THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410190141
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
A statement during an interview one year after he became Isle of Wight County administrator offers some insight into the approach Myles E. Standish can be expected to take as Suffolk city manager.
``I'm not really interested in keeping the archives,'' he told a reporter for The Virginian-Pilot. ``I'm interested in the challenges we've got to address.''
And, he said, mutual respect is the key to good relationships with fellow government staffers and elected officials.
In returning from our neighboring county, where he has been administrator for seven years, Mr. Standish could easily make the same observations. As admirable as heritage may be, determination by some people to hold to the ways of the past has impaired Suffolk's advancement. His job will be to develop forward-thinking, but he may have to drag some backward-lookers kicking and screaming.
His predecessor, Richard L. Hedrick, advanced mutual respect at City Hall. But the oppression the staff endured under Mr. Rowe never fully dissipated, and idea-sharing never reached the level he hoped for.
Additionally, two former city department heads were elected during the last City Council election, and Mr. Hedrick foresaw difficulty even beyond the micro-management he endured at the hands of some council members.
Mr. Hedrick was recently named county manager in Polk County, Fla., for about $10,000 a year more than he earned in Suffolk.
Mr. Standish is no stranger to Suffolk or Suffolk's ways. Beginning in 1975, he worked in its government from 1975 to 1987, beginning as an administrative analyst and rising to assistant city manager.
He served under the late G. Robert House and John L. Rowe Jr., both of whom offered lessons in how to be good city managers and how not to be good city managers. Both were bright, neither was particularly open about city government, and Mr. Standish has encountered some similar criticism in Isle of Wight - partly, perhaps, because of his meticulous, low-key approach.
The Suffolk City Council includes several members who have made open government a priority, and they should see that it applies to the new city manager.
Mr. Standish was among about 145 applicants for the Suffolk post. In many cases, city managers are like others interested in advancing their careers: a job in a particular city is just a line of a resume.
Mr. Standish, however, has demonstrated deep interest in Suffolk. He's watched from not-so-far and now comes to confront some of the same problems - housing woes, water and sewerage - that existed when he left.
With an improving economy and with Suffolk's tremendous potential for growth, though, he also comes when the city is on the verge of truly addressing the problems.
Mr. Standish is highly regarded in Hampton Roads as a regional thinker. That's vital, for so many of Suffolk's problems and concerns are shared by other municipalities.
Wise guidance is needed if Suffolk is to avoid the pitfalls of inadequate planning. We're confident Mr. Standish is up to the job. We welcome him back home. MEMO: Comment? Call 446-2494. by CNB