Stampfler’s overall average score across some 39 different areas was a 2.77 out of a possible four points. The middle average of the evaluation showed disagreement among the five councilmen.
Some rated him a one (unsatisfactory) and some a four (excellent) on the same system.
The council comments after each item, also submitted anonymously, reflected a divide between those still supporting the manager and those who didn’t.
For instance, on the first item, “administers daily operations consistent with council policy, the average rating was 2.6. While one councilman said he “does an outstanding job administering daily operations,” the statement below it added, “on a selective basis as he sees fit. Overall attitude exhibited toward council is not supportive. Consistently displays attitude of ‘I will do it only because the council tells me to.’”
In another statement in the report, a councilman commented on the second question, specifically “channels information in a timely manner between council and staff,”
“he leaves town without council knowledge. He has been out of office, taking days out of state using comp time, which violates policy. He has used 20 days away from the office and counted the time as comp. This is not a vacation or sick leave. The manager, like other employees, is on salary. He doesn’t receive comp time and should have known it.”
He scored a 2.4 on that measure and on his representation of the city. Under the same category, he scored a 2.0 availability and high visibility with citizens, and a 2.6 for representing the city to intergovernmental bodies and media relations. Under this item, councilmen complained about the number of weekdays Stampfler was not in his office and the fact that he was out of town for April in Talladega and race weekend. There were also complaints about accessibility and lack of interaction with the community and other agencies.
He scored a relatively strong three on resolution of citizen complaints, although the comments reflected the perceptions of aloofness and inaccessibility.
On participating in discussion but not decision making and providing staff reports that offer recommendations, the council scored Stampfler 2.8, while he got a 2.2 for providing staff reports that offer policy alternatives with implications on issues. One councilman reported docking him a full point for becoming visibly upset when someone disagreed with him, and he was also criticized for not seeking advice or seeming open to input from his own employees.
He was given generally high marks for providing staff leadership (2.6), hiring professional staff (3.6), and training, evaluating and maintaining them (3.2, 2.6 and 2.8, respectively.) He was a given a 3.4 keeping the staff informed and abreast of the latest information and technology, but one of the councilmen noted, “His displayed concept of leadership is to drive, berate and intimidate employees. There is no visible evidence of manager led staff training. No evidence of any documented staff evaluation. Successor programs are non-existent. Has done a good job of employment of professional staff overall.”
He was given a 2.8 in taking the long-term view and a 2.6 on anticipating the issues. Comments were critical here, including the statement that he relies on department heads too much but does not follow up enough, with the EPA litigation in the water department a recent example.
“His vision for Talladega is not realistic at this time,” another wrote. “The manager’s recommendation to create a deputy police chief position as a minority position was an illegal recommendation. To adopt this recommendation would break federal laws. He also refused to mention civil service rules or the fact that minority officers leave Talladega for better pay.”
Stampfler also scored well on preparing the annual budget in a timely manner, making the budget understandable and well documented and clearly stating funding and service alternatives (3.6, 3.4 and 3.2) and a 2.6 on implementation and administrative controls.
There were two comments under this cluster. The first states that “fiscal management has been very good and we get the information we need in a timely manner to make good decisions. This was a big problem in the past administration but this is very good now.”
The second said, “A budget document is proposed in a timely manner. He absolves himself from any participation in the water department budget preparation since his ‘privatization effort’ failed. Does not provide effective oversight to management and administrative control over budget preparation.”
For leadership he scored a 2.8, and for integrity a 3, although one of the council comments here referred to abuse of leave time. He got a 3 on imagination as well, with positive comments.
“He has visionary leadership and has proposed many new and wonderful ideas. Some were adopted and many were not, such as the privatization of the water system and the Brownfields grant,” and the “Great ideas to improve city image.”
But the last comment reads, “His is the only way that matters (and) assumes ownership of the ideas of the employees and the council.”
The failed privatization of the water system was referred to again under cooperation, where he scored only a 2.2.
“If the manager is not allowed to do what he wants to do, he places blame on others when serious issues arise. The manager states that the city of Talladega did not honor its compliance agreement with EPA because the council would not allow him to privatize the water department. If that statement was correct, it would be impossible to meet the compliance agreement without having the department privatized.”
On diplomacy, Stampfler earned his lowest average score, a 1.8. On decisiveness, he earned a 3.4 and a 2.4 on motivation. On judgement he earned a 2.8.
He earned averages of 2.2 on loyalty and adaptability and 3 in coping with stress.
His highest scores came in speaking and writing, at 3.6 and 3.8, respectively.
Listening skills averaged out at 2.8, and humor at 2.2, with one councilman noting on the later, “Concealed (if it exists).” The only other comment encouraged Stampfler to “liven up, have fun and enjoy life. He is too tight all the time. He is so matter of fact all the time that it is hard to like him.”
Open mindedness and impartiality, the last two measures, earned ratings of 2.2 and 2.8, respectively.
Two comments on this particular item said, “Stampfler is fair at time but sometimes he will not cooperate with councilman (sic) over lower esteem so to speak. If (Council President Horace) Patterson or (Councilman Lance) Grissett says do it, it gets done ASAP. But anyone else is wrong.”
The second comment is “Treats all the same, ie arrogantly, condescendingly, shows no respect for self-worth in others. Doesn’t seem to like people, just uses them.”
The four comments at the end of the report reflect the divide among the council members that submitted the evaluation.
The first says, “I am concerned about the climate and tone at city hall regarding a few members of the city council and the city manager. I think the manager has done a good job and that councilmen should not get so belligerent toward the city manager. The city manager and the councilmen should work together with each other without being contentious and hostile. The council president and vice president (Patterson and Grissett) should get along with the manager as long as the majority of the council supports him.”
The second comment said, “We adopted the budget he set forth last year and approved it. (The) economy is not our fault. We need to work together and get through and he is trying to do that. Our employees are griping because they are finally having to do some work and as a taxpayer I am glad to see.”
Patterson said he most certainly disagreed with the last contention.
“The third comment simply said, “It’s all about him.”
Number four, which closed out the overall evaluation, says, “The manager is very bright in many ways, however he can be distant and aloof. He is not available to the community as much as he should be. The manager has used both vacation time and sick leave to amount to more than a month. He is entitled to that time. He has also used illegal comp time to be out of the office for at least 20 days. He has been out of the office more than two months during his tenure with the city of Talladega and he never tells the council when he is leaving. He simply informs after he is gone.”
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