I received an email this week asking me about my opinion on the difference between the current City Manager, Kevin Brunner, and his predecessor, Gary Boden. The email’s in black, and my reply is in blue.
Question: Just wanted to know what your opinion was of the former city manager, Gary Boden compared to the current city manager?
Adams: Simply, I’d say that Boden was a more temperamental and idiosyncratic manager. It may seem surprising, considering the circumstances of Boden’s departure, but I’ve met two sensible people recently argued the case for how good Boden had been for Whitewater. They contended that, in many ways, Boden began a focus on Cravath and downtown that anticipated the current administration’s focus. They supported the current approach, and felt that Boden deserved credit for his earlier work along those lines.
Whatever the merits of the argument, Boden’s time in Whitewater ended tempestuously. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which the same outcome would befall our current city manager. It’s just not possible, because this is a much more conventional, ‘professional-standard’ administration.
Anyone who has spent any time in a successful, modern corporation would recognize the style, manner, and outlook of the current administration. That’s not meant as an insult — it’s just a straightforward contention — for better and worse. There’s great strength in a steady, even-toned approach, and this is a steady, even-toned approach.
The current administration’s emphasis on decorum and politeness is useful, almost always. (Decorum and politeness were not, I think, principal aspects of Boden’s approach.) It has challenges, though: (1) it may discourage hearing hard news, and (2) it may discourage confronting misconduct in others. If all were well here, these things wouldn’t matter.
I am not convinced that Boden, had he remained in office, would have planned along lines similar to the current administration. He, too, though, emphasized planning.
In that fundamental way, the former and current administrations are similar.