level management positions. There were 1,729 positions following the layoff and before the reorganization. There are 1,729 positions now. I have created a new organizational executive structure to better equip the city to meet the financial challenges it faces and to be more responsive to citizens.
Why should the public be led to believe that I have ``created'' three positions when, plainly and simply, I have not? Please consider the following:
Prior to the layoff there existed a position classification identified as deputy city manager. I simply filled a vacancy and did not give a pay raise to the individual appointed.
I added additional duties and responsibilities to an existing executive authorized in our pay-and-classification system, and accordingly announced my intention to change his job title. Again, I did not apply a pay raise for these added duties and responsibilities.
Finally, to better address the economic challenge that has dominated the fiscal agenda before this city for all four of the years that I have served as city manager, I elected to establish - from the now-available salary of the retired former deputy city manager - the chief financial officer position to more effectively meet and overcome Portsmouth's fiscal challenge. The salary that I expect to be able to appoint will be between $27,000 and $36,000 less than the $94,000 salary of the retired former deputy city manager - a real savings to the taxpayers.
It should be absolutely clear now to you, but more important, to the public as well, that I did not create three new executive positions.
With the retirement of 18 police officers and 34 firefighters, the police chief and the fire chief have assessed their departmental coverage and have assured that public safety will not be jeopardized while the positions are being filled.
There is also another view on retirement benefits. City Council members have enhanced the retirement system for fire and police over the years, including this past budget process. Council chose to increase the benefits as a reward for the fire and police officers whose career pay levels are lower than others in the area but who remain committed to Portsmouth. The retirement benefits serve as an incentive to attract and retain talented public-safety professionals in our work force, thus making Portsmouth competitive. Your benefit comparison to the other cities was not accurate.
Your comparison of the retirement benefit to be paid to the retired former deputy city manager also was flawed, as it applied a multiplier to that salary assuming that he lives to be 75 years old but no multiplier to the reduction in force. Applying that multiplier properly would reveal that the public benefit over that same period would be a $46.8 million savings to the taxpayer.
Your editorial statement and a similar one from the editorial staff of the Portsmouth Currents office have created an unfortunate public response to my performance. There is clear evidence that there exists a journalistically unethical predisposition in the Currents office that now appears to be infecting the mainsheet editorial staff.
The public does have the right to know. That knowledge should/must be based in truth. MEMO: Mr. Orton is city manager of Portsmouth.
ILLUSTRATION: MR. ORTON
by CNB