Tandy no Dummy

It appears that Scott Tandy, Assistant County Administrator has said "Thanks, but no thanks" to the generosity of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor's offer to fill retiring County Asministrator John Sweeten's shoes.

In a letter addressed to the Supes Tandy has decided to retire, rather than have to deal with the financial inadequacies that have become the Board's SOP.

The letter simply stated that Tandy has had enough of the overspending of the Board. Tandy said that the fact of the matter is that the county is spending more than it is taking in.

The spin-meisters immediately claimed that although this would be a loss to the county, a fresh start is a good thing.

It took approximately four minutes for the rumors to begin flying that Phil Bachelor was now on the short list of candidates to be asked to submit a resume.

The Supes find themselves in a very strange position. Turning down the top spot in the County, and actually inferring the reason you didn't want the job is that the Board you would be answering to is a five-some of dummies lends credibility to the message that everyone in the county has been privy to for years and announces it to the inner circles of the county administrator's world. It could be tough to attract qualified candidates to fill the position because that Tandy' ghas just walked away from. His financial rewards would have been extreme in his pension package if he had just taken the Administrator's position for one year. Unbelievably, he turned it down because he couldn’t take the Supes any longer.
More importantly, what does this do to the DeSaulnier brand? Mark has been driving the Board's bus for the past three years. As is the usual practice, at the Altar of the Supes, whenever a decision has to be made the majority of DeSaulnier's fellow board members look in his direction and get the nod, or the no, and vote that way. With Tandy's letter sure to be circulating, as soon as we get a copy, DeSaulnier's financial and budgetary wizardry has suffered some serious loses. Does this somehow stall the stampeded to Sacramento? Will DeSaulnier now have to rethink his campaign- he certainly can no longer run on the fact that he was a great Contra Costa Supervisor. The Assistant County Administrator came out in point blank range and said the reason he wouldn’t take the job is due to the five dummies. These people have proven over and over and over again that not everyone can run a county.
The Tandy letter makes for a great campaign piece for anyone running against anyone of the Supes curently on the board.

Wow. What a great Christmas Present Scott Tandy just gave those nmice people in Pittsburg.

Why is this man so Happy?

Are the secrets safe? Are all the skeletons locked away tightly and sure to be put back with the Christmas decorations. Will the soon to be appointed new Contra Costa County Administrator, Scott Tandy who has been passed the key to the Smug Club locker put everything back in is proper place?

Or, is the book in Lame Duck Sweeten's hand full of stuff he wants to share after he leaves Martinez for the last time.

Only time, and Sweeten will tell.

Smug Club Dummies give Tandy an Early Christmas

On Friday Morning, December 23, 2005, George Scott Tandy will be appointed Contra Costa County Administrator and in one of the shortest hazing rituals in modern time will become head of the Smug Club.

Once again the Smug Club Dummies, the Contra Costa Supes, not the rock group, met behind closed doors yesterday, according to reliable sources. And, from what the rumorists have informed me of, it wasn't to unwrap Christmas presents. It was more of a swap meet, bargaining for the best deal they could get from the soon to be next appointed fall guy.

It appears that Scott Tandy, the assistant county administrator, is already attempting to cut the budget. He proposed that if he were given the catbird seat he could very easily just tape over the word "Assistant" on all of his signs and save the county more money than the Dummies have over the past few years.

Rather astounding in the search for a new County Administrator is the fact that the job has not yet been advertised and the Board is already interviewing Tandy. By George, that seems rather under the table illegal. But, we bloggers don't know the laws as well as the politicians. And, if not illegal it certainly appears unethical and contrary to the county's policy. Plus, how does it look to other truly qualified candidates who are not yet in the Smug Club. And, it has been a long standing unspeakable Smug Club Constitutional Amendment that if you are a member of the club- similar to the Skull and Bones guys at Yale- you get special treatment. Like a pre-Christmas, pre-advertised job interview. I am sure that the Club members would preface the whole closed door gig as a "personnel matter" which enables them by law to circumvent- the law.

Unfortunately, as we reported last week, the great unwashed need not apply for the position of County Administrator. Save the money for the plane fair- no sense helping the John Muir Inn through the rainy months of winter. The interview process is just a pre warm-up game for an already chosen coach. The board, we are told, is in awe of Tandy's quick sharp pencil. They were all quite financially enamored by Tandy's money saving suggestions when it came to the signage. Supe Glover was heard asking DeSaulnier "Why they didn't think of that?"

The question is still haunting. Why hasn't someone looked into the incompetence of the board. We must believe that they are drinking some very addictive Kool-Aid at the meetings. That would be the only reason Mary Piepho has become so ineffective, so rapidly. The great female hope, who everyone thought would give the added bit of oomph to the other female Supe, so the two get take control of the board now that DeSaulnier is figuring on the best route to Sacramento, instead has fallen behind Federal Glover in the decision making process. Supe Glover cannot make a decision, so we know where Peipho stands.

But back to the Tandy meet. It seems while all this was going on County Administrator Jacque Cousteau Sweeten, the underwater photographer who surfaced as a lame duck, has been heard talking to himself, frequently questioning where he went wrong on reading the board. He never assumed he would get blamed for all the mismanagement that the board directed over the past year but in this year's stocking Sweeten found a big pile of coal that DeSaulnier has been working on so he can pass his inefficiencies over to Sweeten's side of the performance chart.

If Sweeten really wanted to do the County a service, which is what he originally signed up to do, he would forget about the under water photography and start singing like a robin in spring. I am sure by telling all he knows about the dummies that he had sitting on his knee for the past years, he could derail DeSaulnier's trip to Sacramento, still get his boy, George, into his old office, and finally let the voters know what dummies they pulled the lever for.

Who is the real dummy?

Well, the die has been cast and the Contra Costa County Supervisors have already chosen County Administrator John Sweeten’s replacement. And, according to reliable sources- a sure bet on this one- the new king of incompetence will be non other than Assistant County Administrator Scott Tandy. By George, that is incredible, you say? No. Not at all. The only thing that is incredible - the fact that the morons, all five of them - especially since the disappointing performance of the newest elected official, who should have known to leave her school board mentality behind - is that the County Board of Supervisors will actually go through the motions of a candidate search. The exercise will make it appear as though they are looking for a qualified candidate to fill the position. In truth, the last thing the board wants is a qualified candidate to fill the position since between all of them they have fewer sets of balls than a gelding running at Saratoga in the August heat. The furthest thing from their agendas is finding someone who might be qualified enough to question their frivolous antics with the taxpayer’s money.
So Tandy, by George, will be perfect for the job since he has spent the last few years on John Sweeten’s knee doing a Charlie McCarthy impersonation when it came to anything worth thinking or talking about.
Tandy, for all those who weren’t paying attention is the gent who went to bat for Tony Colon the executive director of the county’s special programs. The guy lost a few million in grant money, screwed up so bad the Feds came in to investigate, and on top of all this while Colon’s group was stuffing little boys and girls in dumpsters under the Head Start Program Banner, Tandy went to his defense. Tandy is the one guy who stood up and claimed that Colon’s actions were nothing to get upset about. He will be the perfect dummy for the ventriloquists of the county. But don’t think Tandy is stupid just because he is the only one moving his lips. If he can garner 366 days as the County Administrator, he can purchase the same high priced under water photography equipment that Jacque Cousteau Sweeten has in his waterproof valise. Tandy will chalk up more pension money credits than any other survivor in the Guatemalan jungle. And, if you don’t think Tandy is a survivor, than come on in an put your application for County Administrator in for review.
Of course the only guy who could possibly give Tandy the nudge, and give the ball-less Board of Supes a run for their money would be Ernie Mariner. Ernie was what people back east call a "Maine-iac". He came from Maine where they tell it like it is. And, that is exactly what Mariner did. He told the city council in Pittsburg where to go and what to do while he was City Manager of that community. He then he tore up a few new roads, and other things, in Lafayette when he ran that community. Finally he had enough of California politics and moved back to Maine.
Sweeten would have liked Mariner. Unlike Sweeten, who is, a sort of Mariner-since his last job stop was in Marin, the real Mariner was exactly that - Real. Not a politician kissing ass so that he can get a bigger and better pension at the taxpayers expense, not a person sitting on a board of supervisors frivolously spending money, trying to get airports rezoned, and developers a bit more comfortable all the while with their eyes on Sacramento. No, Mariner would set these morons straight, but he got fed up and moved back to Maine.
And speaking of fed up, I did a quick exit poll yesterday at lunch. I asked if a certain person would rather vote for Mark DeSaulnier or somebody else for State Assembly, a seat DeSaulnier has had his eye on since he bought that new chair he has at home. Before I could finish the sentence the person said “DeSaulnier”. When I asked why, she simply said, “Let’s get him out of here”.
It may be time to buy stock in an underwater camera company.

Sweeten says "Bye-bye"

December has got to be the greatest month of all. Especially at the Contra Costa County Administration Building.
Just look at the smile on Capo de Capo John Sweeten's face.

Last December, if you recall-(God, I hate that word)- Contra Costa County Executive Director of special programs, Tony Colon resigned just before he was about to get the ax because of all of the mismanagement that was uncovered at the county's Head Start Program. Behind closed doors, Colon was given a few options, but all pointed to the bridge that leads over the Straits. Colon rode out of town with his tail, or whatever, between his legs and has yet to be heard from. For the sake of the public, he is in Brazil, or Costa Rica, or one of those communities that he so frequently visited.

And, now, this December, another top notch incompetent has resigned. Yes, The top, Top Notch Incompetent, County Administrator John Sweeten has announced that as of March I, 2006 he will be vacating his post as the major foul-up of the county. This is good news, only it had to come on top of bad news. The county has just had their bond rating lowered because of the mis-spending that has been going on at various levels. The joke, of course, is that Sweeten is the number 1 offender of the spending frenzy. Not because he spends with intent, it is that he mismanaged the county, on the recommendation of the Foolish Five- the county board. These hooples have led Sweeten down the thorny path of financial irresponsibility. It is unfortunate that Sweeten cannot persuade his cronies in crime- overspending the way these people have squandered is a crime, although there actions are not prosecutable because they are in politics-to go with him.

This must have been a very quick decision for the Capo. Only two weeks ago he was looking to fill a newly created communication director's position. From what the scuttlebutt on the street, now Scott Tandy is standing in the wings ready to take over Sweeten's position. This of course would be similar to asking the wolf to watch the hen house while the head cock runs around the back of the barn.

It appears from all apparent signs that the board could now been in for some really rough weather ahead. They got themselves into a very serious debacle through their spendthrift ways and their scapegoat is going to jump ship before the water comes over the deck.

I wonder who will be the next to go? And, I hope we don't have to wait until next December. There is plenty of time left this month.