Martinez 1, Brewster 0

As the local newspaper editorializes against what it calls the “secretive search” for a replacement for soon-to-retire Austin City Manager Toby Futrell, new details are leaking out about how the choice came down to the current candidates — which don’t include longtime Futrell deputy Laura Huffman.

Huffman reportedly had the four votes needed to get the nod, led by Councilman Brewster McCracken. But Councilman Mike Martinez refused to change his vote for the sake of a council display of unanimous support. So in the end, Jelynne Burley of San Antonio and Marc Ott of Fort Worth were left standing, and Huffman went home in a… well, huff.

Posted on January 14, 2008 – 12:44 pm by APR

  1. One Response to “Martinez 1, Brewster 0”

  2. What if…

    Here’s something for everyone to think about, especially the editorial board of the local daily.

    What if there was true leadership among some of our council members?

    What if we did have an ounce or two of integrity left in our government?

    The city council made a decision to choose the next city manger with a process (or lack there of) that had little to no public input. They hired a firm, conducted a search and eventually ended up with two qualified candidates who are not from the Futrell regime/machine that so many of us are simply tired of.

    Now the Statesman E-Board is pouting like little babies that “the public” didn’t get a chance to weigh in on this subject. Maybe what they are really whining about is that THEY didn’t get to sway public opinion about who the next city manger should be because the council chose to keep the process to themselves. This is the same exact E-board who opposed the open government proposition a year and a half ago. This is the same E-board who just a few months ago began calling for this council to show leadership and take the reigns of the city back into council hands.

    Why doesn’t the statesman just propose that we have a charter amendment that allows the citizens to go down to city hall each and every Thursday and vote on all the agenda items one by one. Then we won’t need a council and we can only get upset with ourselves anytime something doesn’t go well. Give me a break guys…you were outsmarted and you just don’t like it. At least admit it and maybe you can save some cred with your readers. This morning’s piece was just classic…and very transparent.

    Think about it Austin… we actually have someone on this council who is thinking and working for us. Hell, I am even gullible enough to say we have more than one of them on the people’s side. Maybe even as many as 3 or 4….hint, hint…it takes 4 votes to do anything.

    If Ms. Huffman did actually have 4 votes on the council (which I heard the rumors as well, including one where Council Member McCracken actually introduced her to a group as the next city manager of Austin) then you have to wonder what the heck actually happened and which of our council members were able to pull off such a move.

    But I don’t believe for one second this could have been pulled off had the process been open and in public with all kinds of interviews and meetings with different groups. We would be in a political mess right now with the daily right there…front and center…swaying opinion and eventually anointing the next city manager.

    So…if the rumors are true…then I for one am one happy Austinite. It means that we do have a chance and we do have folks working for the people and not around the people who elected them.

    If the rumors are not true…then I am still happy because we simply got lucky that Ms. Futrell Jr. (Huffman) didn’t make it to the place that many had already handed to her back in the fall.

    By Toby on Jan 14, 2008

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