Some prominent voices in the downtown Oxford business community were recently raised in criticism of village Manager Mark Slown’s job performance.
Gene Hampton (owner of Hampton Block and Supply), Mark Young (owner of Mark A. Young Jewelers), Suzanne Ardelan (owner of Curves for Women) and Dave Weckle (owner of Valley Building and Repair Company) offered their criticisms of Slown at the Feb. 24 council meeting during the public comment portion.
“I’ve been working with a lot of business owners, coordinating advertising in town, talking about their issues and I just find repeatedly that many business owners in town have issues with Mark (Slown) and his management style,” said Ardelan, who chairs the Promotions Committee of the Oxford Community Development Authority (OCDA).
Ardelan said the village has a council, planning commission, OCDA and administrative offices, but “I don’t find any of those bodies working together.”
“And Mark (Slown) is kind of going between them and if anything, I see those groups isolated,” Ardelan said. “I don’t see that Mark is effective in bringing all of the activities of those groups together, helping coordinate them and making sure that information flows to them.”
Ardelan cited the northwest parking situation (see story on page 4) as an example of Slown’s lack of communication. Her business in located in that quadrant.
“One of the big items that I’m, very upset about is that Mark has relied on us, through rumor and gossip and talking, to be notified that our parking lot (may be) closed,” Ardelan said.
Ardelan said she was “very upset” to learn Slown received “official notification” of the parking lot lease agreement’s pending termination via a Nov. 24 letter from the property’s owner, but did no follow-up as far as notifying other village officials or business owners in the quadrant. She said the letter “should have been passed on to the attorney so that it could be handled and addressed in a proper manner.”
OCDA Chair Sue Bossardet, who also offered criticism of Slown at the meeting, verified neither the OCDA nor business owners were notified of the situation.
“I have a serious parking problem over there and I don’t want to say to business owners, ‘No, don’t come into Oxford. We don’t have parking.’ I want to say we have a clear direction and a decisive plan for what we’re doing. And that just isn’t coming about,” she said.
“I speak with members of the OCDA who are extremely,” Ardelan said. “I’m trying to be a volunteer to help aid this community in a direction, a positive direction but, I keep getting feedback that it stops at the village office.”
“I’m out on the street trying to get people to come together in this village and work together, trying to improve things. And I keep getting bags of garbage about what’s going on in the village.”
Ardelan urged council to “go through (Slown’s) evaluation” and “talk to the people he comes in contact with daily.”
“We need a better leader,” said Ardelan referring to the village manager position. “You are charged as the council to find someone who has the qualifications, who can direct us in that way. I hope that you’ll step up to the plate this year and give us that person.”
Weckle told council, “I’m here to remind you that council’s responsibility to have a manager that’s in a position to be a liaison between the residents, the business owners, the property owners and the community.”
“There’s inconsistencies and misrepresentations (from Slown) and those need to stop,” he said. “I don’t feel any longer, particularly as an OCDA member, that what I hear is what really happened.”
Weckle said he was “frustrated” when, at a recent planning commission meeting, Slown said he shared the Nov. 24, 2003 letter about the northwest quadrant parking lot with the OCDA. He said he asked his fellow OCDA members about the letter and “no one recalls it.”
“I feel that Mark (Slown) started out on the right foot. He did very well,” Weckle said. “But as our community is growing so fast, he has been overwhelmed with all the tasks that are charged to him. He’s not able to cope or respond properly.”
“I’m hoping that (council’s) next review (of Slown’s performance) is very, very pointed towards the comments and suggestions you receive from the public,” he added.
Young told council “I don’t think the attention to detail is there” in Slown’s job performance, whether it’s “billing for utilities, (maintaining the) infrastructure” or the “general well-being of the Village of Oxford.”
“I think maybe that perhaps because of the growth, Mr. Slown might be overwhelmed a little bit,” he said.
Hampton told council, “I think in honesty Oxford needs a much better village manager.”
There are “too many problems” with and “too many complaints” about Slown, Hampton said. “He can’t be worked with.”
“We should realize we have to get some different management in here,” he said. “Someone that can work with the business community.”
Following these criticisms, Slown did not comment at the council meeting.
“This kind of input from citizens, residents and business men in the community is exactly the kind of thing we’re looking for to assist” in the annual review of the village manager’s performance, said Councilman Dave Bailey.
Slown’s evaluation is tenatively scheduled for the Tuesday, March 9 village council meeting.