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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 22, 2005 Medford loses 17th planning staffer By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The second planner this week and the fifth in two months has turned in his resignation to the Medford Planning Department. Associate planner Rob Dehnert resigned Friday after four years with the department to take a senior planner position with Satre Associates P.C. in Eugene. It’s the same firm to which city planner Michael Howard moved in 2004 after 18 months with Medford. Dehnert makes the 17th planning department staff member to resign or retire since Rob Scott became director in 2000. Echoing concerns raised by Principal Planner Mark Gallagher, who announced his resignation Thursday, Dehnert said the primary issue fueling his departure is mismanagement — by Scott, City Manager Mike Dyal and Deputy City Manager Bill Hoke. "There’s so little teamwork here," said Dehnert, 51. "Some people want to think of it in conspiratorial terms. The simple matter is some people do not have the proper intellect or talent or temperament to manage well. Advertisement "We all have our limitations." He said well-managed agencies emphasize cross-training and teamwork, rather than Medford’s penchant for compartmentalization. Dehnert said he was hired to help streamline the planning process and worked closely with George Arimes, of Horizon Centre Inc. in Maryland. Arimes was hired in January 2003 to help make it easier for land-use applications to make their way through planning, building and public works departments. Arimes presented a report eight months ago but nothing has been implemented, Dehnert said. "There’s been an expressed commitment to change but there hasn’t been a commitment of resources necessary to design and implement effective and constructive change," said Dehnert. "I think more than anything the upper levels of management don’t understand the amount of work that needs to be done and the coordination needed between departments." Dehnert said his time in Medford has been "the most stressful and frustrating four years of my life." "It’s a hopelessly dysfunctional system and there’s no relief in sight," he said. Scott countered that recommendations made in the Arimes report have been delayed because the planning department has been burdened by a heavy workload of applications. "It’s the system that’s the problem, not the people," Scott said. Scott declined to respond to Dehnert’s accusations further, saying, "I’ve got a job to do, and that’s what I’m working on." Dyal said Scott is making progress on improving the department and has created a tiered system for compensating planners with years of experience. "He’s got some good ideas and he’s going forward with that," he said. As for Dehnert’s accusations of mismanagement, Dyal said, "Everyone’s entitled to their view or their opinion." Dyal said people leave for a variety of reasons, so to say 17 people have left since Scott became director is misleading. "This is a department that has undergone a lot of changes and there’s more coming," he said. City Council members said Friday they’ve heard planners’ concerns over the years. But they seemed unwilling to step into a staff management issue. Councilwoman Claudette Moore said her business philosophy is that it’s important for employees to mind their business and do their work. "It’s not my place to go around to staff and say, ‘Are you happy working here?’" she said. She said she has heard rumors that Dyal intimidates staff members but doesn’t believe them. "I don’t see intimidation coming at them at all," she said. "If Mike is doing things it’s not apparent to any of us." City Councilman Bob Strosser said he’s in support of the Arimes report, but there’s a staffing crisis which has put it on hold."We need to make this (staffing) a priority," he said. As far as claims of mismanagement, Strosser said the issue is "multifaceted" and some of the problem is resistance to change. "That’s not unexpected," he said. "That’s not unusual." He said there will be more discussion about the planning department. "The council has been concerned," he said. City Councilman John Statler said he has always shied away from micromanaging staff, but he wants to look closer at the issue. "I think this is a great opportunity to review personnel policies and the ways that council and the city manager’s office respond to employee concerns," said Statler. Clark Stevens, land-use consultant and partner in Richard Stevens & Associates in Medford, said he’s always had a good relationship with staff. "This sounds more like it’s an internal issue and we (consultants) don’t know what in the world is going on," he said. "They’re losing a lot of experience all of a sudden." He said the planning department needs to hire and train new employees as soon as possible. "They need to get those positions filled so we can keep doing business in Medford," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail Medford loses 17th planning staffer ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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