A State of the City address should tell residents what was accomplished in the previous year, list the goals of the coming year and build support for those goals. Unfortunately, East Point’s recent address by Mayor Earnestine Pittman will be remembered for her calling for the city manager’s firing and chastising council members for inappropriate expenditures.
Does that mean problems should not be addressed? Of course not. But the State of the City address is not the appropriate occasion to present problems without solutions or to castigate opponents.
If East Point residents are to ever trust and support the city’s officials, drastic changes are needed.
1. Complete annual audits in a timely manner. Council can claim the city’s finances are rosy, but without an independent audit, such claims lack credibility.
2. Cut up council credit cards. Council members have expense accounts and credit cards that are notoriously misused by officials and are not needed.
3. Require expense reports from council and the mayor. No business will reimburse an employee for expenses without a report backed by receipts. East Point’s elected officials fail to provide this basic information.
4. Prepare trip reports. The mayor and council members should avail themselves of the critical training they need to better serve the city, and then report on what they learned. If citizens could review what was gained by participation, they would better understand the need to fund training.
5. Give credit in public, criticize in private. Stop belittling staff and each other in public. If you don’t treat each other with respect, why would you expect city residents to do so?
6. Solicit input from all citizens, not just supporters. Make it a point to visit area meetings to hear from residents and business owners.
7. Require regular reports from staff on complaints received and mandate follow-up responses by staff to inquiries and complaints. If you want residents to care about the city, the city has to care about its residents.
When the mayor refuses to take any responsibility for East Point’s problems, she loses the public’s trust and respect. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed took the helm to address the recent snow and ice storm. No, he didn’t shovel the streets himself, but what mattered to people was that he was willing to take responsibility for problems he did not create.
Instead of just attacking others, Mayor Pittman should take responsibility for her own conduct. Pittman refused to excuse herself from voting on costs incurred by the city because of her own husband’s legal action against East Point. She threatens to make public items appropriately discussed in executive session. When given the opportunity to select a charity for a significant gift, she chose E.D. Cubed, of which she is the CEO.
Pittman’s council newsletter was called “The Tattler.” That speaks volumes about how she views her role in city government. It’s time she learned that she — not the manager or council — is the city’s public face.
Teresa Nelson is a former East Point City Council member. Reach her at neely404@bellsouth.net
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