By Martin Couch
The first day for Mayor Jill Dabbs was busy.
"It started good," she said. "We had our very first[more] department staff meeting at 8:30 a.m., and I got a lot of feedback from the staff and I told them about my leadership style."
Dabbs said that it will be the first of permanent Monday morning meetings for the department heads as one of the results of the first meeting. Also updates to the city's website were among the topics of discussion with her staff.
"I told the department heads that I'd be coming around visiting to get to know the employees and observing," she said. "I asked them to line out a plan of improvement that we can get started on from each department. That's one thing I have asked them to continually work on.
“We have been talking about updating the website and when we run into obstacles we will work quickly, but that's going to come in time,” she added. “We will make it happen."
As for being the first lady mayor of Bryant, coming in with little political experience raised apprehension within City Hall on her first day.
"There was a healthy level of apprehension coming in," Dabbs said. "I'm an involved, fervent leader and there was a lot of nervousness."
When the first meeting was over, Dabbs opened her door for visitors.
"I left my door open and they came in and out all day," she said. "A few of them had some things they asked me about and some people asked me to meet with them if they needed too. Then after the meeting we came back here and went down to the park."
Dabbs visited Bishop Park's pool facility that is now open for the Bryant high school swim team. Dabbs has said before that she is an avid supporter of the swim teams in Bryant.
"That was the best," she said. "They finally got the pool open and the kids had their first practice. The grand opening for the facility is later this month. We had another meeting based on getting briefed on the different meetings and getting the personnel and finance meeting set up in the courtroom.
"All of this was done by 2 p.m.," Dabbs noted.
Randy Releford
She has really had a memorable time so far. Firing and releaving city employees of their jobs is really tough.
L.J.
She’s really good at playing the press, isn’t she? She can really turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. But then again, she’s had so much practice at manipulating the facts to make herself look good.
Peter
Any leader that thinks that the day started good when you fired your top Human Resources person is crazy. Firing someone is never a expierence that should be taken lightly. She fired this lady first thing that morning and says the day went great. Does she have a heart of ice. Ice Queen should get fired and see how it feels, but of course shes always worked for her family business. She does not know what its like to have a real job or worry about how to support her family. She just demands what she wants and dont care who it cost. Maybe the next election we will have some better choices with a heart.
Bryant Resident
Why dont you people stop bashing her…like shes some kind of animal. She is a human being. Im not saying she hasnt made a mistake, but back off or go meet with her or something instead of sitting at your computer trash talking someone..how old are you 14? Sound like teenage girls on facebook!
Will
I Could not agree more Bryant Resident!! its really sad to see people do this but then again you can type anything and hide behind internet. I just dont believe Dabbs would have not gotten rid of King for no reason at all and the Council should support her choice because she will be there everyday to supervise these people and the council is only there twice a month. I stand behind her until someone can show me how it was a bad decision other then the persons tenure. Mayor Dabbs if you read this just know there are people who support you and we voted for change and not the same old crap we have had for 12 years and I welcome change!
Shawn
Thank for that Bryant Resident. I would like to add to your statement by saying these experts that post should start now planning to run in 4 yrs for mayor if they can do a better job then we can watch them be bashed like a animal.
The Dabbs and Kizers have a passion for politics and I applaud them for wanting to make a difference.
Peter
Are you kidding me Bryant resident…. the person she fired is a human being also. Just playing with people lives and jobs they been at for 12years is not something to be proud of. I dont have to meet her… actions speek louder than words. Ice Queen should have some respect for employees that gave 12 years of thier life to the city… she done more than Dabbs ever has for the city to this point. I would not be suprised if this is only the first of her wrath.
Bryant Mom
I gotta agree with Bryant Resident… Y’all are just spewing & spitting about things you have no control over. If 55% of Bryant Residents voted her in it must mean they weren’t happy with their present mayor and were ready for a change. Less than a dozen people are on here whining and moaning so lets all put on our big boys & girls pants and play like adults.
~ Maturity begins when we’re content to feel we’re right about something, without feeling the necessity to prove someone else is wrong. ~ Sydney J. Harris
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. ~ Benjamin Franklin
L.J.
Bryant resident….I’m not going to waste my time going to meet with her. She has not proven to be trustworthy. She was caught in lies during the election process and found ways to cover up and run to the press. The very thing she runs to (the press) will eventually be the way she is exposed. One false statement leads to another, then another and when she runs to the press she seems to make blunders which further show her intentions. For instance, her statement that she determined the HR office was overstaffed shows that she is either relying on other’s opinions, or that she makes firing and hiring decisions according to an agenda. HOW COULD SHE APPROPRIATELY MAKE THE DECISION THE DEPARTMENT HAD SUFFICIENT STAFF WHEN SHE DID NOT EVEN WORK WITH THE HR DIRECTOR FOR ONE HOUR? Seems to me that determination should have been made after meeting with the department head (Mrs. King). Mrs. King was fired at 7:50 a.m., thus meaning Mrs. Dabbs had not worked with her AT ALL before making such an important decision. You see, her statement to the press has further exposed either Mrs. Dabbs lack of knowledge, or that she is taking directives from someone else (hmmmmm, wonder who?). It doesn’t take anyone with intelligence to figure out her hiring and firing decisions thusfar have exactly followed along the lines from her close friend and ally who holds grudges against anyone who did not bow down to his war games and seek and destroy methods when he was in office. It’s time for transparency….which is one of the themes of her platform.
Peter
~ Maturity begins when we’re content to feel we’re right about something, without feeling the necessity to prove someone else is wrong. ~ Sydney J. Harris
Her whole platform was based on how bad the current city was? Should you not also be telling your friend Dabbs this quote?
You are right….only 55% elected her…so dont think her ideas won by a landslide. In fact if i would go out there and say that if Larry was not a incumbent that she would have got smoked. People did not vote for qualifications this year. They voted because they wanted the old out and didnt have another choice other than Dabbs. As for Kizer, You can have all the passion you want but if you are not qualified you should not have that position. My tax dollar diserves a fair chance for all applicants of that job…oh wait…i guess thier was not chance for fair and honest people to be Chief ?
Bryant Mom
And Shawn… I applaud you for saying these words "these experts that post should start now planning to run in 4 yrs for mayor."
You are spot on! You can be a whiner or a doer. But if you aint got the guts to get our their and put yourselves on the chopping block and do the job yourself don’t assassinate her for having the gumption to.
Peter it’s really easy to imagine what would have happened but let’s deal with reality. She didn’t get smoked and you said it yourself… "they wanted the old out." "THEY" got want "THEY" wanted and as with ANY elected official… the friends of the LOSER are typically not happy campers and the REALLY CLOSE friends feel the need to lash out and prove their loyalty. And Peter to be totally honest… I don’t have a hotline to the mayor, my kids aren’t friends with her kids, we don’t share meals together, we don’t live in the same neighborhood, we don’t go to the same church, we don’t even go camping together so to say we’re friends would be a HUGE stretch!
L.J.
Shawn and Bryant Mom , I agree that we need to find some QUALIFIED, HONEST people to run for mayor in four years and I’m hoping these posts will get some people to consider doing so! There are A LOT of valid points to the discussion, unlike your commments which do not have any facts included. You are merely sounding like cheerleaders, without any substance to your cheers. When you post to the thread, at least give some reasoning to why you are cheering for her decisions made thusfar. There are A LOT of upset people out there about her decisions, so I think it is quite appropriate that people are expressing their concerns. Your statement about those who are upset are "whining" is quite amusing. You have not made any valid point, so the best you can do is accuse those with real concerns of "whining". How simplistic! Peter is right….she got elected more because Mr. Mitchell was an incumbent, and also because she strategized, sued the city to get attention, and played the "party card" when plainly party politics should have NO PLACE in city politics. That is the reason her political affiliation had no place on the ballot, but she used the press to get her affiliation out there, knowing she could get some easy votes. People should have seen through her tactics and the unethical practices she was using to get elected. Anyone who knew her political buddies saw right through her, but unfortunately Bryant has so many new residents who are uninformed about who was really running her campaign. She ran on a platform of transparency, but the person not being transparent is Jill Dabbs and her political allies.
Also simplistic is your statement "friends of the loser". I am not friends of the loser (Mr. Mitchell), but I am outraged that Bryant has ended up with a mayor who uses such bad judgment and lacks real experience (in the real world, not the world according to Jill Dabbs). So come on, if you’re going to cheer for her, I’d like to hear some valid points on why you defend her actions.
Bryant Mom
Well LJ the difference in you and me is that I’m not on here professing to KNOW everything and to have all the answers.
Best I can tell there seems to be a couple of issues… 1st – our police chief quit (you have your theory and I have mine) but the FACT is he resigned and he was replaced. 2nd – One city employee was terminated. And again you have your theory but that’s merely what it is… YOUR perception or speculation. Doesn’t make it FACT.
Apparently you have some negative history with Ms. Mayor and sounds like maybe a councilman or alderman. Hmmmm I wonder… could you be the one guilty of holding a grudge? Could your real concern here be to stir up hate and discord?
L.J.
The police chief quit, but only after Mr. Kizer had gone around town telling others that he was going to be put in as police chief….and that was BEFORE the election! So yes, I do have some knowledge on that subject. Mr. Coffman quit because Mrs. Dabbs would not return his phone calls. He knew the handwriting was on the wall and so to provide for his family, he found employment elsewhere. So yes, he did quit, but he was well aware he was going to be terminated and that Mrs. Dabbs’ good friend, Mr Kizer, would be hired as police chief.
Mrs. Dabbs fired a 12 year employee (Mrs. King), without the benefit of spending even one hour on the job with her. Then Mrs. Dabbs made the "decision" to not fill that position because it could be handled by two people. HOW DID SHE MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT THE STAFFING NEEDS IN THE AREA IF SHE DID NOT EVEN DISCUSS THEM WITH THE HR DIRECTOR? If she indeed made an "informed" decision, the information needed for that decision had to have come from an outside source! Mrs. King was one of the people that Rick Meyer, Mrs. Dabbs’ friend and political ally, held a grudge. Mr. Meyer was quite verbal in trying to get people fired…it was either his way or no way and he has shown that same behavior in his dealings with other groups with which he has been associated. When serving on the council Mr. Meyer also pushed to get his friend, Mark Kizer into that position. So isn’t it quite ironic that it’s all falling into place, now that Mrs. Dabbs got elected. I don’t claim to know it all, but I do have knowledge in this area and it is amazing how many others have come forth complaining about Mr. Meyer’s war games and get even tactics. Yes I have some very bad feelings about what is happening to our community! No, I am not a councilman nor former mayor…just a citizen who has been watching in disgust as this unfolds. It’s been unfolding for quite a few years, so unless you want to be informed, just choose to keep your eyes closed.
Common Sense
You can talk trash all you want. Did you bash Obama for replacing all of George Bush’s top people too? It’s important for a leader to have people they can work WITH.
Government is full of over spending, lacking in accountability and full of wastefulness… Mrs. Dabbs is working to correct these things in the Bryant City Government. AT LEAST SHE’S OUT THERE TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Get out from behind your freakin’ keyboard and run against her next time or just shutup.
Peter
Common Sense, I dont know what you been watching but it was not our new Mayor, In the first fiance and personnal meeting she wanted to add two more positions to the city ? Raising the current staff budget… Did you not say she was working on fixing the overspending. Why do you think we need all these positions we never had before? In fact one position was a public information officer… why how is that important? This city has run without it for years ???? Somehow i see that she is spending more money she dont have before she even knows whats in the budget.
W.W.
L. J.’s comments are right on. Mr. Meyer has a grudge against Ms. King for doing the right thing several years ago. Makes you wonder if that is why Ms. King was termianted especially since her evaluations were above average and she had no disciplinary acts against her.
Resident
He who knows little quickly tells it.
Italian proverb
Resident
The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain’t so.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) U.S. humorist, writer, and lecturer
Resident
The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) Thirty-fifth President of the USA
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