This is exactly what we need here in Erie County. I wonder why he left here in the late 80’s? Just read and look what he did to turn around his county and notice one big thing…. they mention the Board of Supervisors and this county has 3.8 million people and a 2.2 billion dollars budget…
We are less than 1 million and have a budget of 1.2 billion. See anything wrong here? I guarantee you they do not have layer after layer of government, dozens of school districts, and more county employees than needed to run a small state.
Time for serious management changes here in Erie County and maybe bring this guy back here to help turn this area around. I like the way he thinks and works.
On a recent morning, he stood in front of a crowd, handing out awards to county employees.
Tall and lean, with a shock of white hair, he praised them for creating programs that saved Valley residents time and money.
He slashed budgets and ordered audits of contracts to root out wastefulness. He detached himself from the politics and personalities of local government.
“He thinks about the way government should be, rather than what it is,” said Sandi Wilson, a deputy county manager.
He implemented reforms in the county’s health system and called for department heads to cut costs. He set up a command structure of chief officers and put them in charge of major departments. He met with elected officials and built trust, one by one, winning them over with his messages of aggressive fiscal management.
Inside of the bureaucracy, Smith created a mentoring program for young people who want to move up.
Manager’s no-nonsense style keeps Maricopa moving ahead
David Smith, the Maricopa County manager, is big on brevity, spare with smiles and sentiments.
On a recent morning, he stood in front of a crowd, handing out awards to county employees.
Tall and lean, with a shock of white hair, he praised them for creating programs that saved Valley residents time and money. He’s the boss, but it’s their moment, and he’s the kind of guy who shies from the limelight.
“We couldn’t do a single good thing without you, your energy, your commitment to public service,” said Smith, 61. “Thank you for your service.”
A little more than a decade ago, Maricopa County was $64 million in debt and panned nationally as one of the worst-run counties. With a disciplined, direct style, Smith turned what was once a demoralized county government into one of the country’s most lauded.
“We needed a strong hand,” recalled Betsey Bayless, then a county supervisor. “He had a firm grasp of county government, the needs of a government in financial distress. He was big on accountability. He was a no-nonsense manager. He had high expectations.”
Smith is essentially the CEO of Maricopa County, the nation’s fourth-largest county, home to 3.8 million people. Dressed in business suits and chocolate dress shoes, he’s the inside man who gets things done.
He balances the egos of elected officials with the needs of the fastest-growing county in the U.S. Those needs aren’t sexy: crime and courts, flood districts, health care, air quality, property assessments. But Smith has command of those needs and the county’s $2.2 billion budget.
Today, the county has no general-obligation debt, its bond ratings have hit all-time highs and combined property-tax rates have hit the lowest in almost three decades.
Fixing a mess
Like so many who came of age during the political and social tumult of the late 1960s, Smith was idealistic. He thought he could “make major changes in the world” by working on the inside of government.
snip……
He climbed again in the late 1980s, to deputy county executive for Erie County, N.Y. The county encompasses Buffalo.
When Maricopa County’s top spot opened in the early 1990s, Smith was ready. And recruited.
(Excerpt) Read more at The Arizona Republic….
Tags: Erie County Insanity
