Wanted: Real leaders at critical moments

Sometimes, it takes a leader to point out the elephant in the room.

You heard it this week when Wayne County Public Schools’ new superintendent stated the obvious: many WCPS facilities are in extreme disrepair and there might have to be some seriously hard decisions made about whether students should still be in some of them, most notably Brogden Primary and Goldsboro High School.

He did not sidestep the issue or come up with a euphemism to prevent a critical response.

He said it. Out in the open. Boom.

(And, for the record, we think Dr. Marc Whichard would have said it even if he had been back home in Goldsboro in front of a room full of local citizens and not hidden away on Ocracoke Island with the board’s attorney taking sanitized meeting minutes, but that’s just us.)

That is leadership.

But then, we have Goldsboro City Manager Tim Salmon.

He and members of the City Council had just finished hearing the desperate staffing situation facing the Goldsboro Police Department — one he should be very, very familiar with and concerned about as the person charged with making sure the city’s resources are properly utilized in the best interest of residents.

Safety of the people who live in the city’s neighborhoods should be uppermost in this mind and in his strategic plan for city operations.

So, would it make you pause and scratch your head to learn that Salmon warned council members not to act too quickly on the police issues because the fire chief had his own list of “asks?”

And how about if he made comments that suggested first responders already got sufficient cost of living raises along with other city employees — inferring, at best, that all those who get a paycheck from Goldsboro should be treated equally, not equitably?

Does that sound like someone who gets it?

Does that sound like someone who understands that the increasing reports of shots fired, criminal activity, and a police chief who is concerned that he simply might not have the manpower to get the job done, are not just warning signs at this point, but to put it in emergency lingo, a series of four-alarm fires?

And does this sound like someone who understands that those who are still with the city police and fire departments are there out of loyalty — and that they could easily ditch their low-paying, dangerously understaffed, and potentially exhausting jobs for greener pastures less than an hour away in all directions?

Well, don’t worry, we should know exactly what the city’s true financial picture is after we get the 2021-22 city audit.

Sheesh.

We have talked many times about what happens when less-than-desirable leadership is left to its own devices.

In this case, we have a city manager who does not seem to get that there is a difference between men and women who risk their lives to keep the community safe on the streets and to answer their calls when there is an emergency and the person who types up the meeting agenda.

So no, Mr. Salmon, we respectfully disagree.

There is a difference between a first responder, a firefighter, a police officer, and the rest of city personnel.

Yes, the others are important parts of the operation, but their jobs are not in the critical realm. We value all those who help care for Goldsboro citizens, but we have to understand that there are some jobs that require more risk than others.

And while they should be compensated accordingly, they are not owed a raise because there is another, more pressing need in the city.

And right now, there is a pressing need — a 911 emergency need — in our first responder corps.

When there is a shortage of qualified personnel in a fire or police department, or if there are not enough EMTs and paramedics on staff, those who are handling the city’s emergency calls get tired.

And when you are managing a four-alarm fire, attending to a person who has just been critically injured in a car wreck, or heading out to a domestic disturbance with a firearm involved, you must be sharp.

And when you do not have enough personnel, there is no backup.

And that, Mr. Salmon, is dangerous — for those who respond and for the citizens who need their help.

So, a good manger understands that when there is a need, and a critical one, there must be hard decisions made.

And just like a hospital has to have competitive pay and benefits to attract — and to keep — the best and the brightest doctors and nurses, so, too, does a city that wants its residents to be safe have to make sure its compensation package is competitive as well.

So, throwing out a “what about the other city employees” when there is a staffing emergency at the city police and fire departments is beyond irresponsible.

It is a little bit shocking.

But then again, not quite as shocking as hearing a city manager proudly proclaim that the city is almost caught up, yet still a year behind, in its audits or that it is not anything to worry about that being so far behind might impact the city’s bond rating because “we aren’t going to borrow money anyway.”

We wanted to make sure we weren’t just hearing things — perhaps misinterpreting Salmon as he bemoaned a potential property tax increase being dumped on the council that will be elected this November and did “quick math” while arguably his two most important department heads said they are at a breaking point.

So, we asked several people who were in the meeting with us.

Seven to be exact.

Every single one of them said Salmon was out of touch — with one describing the manager’s response to the police and fire presentations as a “tantrum.”

And that brings us to the bottom line.

Goldsboro needs a serious look at a bunch of serious issues — not the least of which is water capacity concerns that could inhibit expansion as Raleigh booms and those wanting to live there look eastward. Those big asks are going to be coming down the pike real soon.

And perhaps there does need to be a consideration of increased compensation for city employees — but not now. Not when we have five cars patrolling the entire city right this minute when there should be 15.

Right now is the time to understand that the police chief has told you that he is facing a real crisis. And you have seen, in detail, how certain areas of the city are enveloped in drug use and gun violence.

And now you also know that the fire chief is worried his firefighters might not be adequately trained or prepared to respond to structure fires, natural disasters, or other significant emergencies.

So, this takes more than just batting around a few ideas and pithy quotes about fairness so you don’t anger the rest of the city personnel.

It is about getting serious about addressing a real concern.

And that, Mr. Salmon, is your job.

And, frankly, City Council members and the mayor should be loud and proud about making sure these real needs in the city are addressed immediately.

Charles Gaylor was bold enough to say it.

So, too, were Brandi Matthews and Hiawatha Jones.

And the three of them have something in common that made doing so more difficult than it would have been for the other three council members in the room.

Each is running for re-election — or, in Gaylor’s case, for mayor — in November.

They actually have something to lose by making tough budget decisions and still stood up for what was right.

Again, that is leadership.

Goldsboro is at a turning point. We can no longer afford the luxury of people who just don’t seem to be able to get it right.

And the person in charge of making sure they do is the city manager — the same one who has added positions and dumped money into a Finance Department that is still, years after Goldsboro lost its bond rating, behind on its audits.

There are going to be some really hard decisions coming up in the next few months.

They cannot be glossed over or passed along to the next agenda, the next discussion.

We cannot afford another disaster like the city’s abysmal performance or spectacularly astonishing excuses for its audit mess — not when it comes to the safety of the families in this community.

So, action needs to come now, and the tough words need to be said. And anyone who is charged with caring for the future of this community and this historic city had better have the cojones to say what needs to be done, no matter how hard it is to hear.

We have seen how destructive it is when we have people in charge who don’t have the skills to do their jobs properly.

Those who can’t hang or who are too worried about their own agendas or what the movers and shakers might say if they hear the truth had better get out of the way. There is no more time to waste.

And that is especially true in City Hall.

Otherwise, we might have to reconsider just how “essential” our city manager is — and how much we pay him.