A Failure Of Management

To the Editor:

In response to the letter from the obviously town-employed Ms Fahrenholz [“Don’t Rush To Judgment,” Letter Hive 6/5/09] I’d like to say I was in fact at the meeting on Wednesday the 28th and heard enough information from both sides to be able to reach a very simple conclusion with regard to Ms Mason’s case.

According to their own statements, Mr Rosenthal, Ms Ross, and Sgt Cole hired Ms Mason without bothering to be sure she was qualified or even understood the full requirements of the job. They handed her a job description and an employee handbook.

Ms Mason pretty much learned the job on her own on the go. This is clearly established fact. Seeing therefore that she reports to Chief Kehoe, who drives a vehicle which says “Newtown Police” on it and so on, I want to know where he was during the last three years she was learning the job on her own? Who was she reporting to? Who was supposed to see to her training? No matter what deficiencies Ms Mason had in her job performance, town officials are guilty of the worst managerial practices. Failure to ascertain qualifications for the position, failure to properly train, failure to properly supervise.

Any decent manager who hires a subordinate knows they will perform only to the level they are trained and supported by their employer. This was clearly not done at anytime in this case. The bottom line here for those town hall apologists is that these officials, Mr Rosenthal, Chief Kehoe, Sgt Cole, Ms Ross, and Mr Borst, are responsible for her failure to perform. Management class 101 you learn first and foremost to set your subordinates up to win by properly training and supervising and giving guidance. It’s pretty clear that in Newtown they set Ms Mason up to fail by doing absolutely nothing for her. You have to give them all credit though; they are really good at covering their own backsides.

Mike Marsalisi

3 King Street, Newtown                                                      June 5, 2009

(Editor’s note: Kaia Fahrenholz is not an employee of the Town of Newtown.)