Yesterday’s report by KHOU-11’s Gabe Gutierrez on the apparent disarray at City Hall contained so many interesting nuggets that we thought we’d break them out instead of including the piece in a roundup.
To start:
Finance Director Michelle Mitchell, who was appointed by Parker’s predecessor, Bill White, said she was returning to the private sector.
“It was mutual agreement with the mayor,” Mitchell said. “She’s ready to go in a different direction. And I’m going to take my little conservative nature (elsewhere).”
That’s the first quote we’ve seen from Mitchell since the news broke of her departure, and what an intriguing quote! It just begs for followup/elaboration, doesn’t it? I’m dying to know what “different direction” and “conservative” mean.
Next:
“The (Parker) administration doesn’t quite have a handle on its relationship with council,” said 11 News Political Expert Bob Stein. “It’s just hard to believe that this administration probably had 12 to 13 years under their belt and yet seems to be operating, like the mayor once said, like rookies.”
Has Bicyclist Bob been reading blogHOUSTON?
He’s right, though:
As she accepted a national community policing award Tuesday afternoon, the mayor downplayed the resignations — especially Clutterbuck’s.
She got miffed at local journos (not known as the most aggressive bunch, honestly) and walked out of her own press conference, according to Isiah Carey. Another rookie-like blunder.
And finally:
“I’m sorry that [Clutterbuck] doesn’t feel that she has a good of a working relationship with some of my senior staff, as she does with me, but this was her decision,” Parker said. “I tried to talk her out of it.”
The finance director is bailing on Parker, one of the most astute councilmembers when it comes to municipal finance is bailing on Parker, and all the mayor has to say is some folks need to learn to play more nicely with her staff? Bicyclist Bob is right — that sounds much more like a rookie than the last mayor.
The good ship Parker sure seems to be taking on a lot of water, unnecessarily, right now.
