City of Keene Parks and Rec. Department

[Mark]

I've done plenty of manual labor, and plenty of mental labor. Both require occasional communication. How many phones would it take to exceed the time and mileage costs for that supervisor above?

At this point we're just bickering without progress. But I think you're still missing the point: the supervisor is already making those rounds. And the idea that everyone with a rake or shovel must be reachable immediately is just silly.

Kevin

I'm not missing the point. I'm disagreeing with you.

I don't know that the supervisor is already making those rounds. He shouldn't be. If a handful of cell phones keep a guy from running around all day babysitting his lackeys, or if it allows the city to employ fewer supervisors, I'm all for it. Silly, silly me.

Russell and company -- I doubt they had a rec dept. before land lines, but I'm sure you're right that at one point they got by without cell phones. Malcontents, curmudgeons, and rabblerousers used to get by without the Internet, too. Time marches on, though. Nobody works without phones anymore, because they improve efficiency. Without the phones, some City of Keene employee would be riding around, burning up gas and staff time, and wearing out an expensive truck, and the bitch/moan/repeat cycle would continue with a different focus.

[Lex]

I'm not missing the point. I'm disagreeing with you.

I don't know that the supervisor is already making those rounds. He shouldn't be. If a handful of cell phones keep a guy from running around all day babysitting his lackeys, or if it allows the city to employ fewer supervisors, I'm all for it. Silly, silly me.

Russell and company -- I doubt they had a rec dept. before land lines, but I'm sure you're right that at one point they got by without cell phones. Malcontents, curmudgeons, and rabblerousers used to get by without the Internet, too. Time marches on, though. Nobody works without phones anymore, because they improve efficiency. Without the phones, some City of Keene employee would be riding around, burning up gas and staff time, and wearing out an expensive truck, and the bitch/moan/repeat cycle would continue with a different focus.

If they really want efficiency they should privatize the entire rec department and allow the market to figure out a way to cut costs.

[KBCraig]

I'm not missing the point. I'm disagreeing with you.

I don't know that the supervisor is already making those rounds. He shouldn't be. If a handful of cell phones keep a guy from running around all day babysitting his lackeys, or if it allows the city to employ fewer supervisors, I'm all for it. Silly, silly me.

Very, very silly you, if you believe in a management model that sits in the office and makes phone calls without ever seeing what's going on in the field.

[Mark]

I'm not missing the point. I'm disagreeing with you.

I don't know that the supervisor is already making those rounds. He shouldn't be. If a handful of cell phones keep a guy from running around all day babysitting his lackeys, or if it allows the city to employ fewer supervisors, I'm all for it. Silly, silly me.

Very, very silly you, if you believe in a management model that sits in the office and makes phone calls without ever seeing what's going on in the field.

Very, very silly YOU to assume I was advocating no contact at all. There are probably tasks that require supervision, but if you can't trust a lackey to mow a lawn without checking up on him, you don't need more contact. You need a new lackey. If you have a lackey that can mow a lawn on his own, and that lackey has a cell phone, you can call him and ask him to pick up a part on his way back to the shop, or send him over to another lawn without coming back, which saves time and money. There's a reason businesses feel they need phones like a junkie needs crack -- they help them run more efficiently.

[Mark]

If they really want efficiency they should privatize the entire rec department and allow the market to figure out a way to cut costs.

That would be a fantastic proposal for some concerned resident of the City of Keene to make.

[Russell Kanning]

It can happen, if we just cut their funding.

[Russell Kanning]

It was nice that they left us alone Sunday.

[FTL_Ian]

It was unfortunate that there was no press however.  I think the location should be upgraded to the capitol steps or something, where press coverage will be more likely.

[Russell Kanning]

....actually Kat and I were looking at this as more of a private party. Maybe we could do it in a more public way sometime. After you move here you can organize it on your show.

[FTL_Ian]

Thanks for the suggestion, but it's not a key issue for me.  I'd attend, but not organize this one.