News-Record.com

Friday's lead editorial.

Greensboro City Manager Mitchell Johnson revealed his list of 49 job cuts Tuesday, but at least two council members wanted one more: his.

Observers might have thought they were watching the Guilford County commissioners of days gone by. But then, a couple of former commissioners were driving the action.

Some council members aren't happy with the manager, as separate motions by Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade demonstrated. One would have dismissed Johnson, the other demoted him. Neither led to a public discussion, although the manager bravely passed a note to Mayor Yvonne Johnson waiving his right to privacy and granting permission for the council to talk about him in open session.

It would have been useful for critics to lay their case on the table. If the manager isn't performing his duties properly, citizens ought to know where he comes up short. Earlier this year, the council gave him some directives and ought to tell the public how it thinks he's doing. If Mitchell Johnson was OK with that, the council should have gone ahead. Instead, it retreated behind closed doors to continue its discussion but didn't reach a conclusion.

The manager has carried out one directive, probably his toughest: identifying 49 city staff positions for elimination when the next budget takes effect July 1. Thanks to an ongoing hiring freeze, only 15 of those jobs were filled as of Tuesday, and more might be vacated through transfers or attrition over the next couple of months.

The 49 positions represent less than 2 percent of the city work force, hardly a draconian reduction when many businesses are cutting back much more severely. Still, eight were designated to come from the Police Department, including an arson investigator and two parking enforcement specialists who write tickets worth a combined $113,000 a year, according to the chief. Maybe jobs that pay for themselves should be retained. Three positions would be axed from the Fire Department, including a training officer, and eight from Water Resources.

The council needs to make sure essential services are maintained or even increased in high-priority areas like police protection, despite these reductions. Getting more done with less requires excellent management, which begins in the city manager's office.

That means now is the time to address concerns about the manager's abilities. If the city's elected leaders lack confidence in Mitchell Johnson, they're foolish to leave him in charge at a critical time. But they have to be fair. Has he met their objectives so far or hasn't he?

Commissioners used to get rid of managers without much public explanation. The Greensboro City Council should do better.