City Employee Bloggers

Search is on to expose city of Middletown employee bloggers.
Town hall source says city attempting to identify if city employee bloggers are doing so while at work.
Evidently bloggers using information only a few employee would know about.

Middletown29 wrote: Search is on to expose city of Middletown employee bloggers. Town hall source says city attempting to identify if city employee bloggers are doing so while at work. Evidently bloggers using information only a few employee would know about.

So, if this information is accurate, does that include City Manager Adkins who blogs frequently or is signed in on this blog perusing the posts on work time as well?

Again, if true, this is typical one-way-road management behavior in all work places nowadays. Just no credible examples set by management in leadership nowadays.

Before the city manager starts hammering his employees, he needs to set the example himself by staying off this site during working hours, right?

If this is the case, and if whistlersmom, as suggested, is none other than the Law Director, looks to me like old Les Landen may be under scrutiny here. Putting non-city doctrine items on this blog, which is considered by the brain-washed crowd who believe the city doctrine as the enemy, seems to me to be the least likely thing Les would do. I don't see an independent thinking, rebellious comment coming from a city believer like Landen at all. Just not in the man's DNA to defy authority IMO. Seems too timid to do so. He is a follower, not a rebel.

Many employers, once a person has been targeted, will do surveillance like this and then turn around and label the employee as a "malcontent" or "disgruntled" when they react in a negative way toward the targeting. Guess you're suppose to smile while you're being set up for termination. Just remember to be that team player through it all.   

If they keep people informed in an honest straight-forward way, there would be no whistling imo

Middletown29 wrote: Law Director is being shoved out by City Manager. Blogging is an arrow being used against him, but only one of several.

Ironic. If true, I find it almost humorous that the city manager, guilty of blogging during work time himself, is using this against a subordinate he doesn't want around anymore.

Pot/kettle? Do as I say, not as I do scenario? Reliable source 29 or just speculation on your part as to the purge? What would be the reason (s) for Adkins not wanting Landen around? Landen seems to be the traditional team player. Anyone else on the target list?

If this is true, Adkins would seem to possess the same traits as Queen Gilleland as to dealing out consequences for crossing them. It was rumored that she had a nasty disposition toward some of the city building employees as well. Sometimes, people promoted to top positions are too immature to handle the sudden power boost over people and let it go to their heads as to self importance. That is a big reason why there are no more dynamic leaders anymore who care about and can be trusted by the workers. There is no acceptable reason why a manager must treat their subordinates like crap other than an ego problem and immaturity. With these types of games being played, why would anyone want to work for this city and deal with the attitudes of the leadership?

middielover wrote: If city employees are blogging anonymously using inside information it seems that is drastically different than the city manager blogging publicly about city issues or responding to blogger questions.

If they are going after city employees who blog during work time, Adkins, the accuser, is guilty of that himself as he has posted during work time on different occasions. If they are going the public information releasing route, what constitutes insider information in a government situation? Government, unlike the private sector, is to provide services for the public. The public is the customer of government meaning that information should be shared openly and freely, including internal operational issues. We provide the money for government operation, INCLUDING MANPOWER ISSUES. It is called transparency which this city has never learned to do.

I don't work for the city so I don't know if a city employee signs a paper stating they will not release confidential information to the public, but if there is no such document to sign, the city doesn't have a case for targeting nor termination. Not to worry, if they wish to terminate an employee, they will find another way up to and including making an employee's life so miserable they will leave voluntarily.

I do know that most employers in the private sector, if company patents/special processes are present, as in research or manufacturing, they will have the employee sign a document saying they will not divulge company secrets to the competition or next employer.

VietVet wrote: If they are going after city employees who blog during work time, Adkins, the accuser, is guilty of that himself as he has posted during work time on different occasions.

I will respectfully disagree with you middletownscouter. Adkins (and Andrews) were not participating in an official capacity by blogging on this forum. IMO, Adkin's official capacity participation occurs on his "City Manager's Blog" on the city website, not here. Andrews was offering her personal comments here and not speaking "officially" for the entire school board. Offering participation here from either one is not a part of either's job function IMO. It falls under "extra curricular activity" as neither had to participate here but instead, chose to. Offering posts here was never in their job description I would imagine.

Whether the posts were a real name or an anonymous name, IMO, has no bearing on the case.

My statement concerning Adkins blogging here, outside of his job description, but not allowing his employees to do the same is more a "pot calling the kettle black" kind of thing....or was intended to be as written IMO.

Don't see it as an apples to oranges comparison at this point. Might be misunderstanding your reasoning at this point though.

Also, if it helps, I have NEVER, not once, posted under an alias on this or any other site. I put my name on it or I don't bother posting it.

The managers response to me (Arsenic post) contained untruths and was phrased in a way that could easily lead the reader to false conclusions.

swohio75......spiderjohn:

"Vet you've constantly complained about communication and the lack of transparency. Be thankful that Adkins is here trying to communicate with citizens where they are willing to engage. It's one thing to disagree (which I do--especially with the decision to sell all of Weatherwax) and another to appreciate someone's willingness to hear your concerns and attempt to to address them."


"C'mon Vet".....

Ok gentlemen, if you would care to look back through some of the conversations I have had with Mr. Adkins, there are times when I have praised and thanked the man for his honesty and willingness to participate on the forum. Believe it or not, I am capable of offering some positive posts (when praise is due), even involving a city official from time to time. It has not, as you are alluding to, been all negative in my responses. Hell, I even thanked Marcia Andrew at times when she was board president posting about her schools back in the day. I'm certainly not going to agree with them 100% of the time as some would expect.

Don't go kinder/gentler (indicates weakness IMO) on me toward approaching people, nor politically correct responding to my posts. I'm not buying this modern day crap we call pc. It's as phony as a three dollar bill and has literally ruined this country since it was the popular thing to do.

Skeptical is laughable. You cross your arms and stomp your foot down every time the city proposes anything. Talk about "hook, line and sinker. " You eat up everything that MattR and any other "insider" posts. You and Nelson "ANALytical" are cut from the same cloth. Mr. Adkins has debunked your fake news. You don't want to believe it because it doesn't fit your narrative. Sometimes it's best to move on and fight another battle.

Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program:

J.D. Vance, author of "Hillbilly Elegy," was one of several featured speakers at a Public Affairs Symposium recently held here at Missouri State University.  Having spent four plus years of my life in Middletown made his presentation even more meaningful.  For my detractors, I still care about what does and doesn't happen in the city.  Good government, solid planning and fiscal management can bring some badly needed vitality back to the people.