The resignation of long-time city administrator Phil Rath will leave a gap that will be difficult to fill in terms of his experience with the inner workings of Monroe.
Getting into the politics behind the scenes in an accurate and fair manner is impossible. There’s little question that the longer someone stays in a high-profile administrative position, the more difficult it is to maintain favorable impressions among the citizenry.
One of the key reasons for this has to do with money. Municipalities are limited greatly by Wisconsin’s budget cap. As costs for everyday supplies and commodities rise, the ability of a municipality to pay for these items is diminished.
This leaves administrators having to make cuts. The cuts aren’t always their idea or wish — they act at the behest of the governmental body for which they serve.
Over time the cuts that have been made, whether they be in personnel, equipment, departmental budgets, etc., leave people unsatisfied. And, no matter what, taxpayers still see their taxes go up.
In a very round sense, what has this done at the level of local, state and federal government? It’s eroded our infrastructure. How bad is it? Earlier this year the American Society of Civil Engineers graded our nation’s overall infrastructure at a D+. As CNN reported in July, ASCE says $4.6 trillion in infrastructure upgrades are necessary in the next 10 years just to maintain that rating.
Where does a country that has $22 trillion in national debt at the federal level — not to mention state debts and local governments handcuffed from raising additional taxes for infrastructure, think it’s going to come up with $4.6 trillion?
City administrators, like Rath, are confronted with these questions every day.
The city of Monroe is looking into its options, including hiring a new administrator. The recent departure of assistant city administrator Sam Liebert at the end of July makes the void in the administrator’s office a bit more acute.
It’s up to the city council to ensure city government is constantly improving and serving the needs of the citizens. The council has work ahead to not only fill the administrator position, but also deal with increasingly tight budgets, higher costs and the bureaucracy that is government.
It’s been said that every citizen should at least once run for office or serve in a public political position. It isn’t easy. You’re forced to work with other people who often have strong feelings that may be opposed to your own. That’s statesmanship. Our elected officials deserve our respect at all levels, even if individually, we don’t agree with their politics.
No matter one’s politics, the purpose of government does not change. You may be the staunchest Republican or Democrat, but it doesn’t change the fact that roads need to be paved, schools need to be maintained, the public needs to be kept safe, the health of the community needs to be monitored, the less fortunate in society need support and the rules must be enforced.
The issues we talk about when we argue about “politics” are often far removed from the real challenges communities face.
Monroe has a new challenge — replacing an administrator with 10 years of experience regarding the inner workings of the city. Good luck in the future to Mr. Rath and his family as they go through this transition. Good luck to Monroe city leaders as they move the city forward.
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
