Right decision on Freilinger

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Right decision on Freilinger

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Thursday, 08 April 2010 09:56

The Osceola County Commission took the right step Monday in firing County Manager Michael Freilinger, given the controversy his tenure as the county’s top administrator has generated and the negative perception of how the county was being run.
Yes, Freilinger had a tough job to do in laying off hundreds of county employees in the face of steep budget cuts, but that is what he was hired to do. Yes, there was animosity toward the county manager for that reason. However, we were promised that laid-off employees, if qualified, would be hired back if their skills fit a job that was open. That, apparently, didn’t happen and it should have. Also, Freilinger was never willing to give up his scheduled pay raises in the face of budget shortfalls, and that did not sit well with taxpayers.
The recent criticism of how the county jail was being run is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of why a change was needed. The community’s perception of the county manager – including much of the business community – was negative, as demonstrated at recent community town hall meetings where residents publicly called for his dismissal. In addition, county employees who still had jobs reported to commissioners that they were working in an environment of fear and intimidation and that employee morale was very low. We also believe that some businesses in the community that had county contracts were not treated fairly.
One other complaint from local officials outside the county administration building was that the county manager had a poor working relationship with other government entities, including the cities of St. Cloud and Kissimmee, and that was unacceptable.
We agree with Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins Jr. that all the commissioners in the end are partly to blame for letting the situation with the county manager get out of hand – after all, he ultimately reported to them. Had there been annual written evaluations as Commissioner Michael Harford has now requested, issues arising about job performance could have been addressed early on, and not through verbal promises.
Going forward, the commission should establish an evaluation process not only for a new county manager, but for the county auditor and the county attorney as well, since all these positions comprise the county’s top executive team and, in order to have an effective administration, they have to work together.