|
Brazosport cities enjoy strong leadership
Published May 27, 2009
After writing last week about the lack of upkeep at Bryan Beach, I wasn’t surprised to receive quite a bit of feedback. It is a popular spot for people from Brazosport and beyond, and I couldn’t have been the only person to stumble upon the mess it had become.
I also wasn’t surprised that Freeport’s acting city manager, Police Chief Jeff Pynes, acted quickly and decisively to address the matter.
As it turns out, I was a day late bringing it to his attention — crews had hit the beach the day before to clean up the debris ahead of the big Memorial Day weekend.
Still, he took the time to apologize to me and my parents about the condition of the beach and promised to do a better job making sure it doesn’t get in the poor condition we found it. His e-mail shows why the elected majority on Freeport City Council is so gung-ho about removing the acting from his title.
He didn’t point fingers. He took full responsibility upon himself.
He acknowledged the problem and laid out his plan to tackle it, immediately taking action.
He made sure it got done.
Those attributes as much as any others are what make both a good manager and a good leader. And Pynes is not the only top administrator in our local governments worthy of a gold medal for management.
In fact, if you think about it for a few seconds, we have a pretty impressive collection of city managers here in Brazosport.
Bill Yenne in Lake Jackson is the model of a responsive city manager, and he’s been doing it for the City of Enchantment for almost two decades. He is our go-to person when looking to have a question answered, including regularly providing the answers — or the person who has the answer — for our Glad You Asked feature.
I’ve yet to see a circumstance where he’s not thought through an issue before it is discussed publicly, or an unwillingness to take on something he expects will be unpopular if he believes it is in the city’s best interest.
He also seldom looks to be out to grab headlines for himself, always crediting the elected officials for his ability to move Lake Jackson forward and the people he has working around him for getting things done.
Clute found a strong leader when it hired Kyle McCain a couple years back, bringing a new personality to the city that created an energy toward improving itself that was lacking before. His efforts have led to improved firefighting abilities that in turn improved residents’ insurance rating, and he has taken a serious look at flooding and infrastructure and contributed new ideas.
Those three are not alone in overseeing good, responsive government, of course.
But as the managers of the three biggest parts of Brazosport, each carries the leadership to revitalize and grow our region. They are not perfect and do not claim to be, but each is a strong force in making our daily lives better through the leadership they provide their respective city.
Michael Morris is assistant managing editor of The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0145 or michael.morris(at)thefacts.com.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print
|
|
|
 |
|
Click for all
Top Ads listing
|
