Thursday, April 17, 2008

Seems Too Cozy

At the City Commission meeting Tuesday night, after Stuart Lewin talked about the problems with the indemnification clause (15) included in the water rights consulting agreement, Coleen Balzarini said that the clause was included on the recommendation of the risk manager.

Risk manager? I don't know what the job description is of this position, but I thought maybe it was part of the legal department. It's not. According to the City of Great Falls Telephone Directory, our city's risk specialist works in the Fiscal Services department, which as we all know has as its director, Coleen Balzarini, who just so happens to be the person who presented this consulting agreement to the City Commission on Tuesday night. (I have a copy of the City Telephone Directory, but the link online is broken).

Did city attorney, Dave Gliko, see the agreement and not challenge the indemnification clause or was the commission meeting the first time he heard of it?

If he knew nothing of this, why not?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our city attorney has been awol on many issues. what does he do anyway. does the right and left hands of our city government communicate or has Gliko been so used to abdicating to Lawton that he is permanently caught in that old web?

And how come the staff now sits in the audience reday to hit the door when the heat is on?

Ms. Balzarini was outathere pretty fast when she could not or would not adequately answer commissioner Jolleys question.....time for a house cleaning?

Anonymous said...

Now that we have a proper chief of staff, actions will now be properly staffed, scrutinized and coordinated...the city attorney is part of the TEAM...having water consultants is fine, and they can 'grunt' for data, but SME and PPL have employed 'legions' of water-rights attorneys while we've neglected to protect our own city's - and the People's - interest....time for teamwork and coordination, not unilateral actions.

Anonymous said...

"According to the City of Great Falls Telephone Directory, our city's risk specialist works in the Fiscal Services department, which as we all know has as its director, Coleen Balzarini, who just so happens to be the person who presented this consulting agreement to the City Commission on Tuesday night."

And she (Balzarini) had the audicity to stand up there and tell the commissioners and the public it was done at the recommendation of the "Risk Manager". This deceptinv woman has to go, Now Mr. Doyon before she takes you down with her......