On the City Manager being ousted

Forgive me, folks. I was out of town for a few days on business.

Some catching-up now:

I leave town for a couple of days and find the City Manager has been ousted?

Holy cow.

Sure, there was no love between the Mayor, it was known,but thrown out, just like that?

I read the article in The Kansas City Star about this thing and it has flags all over it. Following are some questions:

1) Why did Mr. Cauthen have to go? What did he do? Was it just poor work or was there something(s) inappropriate? Or both? I can't believe nothing has been said on this--and there should be. The Star needs to step up to the table and report on this very question.

2) The replacement is from podunk Marengo, Iowa?? Population 2,500?? Are you kidding me? To run Kansas City, Missouri?

3) The replacement guy was also hired without a current resume' or an interview, according to the Star. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?? I can't get hired to walk dogs without both of these things. How did this hayseed from corn-country get hired to run a city of Kansas City's size without both of the above?? "Oh, you do your job okay so I guess you can run the city, at least for a while, if you will. And while you're at it, here's $3,600.00 a week. Will that do?"

4) This is the perfect story for the Star. Is the newspaper researching this stuff, to find the answers?

5) Was or is anything remotely inappropriate (read: illegal) about this done or involved in any way--either the ouster or the new-hire?

And, just like when we fire our School Superintendents, it looks as though this is going to cost us around $250,000.00 to pay Cauthen to go away. But what the heck, it's just money, right? And in the meantime, we'll be paying the new guy the equivalent of $187,200.00 a year to possibly learn the job. And do a good one, it's hoped.

There are more questions to be asked, for sure, but I'll stop here. That's plenty for right now.

Stay tuned.

Links to stories: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1584137.html

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1587348.html