Coverage of CIO Hire Obscures Critical Questions About Economic Development’s Future
When I was in high school and college one of my favorite bands was R.E.M., an indie band from the college town of Athens, Georgia, that would eventually break out and make it big. While the group specialized in somber and stylistic music, they had a few songs that were clearly written to be pop hits, like “Shiny Happy People.”
The Urban Dictionary suggests that the term “is based on a Chinese propaganda poster popularized by REM in the song of the same name. It’s a term that determines that people are faking happiness or false happiness in order to fool the outside world that there are no problems.”
The song came to mind yesterday morning when I read the Enterprise write up on the departure of Rob White and the hiring of Diane Parro. Everyone in the story gave “shiny happy” quotes to the local beat writer for the city newspaper – even people we know to be anything but happy over the series of events that occurred late last week.
The article completely lacked any sort of critical analysis of the situation and seemed to take the quotes at face value.
Here is a sampling of the quotes:
Dan Wolk: We have been making significant strides in the area of economic development over the past few years. Diane, with her impressive skill set and deep understanding of our region, will hit the ground running and take things to the next level.
Rob White: I am proud of the work we have done exploring opportunities for innovation district and research parks in the city, building the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting the local economy to the region. I am confident that the newly formed partnerships with academia, research institutions, civic organizations and the private sector will continue to pay dividends into the future.
Dirk Brazil: I am thrilled Diane will be joining our City of Davis team. I had the privilege of working with Diane in Yolo County and her unique skill set and familiarity with Davis will certainly add value to Davis’ economic development efforts.
Lucas Frerichs: Diane Parro has a stellar reputation as someone who is exceptionally competent and who has a long-time, and successful, track record of cross sector collaboration and community involvement… Economic development is one of the council’s top priorities and there is no shortage of work for the city to do.
Dirk Brazil: I’m building a team here as the city manager that will move economic development forward. Rob White did a great job.
Only Councilmember Rochelle Swanson seemed to offer a counter-narrative, and her comment was nearly buried at the end of the article. She “applauded Parro as a hard worker, but said she was fielding some concerned phone calls about the departure of White.” “There are a lot of people who put in a lot of effort into getting an award-winning CIO like Rob White,” she said.
But even within this pro forma praise for the new hire, there are plenty of red flags. For instance, we learn that Diane Parro is being hired at $110,000 per year in base salary. The position itself is listed at $135,000 to $165,000 per year, where Rob White made at the top end.
So, while Mayor Dan Wolk talks about the strides we have made in economic development over the past few years and Councilmember Lucas Frerichs talks about how “[e]conomic development is one of the council’s top priorities” – why is the city hiring someone for $25,000 under the listed price of the position and hiring someone who does not appear to have any sort of background in economic development?
When the city was looking for a new city manager, they quickly realized that the city was way under market compared with other city managers, so they increased the salary range in order to conduct a more thorough search. Yet, when it comes to economic development, they not only hire substantially under their own salary range, but they do so without an open recruitment.
Several people pointed out that residing in Davis alone are several people with immense qualifications on economic development –did the city manager reach out to those people at all?
Moreover, you have another seeming contradiction here. Mayor Wolk noted that we have made significant strides in economic development, and Dirk Brazil said that “Rob White did a great job.” If that is all true, why is Rob White leaving? Councilmember Rochelle Swanson made it clear that many people are concerned with his departure. None of this seems to add up.
Over the weekend, the Vanguard talked to a number of people familiar with municipal government and HR. They told the Vanguard that, as an at will position, there is no requirement for an open recruitment, but they found the hiring below salary range perplexing. There were also substantial questions as to whether Diane Parro, whose expertise is in marketing, meets the minimum requirements for the position.
There were also substantial questions about the timing of the hire. The position was approved in March of 2013 under the understanding that techDavis would fund half the position. That funding ended sometime in 2014. That means that, technically, the position does not exist unless the council explicitly approves the position in new year’s budget –which has yet to be passed.
The people the Vanguard talked to questioned the ethics of hiring someone to fill a position when they still have someone under contract for another year for same position. If there is no agreement reached between the city and Rob White to leave the position, it is a potential breach of contract for the city.
Why the rush to announce this right now? Rob White formally leaves the city on June 30. They could have announced the move on July 1, which would have coincided with a newly-approved budget and everything would have been kosher.
All of that leaves us with the belief that this announcement was more about politics than about policy. And that the article in the paper missed a lot of the critical analysis of what is really going on.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Love REM. I question this hire too, why not a more open process? I’ve never been a big fan of Saylor and am not too fond of having one of his deputies in such an important Davis position. I can only hope that Saylor doesn’t have her ear (so to speak) and influence her actions.
Barack Palin, take a look at the facts. Brazil, who while his title was Deputy County Administrator, was mainly there to babysit the Board of Supes, and Parro, whose job it was to do whatever Saylor told him — are now in charge of Economic Development for the City.
Saylor now has even more control of the city than when he was on the Council. Back then, while he had three votes, he didn’t directly control the City Manager. You still had an independent life long bureaucrat attempting to run the City despite Saylor’s interference.
Now the fox is inside the hen house. You have a life long political aide — directly tied to the Wolk machine running City Hall.
And if there was any doubt where his allegiances lie — you can now put that to rest with this blatantly political hire.
Rob White was a true professional with a stellar reputation. He has been invited to the White House, has a great relationship with state and federal officials, and is recognized as one of the leaders in the field. He has forgotten more about the business than Ms. Parro will ever know.
She isn’t remotely qualified for the job and every member of the City Council and the City Manager know that.
The fox is inside the hen house. The same fox who delivered hit pieces on Sue Greenwald in 2012, orchestrated pro fire department letters from all of our politicians in 2013, attempted to keep Joe Krovoza out of the assembly race, and encouraged the most overpaid employees in city hall to picket on Russell Boulevard.
It should be no surprise that they’ve engineered this clumsy, blatant power grab. And doesn’t it concern you that they openly lied in the press release? Mr. White still had a year left on his contract — his contract was not expiring on June 30.
We no longer have an independent administrative branch of the City — that is frightening.
I guess there is the outside chance Mr. White did something unprofessional that is a confidential matter, but given his stellar resume, that seems unlikely. But the year early termination raises questions.
Is it possible that the County crowd saw Nishi, the Jim Gray / El Mercero development (I forget the exact name), and an Innovation Center moving forward … and that was too much to stomach? They want to slow the train down?
How much – yearly – could Yolo County earn if they located an Innovation Center on county land? Do they have any huge new plans that need funding?
” in such an important Davis position.” Too funny!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtext
You guys really don’t get the message.
;>)/
I am waiting for the Golden Parachute for Mr White to be announced. I am also waiting for the Feminists to picket City Hall with requests WHY a woman can’t earn as much as a man in the same position?
Or will his buyout be private? Maybe the $110,000 salary was offered because a 40% or 50% raise given the thin resume would draw too much ire.
I am not personally against the new hire, but I don’t even see the “marketing” expertise. Her LinkedIn profile shows that she was an adverting director 23 years ago. Since then it has been “client services’ and “liaison”. Her own LinkedIn profile doesn’t even list “marketing” as one of her 15 skills, but “economic development” is now listed as her number one skill. And there has been this (new?) addition:
“Specialties: Economic Development
Shared Services Restoring the Safety Net”
If this was her new passion, great, but then she could be an assistant to someone like Mr. White, and learn from him for 3-4-5 years.
Her first interview should be interesting, the sooner, the better.
While I am intriuged why someone chose a handle so closely spelled to mine, this time I will simply sit back and acknowledge that my doppleganger with a typo seems to have hit home… very insightful comments, and discouraging in so many ways.
Could you imagine if they didn’t give “shiny happy people quotes”?
Dan Wolk: We were getting concerned that Rob White was actually going to accomplish what we told him to do and that was making people here in city hall really uncomfortable. So we looked around until we found someone who had absolutlely no chance of getting anything done.
Rob White: I am waiting for my last check to clear and am going to sue this hick town into bankruptcy…
Dirk Brazil: I am thrilled Diane will be here to attend the dozen or so group meeting here in Davis each week that encourage people to make apps. We are excited that she has plans to make a calendar with all of their events on it.
Lucas Frerichs: I have absolutely no idea what is going on here. Who is this woman?
Dirk Brazil: I’m building a team here as the city manager that will do nothing to annoy Don Saylor.
this is a home run post as well… the truth shall set you free.
We agree on something. Ouch!
ditto ” ” ” ” ” “
double ditto…
While it’s obvious that many here aren’t happy with the selection process, it’s also important that we’re able separate process from the person. Diane accepted a great job… she shouldn’t be critique for that. I hope that we can all work to support Diane in her new role.
I’m sure she’ll get plenty of input from Davis residents! Fortunately she lives here and knows what Davis is like.
what makes it hard to separate the process from the person is that a lot of people have real questions as to whether or not the process delivered the best possible person to hold that position. it’s not anyone has anything against diane parro the person, it’s that the resume of diane parro seems at odds with the position she was hired to do. we may all support her in her new role, but the city manager did her no favors here.
DP, that is one view of the situation; however, an alternative view is that Diane Parro’s skill set and experience is a perfect match for a redefined position. If that is the case, then one has to wonder (1) when and how the position got redefined, and (2) why the taxpayers are footing a $240,000 bill for the payment of Rob White’s salary and benefits for the next 12-13 months at the same time that we pay Ms. Parro her salary and benefits..
Matt: Please explain what you mean by “redefined” position. The only way her skill set would match the “redefined” position is if the job duties were to make sure we didn’t do anything in economic development that conflicted with the County’s/Don Saylor’s goals for economic development in Yolo County.
That is a real possibility Gunrocik … which prompts the question whether there has been an under the radar attempt to make such a redefinition. If so, why choose to do it under the radar?
matt appears to be attempting to play both sides of the fence. economic development is not a synonym for marketing.
Not “playing” anything DP. Simply putting forward a “What if” scenario that could explain what went on. Then IF that possibility has some level of likelihood, posing a couple of pertinent questions. Do you object to scenario analysis?
With that said, I agree 100% with your statement that marketing is not the same as economic development.
If anything, the alternative scenario is even more of a concern than the scenario that has thus far dominated today’s discussion.
Did you actually say that?
Sorry Bill, we can’t separate the process from the person. I’m sure she is a very nice person, but that has nothing to do with her lack of qualifications for the position. I have no interest in rallying around a person that has no ability to foster a healthier economic future for the community.
I’m not going to let the local machine take this issue and spin it into whether or not we’ve hired a “nice” person for the job.
The machine’s operative at City Hall hired a new person not even remotely qualified for the position who is directly tied to a machine member who wants the County Board of Supes to dictate economic development in a manner where the majority of the revenue accrues to the County instead of the City.
The machine’s operative did this while he had another far more qualified person still under contract .
The machine’s operative blatantly lied in the press release by claiming the incumbent’s contract expired June 30, 2015.
Craig Reynolds and Don Saylor have conducted a hostile takeover of City Hall, and I’m not happy about it, and I’m not going to rally around the empty smiling faces they’ve put in charge.
This is certainly NOT the way to “double down” on economic development in my mind. I was being swayed towards the importance of innovation parks/whatever you call it by the expertise of some of the more economically savvy posters on DV, but with this change, I am not sure I am willing to go along with the risks……
“The machine’s operative at City Hall hired a new person not even remotely qualified for the position who is directly tied to a machine member who wants the County Board of Supes to dictate economic development in a manner where the majority of the revenue accrues to the County instead of the City.”
“she was fielding some concerned phone calls about the departure of White.” “There are a lot of people who put in a lot of effort into getting an award-winning CIO like Rob White,”
I have concerns not only about the current selection process, but concerns that date back to the hiring of Rob White. What Rochelle Swanosn does not explicitly state in the above quote is that many of these people putting in the “effort” to hire Rob White were those in a particular aspect of our economy who stood to profit tremendously from the specific type of development at which Rob White is highly successful. Combine this with the fact that Rob’s salary was initially to be funded half by the city and half by business with interests with the city and you have, in my opinion, a questionable mix of public and private interests at best.
Now I both like and admire Rob White and had a number of interesting interactions with him so I am separating the person from the process in this case. However, I would like to point out that this has been a “political” as well as a policy issue from the decision to hire Rob in the first place under this questionable form of payment with clearly at least the appearance of the pre selection of “winners” from local businesses. While I agree that the current hire has a very different career track and skills set than did Rob, I do not believe that it is accurate or honest to portray the moves as “political” when they are coming from a side with which one is not in agreement and “policy” when the moves are being made by those with whom one is in accord.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke
From Davis Vanguard on October 15, 2014:
https://davisvanguard.org/2014/10/commentary-community-needs-to-rally-behind-new-city-manager/
“The other thing, Dirk is a smart guy – smart enough to know that if he were to blindly follow some unsustainable, blatantly politically directed policy path that he would never hear the end of it…”
-Part of a five paragraph quote from Doby Fleeman in the article.
Doby also help spearhead the effort to fund the CIO position and bring Rob White to town.
I’ve seen Doby post on other articles this weekend, but he has been noticeably silent on the subject of Rob’s poorly handled departure.
Good stuff from VG posters today. They are on fire.
I will play a bit of Devil’s advocate here (I don’t actually subscribe to the following, but it demands some discussion).
The first move was the hatchet job on Steve Pinkerton. However, since then I have been made aware of his performance in his new job with the city of Incline Village. Let’s just say that it is possible that the guy was really not a good manager nor administrator, and was more a politician. I think his days might be numbered at Incline.
So, it is possible that Mr. White also was not performing to expectation in his role. From my perspective he was doing what we needed done, and had the connections that we should demand. However, as is sometimes the case, outward appearances can be deceiving.
Again, I don’t really subscribe to this narrative, but I suppose there is some probability that personnel changes have been warranted from a management and administrative perspective.
Now back to reality… Davis city government is infested with political operatives that don’t really have the city’s best interests in mind more than they do pleasing their friends and pushing their careers forward. I think the probability of this explanation is much, much stronger. And there is mounting evidence to support the theory.
Just for the record, Don Saylor never attempted to keep me out of the Assembly race. I’d like that to be clear. He was neutral for a period of time, then supported Dan. That was that; no hard feelings. Dianne Parro’s a super person and friend. For ED, Rob was all we could have dreamed of and more. He re-defined us in economic development regionally, state-wide, and even nationally as we competed our very comprehensive and staged innovation park plans with all kinds of public vetting — a process Don Saylor launched in the fall of 2010. I was with Rob at meetings he set with Obama Administration leaders and he engaged them instantly on our ED plans and he artfully presented our assets as a university community.
I don’t understand what was broken that needed to be fixed, and maybe Davis now loses dollars in having to buy out the contract of a good employee? I don’t know the answer to that, but someone will. If a policy shift was needed, then Council should make that, and the best staff we can hire should be directed to implement the policy of Council. Rob’s such a pro that if there were a policy shift made, I know he’d faithfully implement it, or he’d cordially depart.
The exact same thing could be said of the September 30, 2014 article in the Enterprise which described the person and the position. I find it both perplexing and concerning that there is complete denial that there was anything but “shiny happy” regarding our soon-to-be-former so-called Chief Innovation Officer. You don’t even have to turn over any rocks, but for some reason there seems to be a whitewashing going on with the Vanguard. Pun intended? You decide.
Here’s a slight re-write (in bold) of the Vanguard lines today as applied to the 9/30/2014 article:
Everyone in the story gave “shiny happy” quotes to the local beat writer for the city newspaper – even people we know to be anything but happy with the City Innovation Officer. The article completely lacked any sort of critical analysis of the City Innovation Officer and seemed to take the quotes at face value.
Feedback from techDavis would be interesting, and local business people.
“She “applauded Parro as a hard worker, but said she was fielding some concerned phone calls about the departure of White.””
sounds like you should talk to rochelle swanson
alan: i find it interesting that you aren’t more up in arms about this hire, after all wasn’t diane parro point person on the rail relocation?
I don’t know anything about her, except she’s willing to do a Chief Innovation Officer’s job at an Economic Development Director’s salary.
But, DP, thanks for the tip (of the iceberg?).
Mr. Miller. Not saying you are wrong or right, but can you point to anyone else that shares this view that Davis is better off with the change? You seem to be alone with this opinion. Even those that disagree on almost everything else seem to agree that we have achieved a net decline in economic development capability with this change. No problem being the minority here… I am often. Just curious if you know of others that share your view.
alan miller disliked rob white because of one issue – rail relocation. ironically, his replacement is just as strong an advocate of it.
It is looking like rail location might have stronger feasibility than does any innovation park.
makes sense – no measure r vote, the entire county on board except for alan miller.
This is why I despise anonymous postings.
The anonymous person comes on here and tells everyone what my reason is for something. Anyone can call me any name they want and lie about me in any way, if they identify themselves. Because then they have to answer for it — which often means they won’t.
But standing in the cowardly box of anonymity and telling people what I think and why — for those unable to crawl. First, DP, you can go F___ yourself. Second, for allowing this, The Vanguard can go F___ itself.
DP, you are lying; you do not know me and or my sense of reason.
Come out of the box of cowardice if you are going to lie about my motivations. If you give your real name, you can tell people I walk around with a diaper on my head for all I care. I may call you out on it, but at least the room is illuminated.
The Vanguard remains a joke as long as anonymous posters remain.
I’m sure the entire county would be on board if we were to build a ten acre crystal palace too. Price and validity mean nothing. Spending $100’s of millions is OK just because “everyone is on board”? How about value for money. How about sanity?
It’s the price tag, the fraudulent funding scheme, the house-of-cards benefits, and the lying consultant reports that I have pointed out — strange they just don’t seem to matter to some, or all.
Just you wait and see. This will be our Bay Bridge.
Alan, you have regularly referred to “the lying consultant reports” but despite having been asked multiple times, you have never provided anyone with any links (or other non-electronic method of routing) to those consultant reports. Your reluctance to provide your sources may well be the biggest reason that this issue, which is so viscerally important to you, does not seem to matter to others. If you want to recruit allies, provide them with some substance to back up your claims. Identify the lies, and explain why they are lies. Identify the benefits you think are a house of cards, and explain why they are a house of cards.
Regarding the funding, to say it is fraudulent is strange. If you went to the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) Coordinating Committee meeting last Wednesday in West Sacramento’s City Hall, you would have heard how the funding for the CVFPP (the principal funding source for the proposed rail relocation) is currently $15.8 billion. Are you saying that the funding of the CVFPP is fraudulent? if so, that is painting with an awfully broad brush.
So, bottom-line, providing more factual support for your positions will help broaden that support a whole lot more than emotional diatribes.
I’m not an advocate of rail relocation for many of the reasons and data you have provided in opposition of it. It would be great for Davis, but it is a pipe dream not much different than is city ownership and/or redevelopment of the PG&E property.
But the innovation parks are dropping like flies in a cloud of DDT.
alan miller:
a few things. i don’t really understand the difference between me posting under my own name and anonymously. you don’t know me from adam smith. you can’t hold me accountable for anything. the only difference is i have a job where i would not be able to speak out as freely as i do. the same problem that frankly had.
second, matt williams asked you more tactfully than i did the same essential thing. so if i’m wrong, correct me. that’s what you’d have to do if i posted under my real name.
Um . . . no.
Pretty sure he was being sarcastic.
yes… and provocative.
Frank Lee, first of all, I never said Davis was better off with this change. I said that the important thing is that the former party is gone, and that I am surprised nothing has been dug up or quoted except for how great the former person was.
I am not going to “point to anyone else” because, much as the persona I create for the Vanguard is a total ass, my actual self does not throw people I respect under the bus. There are as you can probably imagine reasons that many visible Davis persons are being tactful about criticizing the highest paid and well-connected employee in the City, even on that persons departure.
I dislike it when reporters or other people make a point by “implying” they “know people” or “have heard”. However, here I must do that out of respect for those I respect. Being open about my sense of the former, several souls — from quite different aspects of Davis — have confided their agreement, and shared of others in agreement. I will not identify any of these people in a public forum. That is all I will say on the matter. I’m surprised no one is connecting the dots; but really, it doesn’t matter now; the important thing is that the former is gone.
Your posts are always interesting, if not always informative. And sometimes they are very informative.
I think a Chief Information Officer or Director of Economic Development is a difficult role to fill because of the depth of knowledge required, and the other personality traits required. Many people that can do that job well would be otherwise employed in private industry pursuing great things that can get done, rather that constantly beat their head against the brick wall of political ignorance and malfeasance… and public-sector inefficiency.
My assessment of Mr. White is that he was/is probably the best that Davis could get, and plenty qualified to do the job. His performance, again from my perspective, was what I expected… a knowledgeable cheerleader and network builder moving our largely ignorant-slow-growth-utopia to an understanding that we need to develop our economy and why.
The problem is that he lost his first boss, and it is sometimes an unfortunate thing when you are in a position of escalated importance, because the new boss will see it as a threat or at least want to eliminate the old boss’s legacy.
But personnel change at these levels don’t happen unless there is a power struggle. My sense is that there are people in politics in and around this city that are fighting to retain their hold on power… something that they perceive they would lose if the city actually does grow its local economy. The people that hold power in this town are public-sector policy wonks, academics and small business retailers… they are typically significantly outgunned by private-sector business leaders.
But I see their power maneuvering as their last dying gasp of breath. This city of 72,000 cannot continue to survive and be great under their tired, old, and insufficient leadership.
But give them credit. They are putting their “yes” people in positions and getting rid of those that “get it”. The question is will the citizens put up with it.
Alan, I believe you are 100% wrong in your assessment. You have been very clear about the fact that on a two-pan balance scale weighing the pros and cons of Rob White’s tenure here in Davis, you would put the Rail Relocation project in the cons. With that said, what other actions or activities of Rob’s would you add to that cons side of the balance scale? What are those dots that you have alluded to that need to be connected?
Once the cons side of the scale has been fully loaded with what you believe are his detriments, then I’m equally interested in what you see as and/or have experienced as the pros of Rob’s tenure here.
Finally, with both sides of the scale fully loaded, what do you see. Do the cons outweigh the pros? Or do the pros outweigh the cons?
Perhaps what you are seeing is not tactfulness, but rather an objective assessment of what Rob has done, both pro and con.
Speaking of Salaries, Rob’s salary was a bargain compared to what we are paying over on campus.
Rob’s two contemporaries over on campus are each pulling in about $60K more a year in salary than Rob. Here are the links on transparent california:
http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2013/university-of-california/paul-m-dodd/
http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2013/university-of-california/dushyant-pathak/
Their boss, makes very good bank as well, although he does a lot more than just economic development:
http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2013/university-of-california/harris-a-lewin/
I am pretty sure the new director of Davis Roots is making a good salary as well.
Skilled economic development professionals are expensive because they pay for themselves many times over, and they are very hard to find!
Oh and by the way, the University has a little more exhaustive vetting process for these kind of jobs, we actually require folks to have a record of accomplishment and they need to meet the minimum requirements. When you are trying to become best of class, it helps to limit your search to people qualified for the position.