The Times-Independent

Former dept. head says he resigned over concerns about city management


A former Moab city department head says he chose to not be reappointed to his job in January because the management style of the city manager and administration made it difficult to do his job. Jeff Foster, who served as the city public works director for five –and-a-half years, notified Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison on Jan. 14 that he did not wish to be reappointed to the position.

Foster, whose last day on the job was Feb. 12, said most of the issues that led him to leave the city were related to management practices and what he sees as communications breakdowns with the city’s human resources department and Moab City Manager Rebecca Davidson.

“I loved doing my job there and I loved working with the people. But the way things were going I just felt like I was no longer the manager, I was just there to pass paper along,” Foster said in a Feb. 25 interview with The Times-Independent. “I’ve never resigned from a position … This was the first time I’ve felt I needed to do that.”

In a March 1 interview, Davidson and Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison both said they were surprised to hear that Foster had negative feelings about city administration.

“If Jeff was unhappy, he never gave me any indication of that,” Davidson said, adding that she and Foster met frequently each week to discuss the various projects that were managed by his department.

Sakrison said Foster’s resignation letter indicated that he wanted to spend more time with his family and Foster did not bring his job concerns to the mayor. The city public works director is a mayoral appointment. The mayor also appoints the city police chief, city recorder and city treasurer. Sakrison said the city manager oversees appointed positions but does not have the authority to fire those employees.

“That would have to come from me,” Sakrison said.

Foster said Sakrison did not ask him any questions about his decision to resign.

“The mayor has never contacted me or talked to me about it,” Foster said. “He just let it happen.”

Foster said changes at the city, including a September staff reorganization that resulted in the elimination of jobs held by longtime employees David Olsen and Ken Davey, have resulted in low morale among some city employees and created a working atmosphere in which employees fear they, too, will lose their jobs and are afraid to speak out.

“I don’t think that the city needed this type of shakeup,” Foster said. “… I don’t understand why they had to come in and do what they did — rip things apart just to put them back together again, that’s how it felt. My biggest concern is the people still there. They don’t need to be treated the way they are.”

He said incidents in his department involving the way an employee issue was handled and an issue with time sheets, among other situations, created frustration for him.

“It seemed like the communication lines were difficult,” Foster said. “They would tell me one thing and then something completely different would be done. It seemed to me that [Davidson] was moving in a direction that I didn’t fit in very well. I don’t like games. I’d like to be dealt with more straightforward that that.”

Sakrison and Davidson said city employees have not approached them with concerns, but Sakrison added that he believes it’s natural for workers to feel insecure when new managers come on board.

“When management changes, things change,” he said. “Of course there’s some uncertainty. What [Davidson] asks of people is that they do their job, and I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”

Several Moab City Council members told The Times-Independent that they, too, were unaware that Foster or any other city employees were dissatisfied, but some said they had heard “rumors” about low morale at the city.

“I don’t have much interaction with the staff … but I’ve heard rumors to that effect,” said council member Kalen Jones. “And it concerns me. I don’t really have a sense if it’s a problem or if the city had become complacent and any change is going to [cause staff concerns].”

Council member Rani Derasary said she, too has heard rumors in the community, but not directly from city staff. She, and other council members, said city employees are supposed to follow a specific process to air grievances through the city’s human resources department and because the city council is charged with making a final decision on any grievances filed, council members are supposed to maintain some degree of separation from staff where employment issues are concerned.

“You don’t want the community to feel unhealthy or suspicious … and this rumor mill that everybody’s unhappy,” Derasary said. “When you hear something you pay attention … You keep your eyes and ears open.”

Both Derasary and Jones, as well as council members Kyle Bailey and Heila Ershadi said they “have confidence” in Davidson and the job she is doing. Council member Tawny Knuteson-Boyd could not be reached for comment before press time.

As far as Foster’s resignation is concerned, Sakrison said the current job responsibilities for the public works director are “too much for one person,” and discussions are underway to reorganize the job and split some of those responsibilities with another department.

“In all fairness to Jeff, he was managing water, sewer, streets, facilities and parks,” Sakrison said. “He had five responsibilities. And that’s a lot. This is too much for any one person.”

Davidson said a growing list of city infrastructure projects, including planning for a new wastewater treatment plant and ongoing management of the existing plant, replacing aging water and sewer lines, planning for a new water storage tank, and a variety of other public works-related issues have added more responsibilities to an already difficult job.

“[Foster] just had way too much to do. I felt sorry for him,” Davidson said. “Everything was increasing and turning into workload … He also had a lot of new staff brought on that he was working on training … It’s a lot more than we did before … I hope [Foster] does well. He’s a good man.”

Foster said he still worries about other employees who may be feeling frustrated or afraid.

“It’s not a good, healthy workplace right now,” he said.

ByBy Lisa J. Church

The Times-Independent

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *