NA Confidential: If we'd just run the city like a deep fryer ...

Thursday, October 01, 2009

If we'd just run the city like a deep fryer ...

Q - What did the New Albany councilperson say after the next election cycle?

A - You want fries with that?

24 comments:

Iamhoosier said...: Even funnier!

However, I do think it is a little unfair. Analogies can be useful in explaining concepts. In this instance, McD's is not a particularly bad one.; 12:16 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: If your goal is to suck revenue from locals to be invested elsewhere via positioning one's self as the lowest common denominator, McDonald's is a great example- one followed religiously by our local slumlord contingent.

If your goal is to generate public revenue for local investment, charging said slumlords a "franchise" fee might be in order.; 12:28 PM
Iamhoosier said...: The McD's analogy was an attempt to illustrate the benefits of standardizing "process". When it comes to accounting and filling out forms, etc.,--I'm sorry, but I find that to be beneficial and economical.

We can all bitch and moan about the "chains". That's fine. I believe a lot of that as well but standardizing process is done by everyone. Even Roger doesn't want the next batch of Elector coming out tasting like Hoptimus. He might make it work, like making lemonade out of lemons, but that certainly wasn't the goal.; 12:41 PM
The New Albanian said...: I'm a polemicist, Jim, not a staff reporter.

Maybe I'mm devote a column to that some day.; 12:50 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: Standardizing processes make sense as an attempt to ensure consistent, high quality results. But then, you have to establish what constitutes quality results first, don't you?

If you don't know what outcome you're seeking, how do you establish best practices for getting there?; 12:58 PM
Daniel S said...: Mmm. Double cheeseburgers...You can't pick at chains anymore, with two NABC locations, it's now effectively a chain...as is Toast...as is Wick's....And since the latter two are owned by Louisville-based companies, can you not infer their profits aren't staying here either?; 1:07 PM
The New Albanian said...: The community is larger than one or two streets downtown. Ask Bob Caesar about that.

Re: Chain ... see dispatch marked "polemicist" above.; 1:18 PM
Daniel S said...: I think perhaps your role is reversed in this argument; 1:44 PM
Iamhoosier said...: No disagreement with your last comment. That is exactly what I think Bob was talking about. Using a person(or firm)that is familiar with the accounting process, paper flow, etc to analyze and recommend solutions. How is that a problem? Maybe I heard wrong.; 2:01 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: Solutions to or for what? The most efficient ways to get to undefined, random outcomes?

In the best interest of the city's financial future, what are we trying to build, encourage, or make happen?; 2:19 PM
Iamhoosier said...: That wasn't Bob's topic. That's like someone critizing Jeff and Mark because they aren't talking about sewers right now.; 2:35 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: The entire meeting was about the budget. The budget is a tool to accomplish something, just like the processes by which the City conducts business.

If you're talking about impacting the budget or those processes, you're talking about changing the way you're going to go about trying to accomplish whatever it is.

If you don't know what you're trying to accomplish, on what are you basing your changes?

It's directly relevant. Otherwise, the budget and the processes are a road map to nowhere. Unless nowhere is the intended destination, it's basic cart before the horse stuff, leading to the reactionary, inefficient government we typically witness every couple of weeks.

McDonald's knows what it's trying to do. Their budgets and processes are built around that. When their strategies for doing it change, their processes and budget change in conjunction, as they're just strategies in and of themselves.

The City, in many ways, and the Council in particular, doesn't know what it's trying to do. Budgets and and processes reflect that as well.; 2:55 PM
Iamhoosier said...: If I may use an analogy...

I've decided to take a long trip in my car. I have not yet decided exactly where to, but it doesn't change the fact that my tires need to be properly inflated for maximum efficiency.; 2:57 PM
JoshuaDenzil said...: If the owner of Toast is going to be living above her New Albany location, wouldn't that make Toast a New Albany based business/chain?; 2:58 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: If I may continue your analogy, taking a train or flying may be better options so spending a bunch of time and money on car maintenance in service to the trip prior to having made that decision is at least a potential waste of resources, especially if, having expended those resources on the car, you can no longer afford a train or plane ticket.; 3:08 PM
Iamhoosier said...: Fair enough. I thought sure that you would come back with, stay closer and walk!!

The difference is, no matter which way NA ends up heading, accounting and such doesn't change much. You can't do away with it. There will still be debits and credits. Ledger accounts. Building permits(maybe McD's, maybe castles) All that can really change is to make it as efficient as possible and, most importantly, as accurate as possible. I think that is what Bob was talking about and back to my original point(which seems to have gotten lost), that the efficiency and accuracy of McD's fries' process is a fairly accurate analogy. It wasn't the merits of McD's total business strategy. Or New Albany's ulitmate direction.; 3:32 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: You're right. That's all Bob was trying to do. And that's the problem, much more so than accounting methodology.; 3:40 PM
Daniel S said...: Maybe a better analogy for sir Mark would have been...he knows he's going on a trip, he doesn't know what form of transportation to use, but he went ahead and made his hotel reservations(at a friendly chain like Motel 6 where they leave the light on for you). Though I think Jeff is making a good point too, that meeting last night confused me even more, which is pretty easy.; 3:42 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: Much of the meeting and accounting conversation centered on how the Council could control overspending as a means to shore up the budget and "stop this from happening again". Thus far, there's not been any evidence provided by the Council or anyone else that any overspending actually occurred.

It's really no wonder that anyone would be confused as a result of listening to them talk about it for an hour and half.; 3:51 PM
Iamhoosier said...: 'Thus far, there's not been any evidence provided by the Council or anyone else that any overspending actually occurred.'

However, uh,..., Actually I agree, 100%.

And Daniel S, you just stay out of it. Jeff and I can fight and kiss and make up all on our own.; 4:05 PM
Daniel S said...: The dollar menu saved my life!; 4:10 PM
Bayernfan said...: This was part of a comment left at the CJ site regarding this story by Elizabeth1221 (who is the person I've received emails from regarding the FOS site)...

"So enjoy the next few weeks of being Mayor Mr. England. We are coming after you and get you thrown out of office."

Apparently Ms. Denhart and her horde are starting a recall petition!; 9:27 PM
The New Albanian said...: Excellent. Someone get the recall methodology down, and we can use it to recall Steve Price.

Actually, I can't recall Price at all, in the sense of recalling him doing anything.; 9:36 PM
Randy said...: umm, there is no provision for recall in Indiana. There is a process for removal from office, however. Price is de facto prime for removal. England? Can't think of an official duty he has failed to perform.; 10:18 AM