I went up and took a look at the project. The resident pointed out her concerns, which mainly had to do with some dead sod that had been layed on the greenbelt after the project was complete. The sod in question seemed to be dead in many places and was certainly not as attractive in appearance as the resident’s property, which was neat and tidy and looked terrific. I met with the resident and told her that I would make contact with the Director of Public Works and inquire about her concerns..

I left the resident’s house and drove up to Tienken Rd to attend to another issue. When I drove past her home about twenty minutes later I noticed that the Director of Public Works was already on the scene and talking to the resident. Whatever actions the superintendent was taking were not as a result of my inquiry as I had yet to make it! Later that evening I spoke with the Director of Public Works and he assured me that he was taking care of the problem and would work with the resident toward a satisfactory resolution.

In today’s mail I received a thank you card from the resident. She informed me that the problem had been resolved to her total satisfaction. Needless to say, I was pleased to receive the note of thanks and would like to take credit for the problem being solved, but I am afraid I cannot. The credit goes to Director of Public Works Bill Bohlen. Bill was on top of the problem and handled it in a customer service oriented fashion. Great work, Bill, and thanks for a job well done!

As a result, I will no longer be keeping those hours. But I am always interested in hearing from anyone interested in talking with me. You can  contact me through this website  or you can get my telephone number from the Rochester area phone book and give me a call.

I will be glad to talk or meet with anyone who expresses and interest and I look forward to hearing from you.

For the months of July and August, I will be present at 6:30pm on the night of each council meeting. Please feel free to stop by and talk with me at your convenience. ince a number of citizens normally come to the council meeting, my thought is that scheduling my “office hours” at this time might be more convenient for more people.

The council meetings are scheduled for the following nights in July and August:

July

07-14-2008

07-28-2008

August

08-11-2008

08-25-2008

Please stop in and see me if you get the chance.

• Reading meeting agendas & minutes
• Regular City Council meetings
• Downtown Development Authority meetings
• Planning Commission meetings
• Older Persons Commission meetings
• RARA meetings
• RAYA meetings
• Misc other meetings
• Community events
• Recognition dinners
• Correspondence reading & responding

The list is practically endless. One of the things that suprised me the most after I was appointed to city council was the time required to stay on top of the issues.

Stop in and Visit with Me

One of the promises I made during the campaign last fall was to keep regular office hours. Beginning this Friday, June 6th, I will be at the city council chambers from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. I intend to keep these hours for the month of June, after which time I will evaluate how effective those hours are.

Please stop in and visit with me. I look forward to meeting with you.

(Image courtesy of Mike Cherim)

The interviews each lasted approximately two hours. Mark Nottley, our hired consultant, handled the interview introductions and opening round of questions. Then the council as a whole took over the interview process and each individual member was able to explore the areas they were interested in.

Terrific Group of Candidates

We were blessed with five finalists who all brought various skills and experience to the table. I am certain that each candidate would have been a solid choice to lead our city into the future. I thank them all for taking the time to apply and for participating in our hiring process.

One Candidate Stood Out

In the end, I thought the decision process was fairly easy. Early in the process, Mark Nottley had told us that in his experience one candidate generally stands out quite significantly from the rest of the interview pack.

Mark was right. One candidate did just that. He stood out among the rest and was the obvious choice to lead Rochester into the future. The council was unanimous in their vote and unanimous in their excitement for the chosen candidate.

Jaymes Vettraino – Our Choice

I am pleased to announce that Jaymes Vettraino of Kutztown, Pennsylvannia was chosen by the council to be the next city manager of Rochester.

Mr. Vettraino is a graduate of Michigan State University. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Lehigh University.

For the past five years, he has been the Manger / Treasuer for the Borough of Kutztown in eastern Pennsylvannia. Prior to this he was the city manager in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvannia.

Mr. Vettraino will bring a very customer oriented and forward thinking approach to our city, He understands the role of technology in city government and how to apply it to better serve the citizens.

Information technology and information dissemination is also something Mr. Vettraino understands and applies in the public sector. He explained to us his theory of Google/Starbucks/Walmart and how it applies to municipal management. In a nutshell, Mr. Vettraino believes that citizens want instant information (Google), specialized and individual service (Starbucks) and a terrific value (Walmart). The idea is simple, but the manner in which he described it was brilliant.

The Borough of Kutztown is located in eastern Pennsylvannia – about one hour from Philadelphia. The town has a population of five thousand, but this number is a bit deceptive because Kutztown State University is located within the city and has a student population of over ten thousand.

In addition, Kutztown provides both electric service utility and cable television / internet services to their residents, the university and the surrounding township. Needless to say, this adds a significant degree of complexity to the responsibilities of the city manager in their community.

What’s Next

Mayor Stuart Bikson is currently handling the final details of the salary, benefits and contract details with Mr. Vettraino. I am confident that within a matter of days Mr. Vettraino will “officially” be our new city manager.

The future looks bright. Very bright indeed.