The following editorial appeared in the February 2001 issue of Toledo Business Journal.
Permission to reproduce this editorial can be obtained by contacting the Editorial Department of Toledo Business Journal at (419) 865-0972.

 

 

 

A letter to the Editor of the Blade not published

On January 10th the Toledo Blade published an editorial titled "All aboard the gravy train." The editorial was another attack on James Hartung in an effort to block a salary increase decision scheduled to come before the Port’s board of directors on January 19th.

In previous issues last fall, we published a series of editorials titled "Personal Vendetta Exposed" which provide information on a campaign launched by John Robinson Block and the Toledo Blade. The campaign was launched against selected members of the Port Authority’s board of directors and senior management who opposed Block’s efforts to prevent Grand Aire from relocating to Toledo. We also provided information on board member Jerry Chabler and John Block in an editorial titled - "Wrongdoings allegedly committed by Chabler - Scheme uncovered to plant false news in the Blade."

These editorials can be found on our web site at www.toledobiz.com.

The Blade’s editorial on January 10th was an attempt to apply significant pressure to the Port board to turn down a salary increase for Hartung which has been delayed for two years.

The board rejected efforts to deny the salary increase by the Blade and board members Jerry Chabler and Opie Rollison and instead voted 10-2 to approve an increase in Hartung’s compensation. They based the salary increase on Hartung’s performance and cite record profit levels and strong business activity for the agency among other factors to support their position.

Following the board’s approval of the salary increase, the Blade ran an article on Sunday, January 21st titled "Outside evaluation asked for port board." The article indicates that board member Jerry Chabler has again proposed that another outside professional be retained to evaluate James Hartung and the agency’s senior staff at the expense of area taxpayers.

In the article, Chabler identifies two outsiders, but he does not include the work of an outside professional already being done with the Port Authority management staff.

William McKnight, an instructor and training director with Dana University, has spent time on a voluntary basis examining the key process of goal setting conducted by the Port’s senior management staff.

The following is a letter to the editor written by William McKnight and sent to the Toledo Blade. At the time of this editorial, the Blade has chosen not to publish this full text version of William McKnight’s letter to the editor.

Letter to the Editor of the Toledo Blade

by William McKnight

To the Editor

Toledo Blade

On Dec. 25 I wrote a letter to the editor critical of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority about their unwillingness to embrace goal setting and their subsequent reluctance to develop measurable goals. I based my information on an article the Blade printed that day. As a result of your publishing my letter on 1/1/01, several interesting things have occurred. I received a call the following day from Jerry Chabler, a board member asking if I'd be interested in helping the Port Authority in the goal setting process. Two days later I received a letter and package from James Hartung, president of the port authority. He took exception to my letter and sent the Port’s 1999 goals and achievements, as well as the 2000 goals, asking for my evaluation and feedback. What I found was not what I'd expected from reading the Blade's article, but well thought out, detailed goals and action plans. Were they perfect? No. But they represent many hours of thought and planning by all the departments of the port authority. Having been responsible for similar efforts myself, I appreciate the amount of effort involved in their development.

I responded to Mr. Hartung's letter with compliments. I also responded to his invitation to examine their work with some constructive thoughts and suggestions about how subtle changes in wording could often make a goal more measurable. Several days later I was invited by Mr. Hartung to meet the Port Authority management team and discuss goal setting in an informal session at their office. The team I met was again not what I'd expected from reading the newspaper. I found them to be very professional, open to ideas, willing to share (none of us had ever met before) and desirous of doing the best possible job managing our public assets.

I was amazed to find out that the tax levy we citizens passed in 1999 was not being used for operational expenses of the Port Authority but to further the work of the Regional Growth Partnership, whose goals are to create jobs in Northwest Ohio, and to create a capital development fund for improvement of the Port Authority transportation infrastructure. I think you can surmise from my letter that my opinion of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has changed 180 degrees in the past month.

Mr. Hartung and his staff have asked for my input reviewing their 2001 goals and action plans, which I might add are the most thorough and detailed yet. I consider it a privilege to be asked and my civic duty to help. I'd encourage the Blade to honor its civic duty by reporting more objectively the activities of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Sincerely,

 

Bill McKnight

Whitehouse, OH