What’s next for Bainbridge’s new government?

Published 4:14 pm Thursday, May 21, 2009

Supporters of the council-manager form of government had reason to celebrate this week. The landslide victory for a change in Bainbridge’s form of government was decisive even though official results won’t be certified until June 3.

As of Thursday, 69.8 percent of voters said they approved of abandoning the mayor-council form of government and adopting the council-manager system.

Linda Owens, the Vote Council Manager ’09 campaign manager, spoke to what the results signaled to the city and the community.

“The vote… is a clear and direct message from an aware and aroused citizenry that they want a sweeping and profound change in how city business is carried out,” she said.

City Council member Barry Peters agreed.

“It’s a real mandate,” Peters said. “It’s a mandate for all council members to come together with the community and the administration in a new kind of collaboration.”

However, Peters said building that collaboration will be the next big hurdle for a government in transition.

“I wish the mandate came with an instruction form on how we can get there from here,” he said.

On Wednesday, committee members of the council-manager campaign met with City Administrator Mark Dombroski and council members to discuss what campaigners have learned about the council-manager system.

But there are still many unknowns in the transition period between governments, a key issue being whether or not Mayor Darlene Kordonowy will serve as the eighth member of the council as state law allows.

Kordonowy has expressed her view that the vote was a referendum on her second term as mayor. She also felt the council-manager measure would pass, but didn’t expect to see such a landslide.

“I have to admit, 70 percent is difficult to hear,” Kordonowy said from her home Tuesday evening. “But at the same time I accept that people are not satisfied with their form of government.”

Once the vote is certified by the Kitsap County Auditor on June 3, Kordonowy can choose to either step down from government or stay on as an eighth member of the City Council until the end of the year.

As of Thursday, she had not made up her mind about the council position.

“My purpose has been to contribute to quality of life here… if I can do that, I will stay on. But the council will have to go on and be in charge, and if my presence will prevent them from working together then I don’t need to be there. I am willing to step aside.”

She expects to announce her intentions by next Wednesday.

“I would be very surprised if she stayed,” said council member Bill Knobloch. “It would fly in the face of what the voting results show.”

Knobloch, who stressed he was speaking for himself and not the council, said the vote signaled a new era of government openness and transparency.

The best way to show dedication to that principle, Knobloch said, would be to open a national search for a new city manager. Under Dombroski’s city administrator contract, he officially becomes the city manager on June 3.

“We have no choice… we cannot give the public the perception that it is going to be business as usual,” he said. “(Dombroski) is part of the old regime. We have to show we are serious about change and that includes going out publicly, and that includes a formal search.”

An outside search for a new manager will cost the city an estimated $50,000 and could last about six months. When Dombroski was hired as the city administrator in 2008, the search cost the city about $40,000.

If the council decides on a new city manager before six months have passed, Dombroski, as per the terms of his contract, would receive a severance of roughly $200,000 ($144,000 annual salary plus benefits).

Dombroski is hopeful that he will be officially chosen by the council to stay on as Bainbridge’s city manager, saying that the vote could bring about a significant change in the way the administration, the council and the community work together.

“I hope this is the catalyst that does that,” he said. “But I don’t think that simply changing the form will make anything significantly different.”

Former council member Bob Scales said the council-manager result was as much a vote against the mayor, as it was against the current council.

“I’ve never seen a council where if you know an issue you know how the vote will turn out,” he said. “None are willing to compromise on anything to get more than a 4-3 vote. This council doesn’t seem to be able to work together.”

Scales, who had announced he would run for mayor if the vote failed, may consider a run for council in November, but said he is far from making up his mind.

This year, council positions currently held by Kjell Stoknes, Chris Snow and Debbie Vancil will be up for grabs in the November general election.

Also at issue are the wider implications of the council-manager vote on city and council policies.

“The public was dissatisfied with how the government was responding to the community needs,” Knobloch said. “They expect the new government will listen to provide more in terms of essential services.”

According to Knobloch, “everything needs to be reexamined,” including major capital projects and the city’s debt policies.

However, Dombroski is wary that the council-manager vote could be misread by individuals to support their own agendas on other city issues. He would like to see the focus remain on the form of government and how the city responds to citizens.

“I think it will be interpreted by different people in different ways. Some may see it as justification for their mandate,” he said. “Unfortunately that could turn a positive move into something negative. To interpret the council-manager vote in any other way would be a mistake.”