Morris the Messiah
Posted by: Joseph Turner | 05/06/2007 10:47 AM
Jim Morris issued a statement earlier this week, which among other things, indicated that he was the only person in the world qualified to be the Chief of Staff to Mayor Pat Morris. His response hinted at a Messiah complex suggesting that he believes he is truly doing us all a favor. It is quite clear that he did not appreciate my tough questions and my failure to recognize the incredible personal sacrifices he has made. For those who missed it, I have pasted a snippet from the "Jesus Jim" diatribe below:
"[T]he Mayor searched for a chief of staff who was intimately acquainted with the city and the multiple challenges it was facing, who was knowledgeable on issues of urban development, and who had the ability to recruit and lead a talented staff. He was looking for a person whose loyalty was unquestionable; a person who had no personal interest, agenda, or reason for assuming the job other then to serve the citizens of San Bernardino; and a person who was willing to devote the enormous number of hours required to perform the job. The Mayor felt he could best ensure these critical standards were achieved and maintained by asking me to act as his VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED chief of staff. I agreed to undertake this volunteer work, leaving behind a highly compensated and successful career as an attorney, because I care deeply about this community and believed that, as a team, our family could make a positive difference."
Obviously, ungrateful peons like myself need to learn our place.
As a public servant who self-professes to have no ulterior agenda and a desire to simply serve his father in a volunteer capacity, the situation calls for complete transparency. Instead, we get glimpses of transparency.
In the private sector, individuals are often required to sign non-compete clauses. For example, the owner of a pizza business who decides to sell his business might agree as a condition of the sale that he will not open another pizza shop in the same geographical market for a negotiated period of time following the completion of the transaction.
If Mr. Morris is genuine in his statement above, surely, he would be willing to publicly state that he will not run for elected office within two years of vacating his position as the Chief of Staff for his father.
Mr. Morris, let us be truly transparent. Put in writing your true committment to serving the people of this city and remove all doubt as to any personal political ambitions many perceive exist.
This is why many sports ban the use of performance enhancing drugs. Another form of doping is blood...
This afternoon I looked up the word “smug” in the dictionary and not surprisingly found this quote:
"[T]he Mayor searched for a chief of staff who was intimately acquainted with the city and the multiple challenges it was facing, who was knowledgeable on issues of urban development, and who had the ability to recruit and lead a talented staff. He was looking for a person whose loyalty was unquestionable; a person who had no personal interest, agenda, or reason for assuming the job other then to serve the citizens of San Bernardino; and a person who was willing to devote the enormous number of hours required to perform the job. The Mayor felt he could best ensure these critical standards were achieved and maintained by asking me to act as his VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED chief of staff. I agreed to undertake this volunteer work, leaving behind a highly compensated and successful career as an attorney, because I care deeply about this community and believed that, as a team, our family could make a positive difference."
Let me get out my crying towel.
Beyond the putrefying stench of over inflated egos and down the slippery slope of nepotism, looms a legal question of whether the hiring process for this sainted position violated any California employment laws. Admittedly I am not an attorney. However, it seems highly suspect that a new position is created for the son of an elected official and yet, from what I understand, none of the ordinary hiring procedures are followed such as: creating a job description, publicly posting the position, accepting applicants for the position and finally interviewing and eventually hiring for this position.
How then do we know that Morris the Messiah is in fact the only saint willing to tie himself to the fiery cross of martyrdom for the sake of our fair city? Was anyone else given the opportunity? It’s easy to claim athletic prowess for a gold medal race in which you’re the only contestant.