BULLSEYE

The City of Franklin’s Director of Administration, Mark Luberda, has once again stumbled across his line of authority and it has not gone unnoticed by Franklin blogger Greg Kowalski in his latest post.

As reported by JSOnline this morning, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights within the Federal Highway Administration, seeking an additional review of the impact on minorities and compliance with civil rights laws over the expansion of I-94 to the Illinois state line.

In his post, Kowalski references a blog post by Kevin Fischer, and correctly asks:

“Why on earth would the Director of Administration for a city that rejected local funding for the interchange in which he's discussing be interviewed in the first place? Furthermore, the interchange isn't even in Franklin - - it's in Oak Creek. While I know the answer, I feel like asking anyways: Where's the exclusive response from Oak Creek's Director of Administration or Director for Community Development? Wouldn't you think Oak Creek or even South Milwaukee residents would have more concerns about whether or not this is built?”

I strongly agree with Kowalski, and reject, in similar terms, Fischer’s ridiculous assertion that Luberda is a “top Franklin official.”

According to the City’s website, the Director of Administration serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipal Corporation; leading, planning, organizing, and directing the administration of the City of Franklin toward the fulfillment of goals and policies determined by the Common Council.

In short, this is a staff position. And although the director “represents the City in intergovernmental and legislative functions,” this is clearly – as Kowalski points out -- not a City of Franklin matter.

We are constantly told at Common Council meetings how busy and over-worked “staff” is. I’m beginning to think that the real problem is a lack of focus, or worse, Adult ADHD.

As I’ve said before, I resent unelected staffers like Mark Luberda, City Engineer Jack Bennett, or Planning Manager Joel Dietl, over-stepping their authority, especially when it comes to matters of policy.

The “sleigh ride” needs to end and the “buck” stops with the Common Council and Mayor Taylor.

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