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City Manager Bob LaSala says his restructuring efforts are part of a process to keep improving the city, and that some anxiety is to be expected.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Trouble in Paradise
Sunnyvale is nationally recognized for its stable city government. Now employees are leaving en masse.
By Kelly Wilkinson
Sunnyvale has long been heralded across the nation as a model for effective, innovative city government. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized the city as a government 'performance leader' for its entrepreneurial style. The city has consistently turned in the lowest crime rates in its population bracket, and it has been cited in several leading books on municipal government as the pinnacle of progressive city management.
But the stability that has so long characterized Sunnyvale has been shaken. During the past five years, the city's employee turnover rates have nearly doubled, even though retirement rates have barely budged a percentage point.
In February, an independent survey gauging the morale of city employees indicated that although they take pride in working for Sunnyvale, they have a deepening mistrust of high-level management.
Survey Says: Opinion poll shows employees are dissatisfied with management.
Many say City Manager Bob LaSala, who recently hit his two-year mark in that post, is to blame for rocking Sunnyvale's solid core. Within his department, nearly half of the upper-level positions have been vacated in the past two years.
"We had stability for decades, and the new dynamics [under LaSala] were just really hard to adjust to," said one former employee in the city manager's office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I just didn't want to be the last one out of there to turn out the lights."
LaSala himself has not turned a blind eye to the tumult surrounding him, acknowledging that this is a time of uncertainty evidenced by recent restructuring within his department.
"There's been a lot of change, and change raises anxiety," he said in an interview with The Sun last week.
Dave Vossbrink left his post as Sunnyvale's spokesman after 13 years on the job. Under City Manager Bob LaSala's leadership almost half the managers in his department have left.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Abandonment Issues
Since LaSala came on board, four managers in his department have left, including deputy city clerk Carol Butler, public information officer David Vossbrink and senior management analyst Jim Webb. In addition, the four top managers in the Public Safety department have left their jobs in the past five months.
Many inside city government believe that the shakeup in LaSala's own department results from mismanagement; however, most agree that the realignment in Public Safety will be healthy for the city.
Carol Butler, who retired in June after working at City Hall for 33 years, says the city had become disjointed under LaSala's leadership, and she predicted that the turnover would continue. "[LaSala] is different from [previous city manager] Tom Lewcock, and that's what people are dealing with right now," she says. "Maybe I'll be proved wrong and there will be some positive results in the future, but this is a different leadership style than I've been used to."
Vossbrink, who had been with the city of Sunnyvale for the past 13 years, abandoned his post in May. "It became clear to me about six months into Bob's tenure that we weren't going to be on the same page in terms of the role of public information," Vossbrink says. "He very deliberately channeled all relations through his office."
Jim Webb left early this year to become senior policy advisor to San Jose's mayor Ron Gonzales. Like Vossbrink, he says his growth potential was limited under LaSala, which helped motivate him to look for opportunities beyond City Hall.
The fact that LaSala's own colleagues have been jumping ship hasn't escaped the notice of councilmembers, including Jack Walker.
"We've lost a number of people and some really good people," Walker says, "so he's got a bit of a problem there, because he needs to restore some faith and confidence in his own department."
LaSala says that bad feelings like that are sometimes unavoidable.
"I would imagine I can't meet everybody's expectations and values and image of a boss, but I try to be fair and evenhanded with my employees and my subordinates," LaSala says. "Some people don't like my style and that's fine, Some people didn't like my predecessor's style either. I don't think any one style is going to be the ultimate style for everyone else."
Karen Davis, LaSala's former assistant, who was promoted to a job as the city's economic development manager, says her departure from the city manager's office had nothing to do with LaSala's leadership style. She blames the spike in turnover on the fact that some people have been with the city for an unusually long time.
"So it may appear to be more unusual than it is," she says.
Still, there are solid indications that LaSala's management style is causing serious problems inside city government. Morale in the city manager's office is low. In the February survey, 77 percent of city manager employees responded "unfavorable" when asked to compare the city to the past. Twenty-three percent said "neutral" and none said "favorable." When asked whether they trust senior management, 92 percent said "unfavorable" and eight said neutral. Again, none responded favorably.
When asked whether senior management provides necessary direction, 77 percent said "unfavorable" and 23 said "neutral." And again, none said "favorable."
Still, the respondents gave high marks in the civic pride and job satisfaction categories.
LaSala says the results didn't surprise him.
"We undertook that survey to look into people's perceptions--both the real and the not real--and it unearthed a lot of good information," he says. "[The complaints] are something that needs attention, and we're giving it attention and have facilitated discussions in all departments."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
For the most part, councilmembers back LaSala, with the notable exception of Stan Kawczynski--who says he's frustrated he didn't know more about LaSala's city management background two years ago.
Fired Department
Apprehension seems to stretch beyond the bounds of the city manager's office. During the past two years, bad feelings have also run high in the Public Safety Department.
In February, then-director of public safety Regan Williams resigned after seven years in his job and 20 years with the department. The resignation, which some sources say was forced, came while the city and the Public Safety Officers Association (PSOA) were locked in a contract fight that had been going on for almost two years. Three months after Williams left, the parties reached a resolution.
Throughout the disputes, the PSOA heavily criticized top management--both within the Department of Public Safety and in the city--for siding with top brass over the rank and file. The city insisted that some of the PSOA's demands were unreasonable.
The elimination of three middle-management positions followed in June when LaSala axed the three commander slots, which ranked just below the director.
PSOA president Kelly Fitzgerald says he supports both decisions. But he says the PSOA is still licking its wounds and rebuilding confidences.
"We just had the worst contract negotiations and ballot fight in the history of the city, and it took all that to get [LaSala's] attention," Fitzgerald says.
"It was seen as a good move, but I don't think [LaSala] did it out of the goodness of his heart," Fitzgerald says. "The association had made it pretty clear that we weren't happy with the management, so I think he was left with very few choices."
And while Fitzgerald concedes that morale is on the upswing, he does not attribute the improvement solely to LaSala's gestures.
"I think morale is moving in the right direction, but I give that credit to my membership for sticking up for what we wanted."
"He's making changes which are going to be very good for the long run, but still with any kind of change comes anxiety," Councilmember Fred Fowler says. "He's putting a lot more authority and responsibility to people who are closer to the day-to-day responsibilities, and authority is being pushed down into lower levels."
Fowler says the changes may be a double-edged sword because Department of Public Safety employees now have more responsibility and accountability.
"In the long run it's very empowering," he says. "But our job is to get people through that transition period."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Jack Walker
Growing Pains
Clearly, some of the discontent to be found among city staffers results from the fact that LaSala's reign as city manager followed that of Tom Lewcock, an icon of Sunnyvale government for 17 years.
David Nieto, director of human resources, says that a certain level of apprehension and turnover is to be expected with new management--an opinion expressed by most people interviewed for this article.
"It's like a honeymoon when someone first gets married," Nieto says. "It takes a while, and people will always take some time to get used to it. [LaSala] is different to Tom Lewcock personality-wise and style-wise and everything else."
"When you've had a city manager for close to 17 or 18 years, which is like five times the normal length of time for a manager, and then they call it quits, it's a traumatic experience for any agency, especially one with the preeminent reputation that we enjoyed and still enjoy."
LaSala says comparisons to Lewcock--which he tried to nip in the bud upon his arrival by telling the city that he would not try to fill Lewcock's shoes but rather stand on the shoulders of giants--are unproductive, even if they are irresistible.
"Sure, it's human nature to do that, even though I don't want to engage in [the comparisons]," he says. "But I'm not about to struggle against human nature."
Although councilmembers acknowledge the increasing turnover rate and anxiety under LaSala's management, most are quick to defend the city manager's job performance.
"Very much to his credit, he took a very hands-off position--sort of listen, learn, talk and assess the workings of the department--when he first got here," Mayor Manuel Valerio says, adding that the turnover rate does not alarm him.
Vice Mayor Pat Vorreiter says, "I certainly don't welcome having good people leave our city, and there are some losses I personally regret, but you have to expect some of that. Change and growth always bring a little discomfort."
But Councilmember Stan Kawczynski and several former city employees are convinced that LaSala has exhibited weak leadership and an unorganized management style.
"I'm not sure he has a vision," Kawczynski says. He and LaSala have been increasingly antagonistic toward each other during recent council meetings. "He's doing some very unorthodox things--which would be OK--but the budget was bogus and the 20-year forecasting is starting to die."
Kawczynski has publicly complained about the exclusion of the $8 million senior center from the budget, as well as Sunnyvale's trademark 20-year financial forecasts, which will need correcting along the way to prevent slipping into debt in the 16th year.
"I have a fear of what's going on here because this whole thing is unraveling and he's fudging the books in my eyes," Kawczynski says.
But LaSala defended the senior center omission.
"That was because we didn't have the documentation," he says. "We would need to accurately reflect revenues and get a better estimate of cost. And so you put it in when you have it."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Jim Roberts
History Repeats
Some of the specific concerns expressed in Sunnyvale's City Hall may seem like déja vu, since similar comments appear in some accounts of LaSala's tenure as city manager in Boca Raton, Fla.
LaSala ended his tenure with what newspaper reports called a "forced resignation." Trouble and animosity had been brewing for the year leading up to his resignation, sparked by hefty raises for top management and complaints of his alleged autocratic style of governing.
"There wasn't any malicious intent," says Steven Abrams, who served on Boca Raton's city council during LaSala's tenure. "But he just wasn't good for Boca Raton."
Abrams says LaSala came into a stable city and started dismantling effective systems, which resulted in increased turnover. He also says "there were some unfortunate incidents which weren't necessarily his fault, but he didn't have that reservoir of good will to draw on" because of bad relations between LaSala and councilmembers.
The Boca Raton City Council accepted his resignation in a 4-1 vote.
LaSala says he had to deal with some "very thorny issues" during his three-year tenure, adding that the city was known for having stormy relationships with its city managers. Since 1973 none of Boca Raton city managers stayed more than four years and most were fired or resigned under pressure, according to the Sun Sentinel, a paper in the Boca Raton area.
The negative circumstances clouding LaSala's Boca Raton departure nevertheless raised the ire of Kawczynski, who says he was not told about the circumstances of the resignation and feels that omission was a clear betrayal.
"That is a big question mark for me," Kawczynski says, who was serving on the council when councilmembers chose Lewcock's successor. "It's like, 'Hello, Mr. Search Firm? Why wasn't this disclosed to me?' If we had seem something like that, I think we would have had second thoughts. I personally would have."
But Nieto, whom the council selected to go to Florida where LaSala was still working to check into his background, maintains "there is no [Sunnyvale] councilmember who was on the council who did not have that information."
"Everything about Bob was public knowledge," Nieto says. "I am fully aware of his background, and all the council knew about his background and experience."
Other councilmembers responded vaguely when asked whether they knew of the circumstances surrounding LaSala's Boca Raton departure.
"While we may not have known every nitty-gritty detail, we were aware that he had left that position and I'm still confident that we made an excellent search and decision," Vice Mayor Pat Vorreiter says. "I'm working very well with Bob and I admire his leadership."
"We knew he had left, but we didn't know the reasons for his leaving," Councilmember Jim Roberts says. "But none of the red flags were raised. I've heard some rumors, and I don't know what those circumstances were, but what I really focus on is what he's doing in Sunnyvale."
When asked if he knew of the situation surrounding LaSala's departure, Mayor Manuel Valerio says, "I can't say that I recall, but it is something that I have taken a cursory look at. But it's not of great concern to me because unfortunately politics do play a role in how conflicts arise and they can create incompatibility. But I think he's certainly a very capable and talented city manger."
David Osborne, author of Reinventing Government and Busting Bureaucracy, two well-regarded books that used Sunnyvale as an example of a model city, says compatibility between city managers and city councils can often be hit or miss.
"There's a saying that city managers come fired with enthusiasm and they leave the same way," Osborne says, adding that the average city manager's tenure hovers around five years.
And while it is not unusual for a city manager to be fired, some people still express surprise that a candidate with any career blemishes would be chosen to succeed someone of Lewcock's stature.
"I just can't believe this is the guy they hired to replace Tom Lewcock," says one source, who asked to remain anonymous. "People had gotten used to a certain level of expertise and confidence in their manager, and then [LaSala] came in."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Pat Vorreiter
A Place For Hope
Kawczynski, though unabashedly negative in his attitude toward LaSala, still expresses faith in the ability and resilience of the city and its employees.
"Sunnyvale will go on," he says. "I'm just trying to figure out where he's going, but we've survived a lot of traumatic things and we'll survive this too."
Roberts discouraged premature judgment, saying, "The first year is really just getting your feet wet and learning the ropes, and now I think he's starting to make some changes that will be positive."
Walker says LaSala was hired for a "humanizing effect."
"Since we had already made the performance goals, we were now looking for someone to bring a sense of esprit to the company and to the city."
Walker says he thinks the city manager can too easily be used as a scapegoat, and although he has heard negative comments about LaSala's leadership, he and others are withholding judgment for the time being.
"I think everybody's got different issues and we all want to pin it on the city manager, and it will certainly be interesting to see how he reconstitutes the office of the city manager," Walker says. "But for that we should give him some time."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
