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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Retiring SOU president Roy Saigo recalls days in Japanese-American camps ... Since You Asked: New airbows not legal for hunting in Oregon ... Recruiting firm didn't pick Patridge ... Retiring SOU president Roy Saigo recalls days in Japanese-American camps ... Since You Asked: New airbows not legal for hunting in Oregon ... Recruiting firm didn't pick Patridge ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: City manager fight is about control Comment By Curt Ankerberg MailTribune.com By Curt Ankerberg Posted Jul. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Curt Ankerberg Posted Jul. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Rob Patridge for Medford city manager saga has played large in the news lately. Our dysfunctional City Council took more than one year to finalize its choice for the next city manager, the council and the mayor are almost equally divided on that choice, and we've recently seen Mail Tribune guest editorials by insiders Curt Bennett and Jan Esquivel in support of Patridge. Esquivel even accused Mayor Wheeler of being a "bureaucrat," which is ludicrous. As an outsider and current City Council candidate, this is my opinion of the situation. There's a turf war going on right now for the control of Medford. The Chamber of Commerce and its followers, which include the Esquivels and eight former and five current council members, want their candidate Rob Patridge to be the next city manager. They want to be in control of how your tax dollars are spent, and to ensure that the Chamber and its executive members continue to receive questionable crony capitalist deals with the city. They also want to ensure a continuance of the unethical $750,000 Travel Medford deal with the city of Medford, which former city manager Swanson and the Mail Tribune opposed. Rob Patridge will ensure the continued delivery of pork for the Chamber. The opposition includes Mayor Wheeler, former Mayor Lindsey Berryman, Councilmen Kevin Stine, Clay Bearnson and Daniel Bunn, and myself, who want someone other than Patridge selected as city manager, and preferably someone with the proper education and experience, and someone independent of the Chamber. The Chamber's group promotes the Chamber's agenda, while we represent what will benefit the majority of Medford residents. In the same manner that lawyers are trained in law school, or doctors are trained in medical school, or a CPA such as myself is trained in business school, city managers typically get their training by obtaining master's degrees in public administration from accredited universities. They then work for years as city department heads, then assistant city managers, before they are given the reins to manage their own city. City managers are responsible for the management, budgeting, planning and human resources of a city which, in the case of Medford, has approximately 80,000 residents, more than 400 city employees and an almost $90 million-per-year budget. Being city manager of Medford is not a job for an unqualified amateur like Rob Patridge, who will have a long learning curve on the job, while at the same time receiving an exorbitant compensation package, which is a 50 percent increase over his current salary and far in excess of what his more qualified predecessor received. Patridge does not have the requisite budgeting, city planning, management or human resources experience that is demanded for a city of Medford's size, nor has he ever worked for any city in any capacity. He also does not possess a degree in public administration or business administration. Patridge's professional career has been littered with irrelevant jobs as it relates to being a city manager. None was a training ground for what a city manager does. None dealt with large complex budgets, or managing large diverse groups of employees, or city planning. Comparing being the Klamath County District Attorney (a post Patridge was appointed to) to being the Medford city manager is like comparing managing a 7-Eleven convenience store to managing a Costco retail store. It's a night-and-day difference. Much of Rob Patridge's career has benefited from the political patronage system, including now. Patridge will do as he's told by his patrons at the Chamber of Commerce, to the detriment of Medford citizens. Medford needs a strong, independent city manager who will put Medford residents ahead of the Chamber. Patridge would not even be considered for a city manager position in any other city in Oregon, such as Bend, Roseburg or even Klamath Falls, because he lacks the proper qualifications. Only in Medford, where corruption and crony capitalism rule, is Patridge even considered, because he'll deliver the pork for the Chamber, to your detriment. The Chamber has managed to install City Councilman Eli Matthews as the head of Travel Medford, and now having Patridge as city manager would give the Chamber even more control of the city. If the City Council is at a deadline now, it's the council members' own fault. They've had adequate time to make a superior selection. It would be foolish to hire an eminently unqualified Rob Patridge just because we're at a deadline created by a bumbling, dysfunctional City Council. Curt Ankerberg of Medford is a candidate for City Council. By Curt Ankerberg MailTribune.com By Curt Ankerberg Posted Jul. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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