Comments

• On the article Mayor Kautz Says Recent Allegations are 'Blatantly False'

  

  Dave Emanuel

  11:39 am on Friday, May 17, 2013

  Was proper protocol followed? It appears it was not, but you can decide for yourself. Following are sections of the City Charter that deal with the duties and responsibilities of the City Manager and the manner in which mayor and Council interact with the City Manager and staff.
  Section 3.14. - (a) A city manager shall be nominated by the mayor with the confirmation of the city council. The city manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the city and manage and direct the daily operations of the city government in accordance with local ordinances, law, and policies prescribed by the city council. The city manager shall direct the administrative activities of the city; act as focal point for strategic planning, programming, and budgeting; supervise all city employees; serve as a liaison among the city staff and governing body; assist the general public; and serve on any boards or committees created by the council.
  (d) Except for the purposes of inquiries and investigations, the mayor, the city council, and council members shall deal with city officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager; and the mayor, the city council, or council members shall not give orders to any such city officer or employee, either publicly or privately.

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• On the article City Attorneys Unpaid, Mayor Denies Wrongdoing

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  3:52 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

  That's an excellent point Pat. And to add another perspective to it, when Stuart Oberman's bills were paid over the objections of four council members and behind their backs, the City Manager processed the payment at Kautz's direction. In my opinion, that's the same type of underhanded procedure as the Cruser & Mitchell payment, but at least those bills had been reviewed by the Council. Seems to be a pattern here of carelessly spending taxpayer money on some attorneys while not paying the justified bills of others. That not only gives the city a bad name, it can also lead to tax increases that could be avoided if proper financial policy was followed.

• On the article City Attorneys Unpaid, Mayor Denies Wrongdoing

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  12:44 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

  is to admit a clear, and intentional violation of the City charter, which requires authorization (by the Council) if assistant City Attorneys are hired. In this case, Cruser & Mitchel were clearly not serving as assistants to the City Attorney. They were serving as attorneys for the mayor who was charged with unilaterally violating a citizen's First Amendment rights.

  In response to these comments and some of those I've made in the past, I'm sure some people will label me as "mean-spirited". From my perspective, the citizens of Snellville put their faith and trust in the officials they elect to office, and I will not stand idly by when I see that trust violated. If that is taken as an indication that I'm "mean spirited", so be it.

• On the article City Attorneys Unpaid, Mayor Denies Wrongdoing

  

  Dave Emanuel

  12:32 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

  On one hand, I want to apologize to the citizens of Snellville for being a part of the latest negative publicity for our city. On the other hand, I would not be fulfilling my responsibility as a Council member if I ignored, or remained silent about improper, and possibly illegal expenditures of taxpayer money. In my opinion, the majority of statements made by Ms. Kautz are false, and serve no other purpose than to deflect attention from her actions. As I pointed out in my Council comments, the attorneys for Cruser & Mitchell were apparently fully aware that they were representing Kautz individually as their bills for work done on the Marilyn Swinney case were addressed to Kelly Kautz, NOT the City of Snellville. On the other hand, bills for work actually related to the city, which were listed in separate invoices, were addressed to the City of Snellville.

  Further, Kautz personally retained Cruser & Mitchell, long before her attempt to fire Mr. Powell, without consulting with or gaining the approval of the Council. She is apparently trying to justify her actions by claiming they were assistant city attorneys. That is clearly not the case, as evidenced by their bills being addressed to an individual, not the City, And to claim that they were hired as assistants... continued below

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• On the Blog Post More Ethical Misconduct From Snellville Mayor Kautz? Is This A Saga?

  

  Dave Emanuel

  11:11 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013

  This is another unfortunate incident that embarrasses the city. I covered this subject in my personal blog, CutToThe-Chase.com , several months ago and it's too bad that it has come up again, almost three months later.

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• On the article Snellville City Council Approves Board Appointments - But Not Unanimously

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  1:41 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013

  Mr.Thompson- anyone who is familiar with the City Council knows that I find the majority of Mr. Sabbagh's position and comments to be somewhere between unacceptable and unintelligible. However, I do not think it is appropriate for you to publicly refer to him as "the village idiot".

• On the Blog Post Snellville Community Garden- What's the Big Deal?

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  6:43 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  Nathan- according to my e-mail correspondence with Kelly Kautz, she voted against spending money on the fence because the Community Garden will, in her words benefit, "just a select group". I could never figure out which "select group" that was and when I asked her, "is it the people who will pay for a plot, cultivate plants and enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labor, is it the school children who will benefit from field trips to the garden, is it the citizens who will attend seminars or is the entire city, which will enjoy the benefits of positive publicity from on-going activities at the garden?" I received no reply.

  Keep in mind that about the same time, she was sponsoring an effort to spend $50,000 on 4 welcome signs. I have no idea as to why Mike Sabbagh voted against the garden except that I imagine that was what he was told to do.

  As for the food that's raised there, it isn't allocated-- the people who rent the beds, use it or donate it as they desire.

• On the Blog Post Snellville Community Garden- What's the Big Deal?

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  5:44 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  That's a good question. From what I saw and heard, Mike Sabbagh showed up early and sat in his truck talking on the phone for about 15 minutes. My guess is that he was filing a "scouting report". A few minutes before 2:00 he asked if the ribbon cutting could be delayed until Kautz arrived. I can only speculate as to the reaction when Kautz learned that the opening would proceed as scheduled. In any event, Kautz elected to blow-off attending. On a positive note, Jimmy Burnette, mayor of Suwanee attended, and he arrived on time.

• On the Blog Post Snellville Community Garden- What's the Big Deal?

  

  Dave Emanuel

  10:59 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  @Nathan- The Garden is funded by donations, contributions and grants. Construction and maintenance work are performed by volunteers. The city leases the land to the Garden for a nominal fee.

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• On the Blog Post Snellville Community Garden- What's the Big Deal?

  

  

  Dave Emanuel

  8:21 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  Nathan- funding is through donations and grants, and all construction and maintenance work is performed by volunteers. The city leases the land to the Grarden for a nominal fee and the fence around the Garden was paid for with SPLOST funds that had to be spent on parks and recreation. Oddly enough, Kautz, the current occupant of the mayor's office and Council member Sabbagh voted against the fence and for the most part have been less than cooperative regarding Garden initiatives. Guess they don't like vegetables.