4 AUGUST 5-11, 2015
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
Fayetteville's city manager, Ted Voorhees does not
need to make statements that might suggest low level
paranoia. On July 14, Voorhees attended a community
watch meeting at MacPherson Presbyterian Church,
where his recent comments were at best impolitic and at
worst deliberately accusatory.
The comments
centered around the
community's public
utility, PWC, which
has been a bone of
contention for much of
the past two years. At
the meeting, Voorhees,
responding to general
audience criticism of
slow sewer extension
work, suggested that
PWC was purposely
delaying sanitary sewer-
line extension work to
make him look bad.
That is ridiculous when
one considers how little, if any, the city manager's role is
in executing PWC's construction activities. Nonetheless,
Voorhees took the opportunity while in front of a receptive
audience to further his argument that he, the city manager,
should be in control and in charge of the PWC.
He further noted that all four of the PWC commissioners,
who are appointed by the city, should be fired. The clear
implication was that things would move faster if he was
at the helm. Such posturing by a non-elected official is
unseemly and definitely not within his job description.
But suggesting commission members are setting him up
is unacceptable conduct and it attempts to impugn the
character of commission members, all of whom are well-
known and respected in the community.
This latest dust-up between Voorhees and the PWC is
nothing more than petulance by the city manager. This
is not the first, and probably not the last time, we have
seen this unprofessional, unseemly side of Voorhees, who
tested his hand and influence shortly after assuming the
city manager role.
One of his first moves after entering city hall was
directed at PWC. We all know how well that worked out
for him. A stand-off between Voorhees and the PWC
Commission resulted in a lawsuit between the city and
the utility, which quickly brought to light that support for
uprooting the PWC 100- year-old plus charter was not as
forthcoming among city council members as Voorhees
may have anticipated.
In the kerfuffle that has followed, a bill was introduced
by Rep. John Szoka that will provide more, not less
autonomy to the PWC. This bill and a similar one in the
N.C. Senate will produce a blended legislative document
that will end the fight but not the hardened attitudes.
The bill should have been an excellent example for
Voorhees of being careful what you wish for
— you might just get it.
PUBLISHER'S PEN
Fayetteville City Manager Ted Voorhees Steps in It
... Again With Inappropriate Comments
by DAVID WILSON
2015 Best of Fayetteville
Special Edition • Coming Sept. 16, 2015
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City Manager Ted Voorhees
