Correction on city organization charts
BY JENNIFER CABRERA / AUGUST 17, 2019
Yesterday, we received an email from Gainesville Interim City Manager Deborah Bowie, taking issue with our article on the revised city organizational chart that has been published in the FY20 proposed budget document.
According to Bowie, the Executive Chief of Staff position was previously referred to as the Administrative Services Director and was created “last fiscal year” (presumably FY18) as a Professional Temporary Time Limited position by former City Manager Anthony Lyons. The position was filled by Betty Baker until the spring of 2018, when she left her position at the city due to a terminal illness. Bowie joined the city staff in this role in late May/early June of 2018. Bowie says the organization chart at that time resembled the adopted FY19 chart described in the article “with the exception of the CRA, which remained with the City Manager as did the Department of Doing.” The position became vacant again when Lyons left the city and Bowie became the Interim City Manager.
Bowie continued: “What is different is actually showing the Office of the City Manager structure; the org charts last year did not accurately reflect the Executive Chief of Staff position or other temporary time limited positions as it was the city’s practice to not reflect these positions in the org charts. In an effort to promote more transparency, we reflect all Professional Temporary Time Limited positions in the amended FY19 organizational charts as these employees are currently employed and performing work for the city.”
She also said that the structure may change after a new City Manager is hired and that we should check with her Communications Director in the future before publishing articles based on official city documents.
As a requirement of competent government and fiscal responsibility, a new organization chart should be made public through a City press release and announcement at commission meetings whenever changes are made to the chart. Once again, Deborah Bowie’s confession demonstrates Gainesville’s reclusive government can no longer be trusted to provide accurate data to the public.