Interview with Dan Corbin, 1430 on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at Starbucks on Trimmier Rd in Killeen. I reported Mr Corbin's answers in the third person to avoid any suggestion that I am directly quoting him.
- Q. As mayor, what will you say to the council members and the acting city manager at the first meeting of the new Council?
- A. First he will request adoption of Roberts's Rules of Order (11th ed.) until the current council "Rules of Procedure and Protocol" can be revised. He believes that the current rules, adopted in the early 2000s, discourage minority opinions; for example cloture may be invoked by a 51% vote.
- Second, he will ask for an accelerated work schedule, with meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays until
- The backlog of council business is cleared, and
- New council members are brought up to speed on issues and procedures by staff briefings and training.
- Third, he will ask that video and audio of all council meetings be streamed if that is the will of the council. He believes that the city has technology in place to implement this as early as the first meeting of the new council.
- Q. How are you going to get off on a good foot? There hasn't always been a good working relationship between the mayor and the council, and you have had disagreements with some of the council candidates.
A. We talked a while about this, but conversationally rather than in a way I can bulletize. He said that in his work as an attorney he is used to arguing without antagonizing; and that as chair of the council he will not allow disagreement to become disruptive. He said he can and will foster a cordial and collegial environment.
- Q. One of your opponents wants to fire the police chief. Do you want to fire anyone? Could you if you wanted to? More to the point, do you have an opinion about the executive leadership of the city departments?
A. (My question was, of course, facetious and aimed at a statement by mayoral candidate Hal Bouchard in this morning's KDH.) Corbin pointed out that it is a breach of ethics and the City Charter for the mayor or council members to give direction to the City Manager in personnel matters. As to the performance of current department heads, he deferred judgement. Corbin does believe that the leadership of the city government, in the office of City Manager, needs to be settled, which led directly to the next question.
- Q. What should the council do with regard to filling the vacant City Manager position?
A. Corbin said we need to proceed carefully and would not be drawn in to speculation. He pointed out that several factors, including the recall and sequestration of DoD funds, make assuming the Killeen City Manager position a risky career move for a rising municipal executive; and perhaps a difficult one for an administrator who wants to end his or her career here.
- Q. What guidelines will you use when called upon to chair meetings in which present or former clients may be interested? Or issues where you have been paid to advocate a position?
A. Corbin said that if any of his firm's current clients were involved in business before the council, he would have to turn that portion of the meeting over to the Mayor pro tem.; but that given the nature of his practice, he does not anticipate this being a frequent occurance. His firm represents people mainly in their personal interests, and he has little or no business involving real estate, property develpment or city business.
- Q. In the spring of 2011, you represented then-councilman Kenny Wells and advocated a position for him before the city council. If you had been mayor then, would you have allowed such a presentation?
A. Yes, Corbin said, he would. The reason is that the council needs to have the best information available to make decisions, and it really doesn't matter where that information comes from.
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