12th city manager is a charm?

You can’t tell the Collinsville city managers without a scorecard: 11 interim and “permanent” hires in 25 years. We’re thinking the local desk nameplate maker is the happiest person in town.

A little history: Collinsville adopted the city manager form of government after the old commissioner form failed to serve the challenges of a growing city and, frankly, a few of the commissioners were a little kooky and power-mad, berating police officers tasked as delivery boys for rolling over their newspaper. The city manager was intended to bring continuity and professionalism to the mechanics of municipal government, freeing the politicians to worry about the big picture and set direction.

Well, politicians being politicians, they can’t help but meddle and micromanage. They have a convenient scapegoat when things go badly or when the politicians, themselves, fail. That’s cost a few city managers their jobs, including Scott Williams.

It’s nigh impossible to vote out most incumbent mayors. Not so with firing a city manager.

The problem is that mob mentality, with pitchforks and torches, is no way to run a city. The goal for No. 12 should be to find a professional who will facilitate smart growth in Collinsville, not to find a nice “yes” person who won’t dig in the dirt or report the credit card abuse.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "12th city manager is a charm?."