CEIDC – A City Unto Itself

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

Editor’s note: Greg’s Corner is an award-winning editorial (opinion) section where Messenger Reporter Greg Ritchie shares odds and ends from the job and unusual or interesting facts from across the world and across time.

MESSENGER OFFICE – I have been so careful, over the course of the last couple of years, to try and stay in the middle ground on these CEIDC scandals. In fact, I am sick and tired of writing “CEIDC” out, but just in case you are unfamiliar, and for my copy editor who is a stickler for the rules – CEIDC stands for Crockett Economic and Industrial Development Corporation. 

I have tried to be fair with Executive Director James Gentry, and I have argued for some type of economic development for our city. I have been banned from online groups, called out by both sides – “a racist”, “a Democrat” – I have always resisted calls to go completely to one side or the other. 

But will someone – anyone – please explain to me what in sam hill is going on?

Gentry wants the same contract City Administrator John Angerstein has. Even though the jobs are vastly different, with major differences in budget sizes, personnel and workload. Councilman Darrell Jones wanted Woodrow Jones to have the same pay as Nancy Windham, the CEIDC consultant brought in during Gentry’s enforced absence. 

Gentry proposed in his new employment contract to not have to speak with city officials or Angerstein ever again. It seems he almost succeeded, and his vision of the CEIDC office model is just…well, see for yourself.

There is an executive assistant to take phone calls, emails, and do filing and other clerical duties. I don’t know how much the phone rings at CEIDC these days, but probably not often, if we are honest. 

There is a very experienced consultant, who has worked in major economic development positions around the state. She handles much of the work of handling companies who wish to come to Crockett and the monetary incentives they may be able to benefit from. 

There would have been an office manager, who would communicate with the executive assistant and city officials and make sure boxes of files weren’t piling up.

Because of the many mis-steps made by CEIDC, Gentry doesn’t get to run his own books or pay his own bills anymore, so no time would be wasted on that. 

Which begs the question – what would Gentry’s job description have been? Would he have just spent his day making sure?

Making sure the half dozen calls a day were being answered by the executive assistant? Making sure the office manager was shielding him from speaking with Angerstein and making sure that last box of file gets put away? Making sure the consultant is making sure he doesn’t make any mistakes? 

I never saw the job posting for the office manager position, but I sure would have applied…how about you? I would even invest in some mechanized, forklift-type wheelchair to help move those boxes.

For $72,000 a year, plus benefits? I’ll even catch that random call that comes in if everyone else is out to lunch.

And at this point, they all seem to be out to lunch. Forget any accomplishments or criticisms of Gentry and CEIDC. Why would he think, after so many years working with CEIDC, that he could just go out and create a new position and hire someone, without letting anyone know or going through the formal process? Gentry is no longer trusted to pay the phone bill, but he thought it would be fine to create a new position, on his own, and hire the one candidate he said turned in a resume. 

One can only hope Gentry drives a harder bargain with new companies than when he was negotiating with the “office manager”. He asked for $65,000, but Gentry decided to give him $72,000. Shrewd. 

What does it mean that Councilman Darrell Jones was in on the plan – even doing the interview for the one candidate they claim applied? Did Jones also forget to mention this to anyone else, just like Gentry?

What does it mean that Councilwoman NaTrenia Hicks, after six months on city council and a long term on the CEIDC board, doesn’t understand people cannot just create positions out of thin air and then hire whomever they want?

How long would you or I have a job if we went out and hired someone without letting anyone else know? Need we remind the powers-that-be: this is our money. It’s not easy to earn and we’re spending it faster than ever before, for basic needs.

It’s gotten so bad, even I, one of this biggest supporters of economic development, am left thinking – if this little town needs four full-time employees to do economic development – the only economies they’re developing are their own.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]