[Vision2020] More on the ice rink

[Dan Carscallen]

The article in its entirety:


Councilmen: Ice rink issue sheds light on power struggle between city
officials

By Omie Drawhorn, Daily News staff writer

Saturday, January 20, 2007 - Page Updated at 11:19:16 PM
Moscow City Councilman Aaron Ament said certain members of the city's
staff are "out of control."

Ament and Councilman Bob Stout said the recent ice rink controversy is
indicative of a larger power struggle that has existed between the City
Council and city staff for some time.

Moscow City Attorney Randy Fife signed and delivered a cease-and-desist
order for the Moscow Rotary Veteran's Memorial Pavilion ice rink at the
Latah County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, one day after City Council
members voted to set up a meeting with the Palouse Ice Rink Association
and Latah County commissioners.

"We offered a fig leaf instead of a club to the head," Stout said of the
council's decision to organize a meeting between the entities. "The city
clubbed (the county) on the head."

Stout had contemplated proposing a moratorium on special use permits in
the R3 zone during Tuesday's council meeting to keep the city from
taking immediate action against the county and the ice rink, but decided
against it.

Now he wishes he'd gone through with it.

"This is a worst-case scenario, which justifies a moratorium in my
mind," he said.

Ament said he was under the impression that the city would hold off on
enforcement until a meeting between the affected entities was held.

"This is a slap in the face to the City Council," he said. "It's against
everything we'd discussed."

Conflict between city staff and members of the City Council has existed
in the past, Ament said, including last summer's request by the Moscow
Police Department to unionize.

He said city administration officials like Fife and Moscow City
Supervisor Gary Riedner "need to go."

"This is a strong mayoral system but I don't see the mayor leading. I
see city staff in control," he said. "(Mayor) Nancy Chaney was brought
into office to bring them under control, but that hasn't happened. If
Nancy
(Chaney) doesn't want to step up to the plate, Nancy needs to leave
too."

Fife said he was merely acting within the parameters of his job.

"I do my job and I've done it for 10 years," he said. "The staff
supports the will of the mayor and the council. It's not like its own
entity. It's an expression of the will of the people."

Fife said he encourages people to talk to him about why he makes a
decision.

"I don't have anything to hide. I don't get elected or make millions,"
he said. "It doesn't sound effective for city staff to not follow the
advice of council members."

Fife said he didn't make the final decision on the cease-and-desist
order until Wednesday, after he had gathered input from council members
and other sources.

Chaney said the ice rink situation is a matter of enforcing the laws.

"I don't view that as a conflict" between city staff and the City
Council, she said.

She said there still are opportunities to save the ice rink. On Friday,
Latah County commissioners appealed the city's decision and Fife stayed
the order.

"I don't see any benefit to fanning flames. Enforcing the law is apart
from that discussion," she said. "It's dangerous to create more
controversy than actually exists in that circumstance. We want to come
up with a workable solution that can benefit everyone."

Riedner said city staff works to implement the policies of the City
Council under the mayor's guidance.

"It's never been, in my perspective, that there is a power struggle
between council and staff," he said. "At no time has staff worked at
odds with the council, but there have been situations where the council
may not agree or have the same perspective on how a policy is to be
implemented."

Riedner said there always is room for improvement and he will do what he
can to improve relationships if they are strained.

Councilman Bill Lambert said he isn't aware of any power struggle.

"The city attorney has to do his job," he said.

The county had to comply with the rules of the special use permit and
the parking lot improvements needed to be made by the end of September,
he said.

"If someone in violation of a permit hasn't complied with what the
permit says, it puts everyone in a peculiar situation," Lambert said.

Councilman John Weber said the city has to set a precedent. If the ice
rink is allowed to bend the rules, other entities will expect the same
treatment.

"When something comes up it needs to be dealt with," he said. "(Fife)
had a huge choice and he had to make a decision.

"I am in favor of the ice rink, but I think ... we can work the issue
out."

Omie Drawhorn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail
at odrawhorn at dnews.com.