City leaders focus on Douglas’ future

By Trisha Maldonado

Douglas Dispatch
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 4:26 PM MDT


The goals and future plans for the City of Douglas were discussed at a Goals Study Session attended by various members of the city at a July 21 meeting held at the Douglas Visitors Center.


“The meeting was very positive, we got to know each other, and it was very productive,” Mayor Danny Ortega Jr. said.

Directors from each department were able to present their key projects and concerns to mayor and council. They were also able to address their goals short and long term for the city.

“Staff took the opportunity to brief the council on current issues, departmental needs, current direction and difficulties,” Douglas’ new City Manager Carlos De La Torre said.

The focus of the meeting expanded beyond current issues and departmental needs to include brainstorming on new programs and services.

Port of Entry expansion, downtown revitalization, exploring ways to utilize city assets either to sell or lease current properties, take into account annexation down the road as the city grows; were some of the long term goals discussed. Fixing street potholes, improving the city parks; enhancing both senior and youth programs were among some of the short term goals considered.

Mayor Ortega will work with De La Torre to compile and prioritize information and concerns discussed at the meeting. Once compiled, De La Torre will present information to council and mayor in the coming months.

The Council provided Staff with key goals and objectives which include but are not limited to:

ân Develop and Enhance Partnerships

ân Develop an Asset Management Plan

ân Development of the Port of Entry Project

ân Downtown Revitalization

ân Job/Wealth Creation

ân Address today’s issues while focusing on the future

ân Address Employee Morale and Compensation

ân Enhance the City’s Image not only externally but internally

ân Create an organizational culture of good customer service

ân Review current and past practices to determine if they are meeting the program/project goals

“I think the real theme was working together… Mayor, council and staff working together not only with each other; but also with the college, hospital and other entities, with the chamber and then of course with Mexico,” said Ortega. “We plan on doing more of these meetings in the future, our focus is to make Douglas a better place to live.”

 

Comments

    Some Thoughts wrote on Aug 9, 2012 8:07 PM:

    " I think one of the biggest problems we face is that the City keeps hiring the "same style" of Department heads and therefore the same types of issues seem to perpetuate upon themselves. The heads soon develop a "me" attitude instead of the whats best for the City.

    Maybe it's time to re-think and develop a leadership team. Consisting of the Department Head, Administrative Assitent, and a Proffessional Secratary. Some of you are thinking we already do that! No you dont. In title yes in team concept not at all.

    The Dept. Head dosn't need to be a groomed subject for the position. They need to be skilled in Common sense, organization,and leadership skills of people, resources, and be able to work openly.With other Departments, and the Mayor.

    The Administrative Assisitent needs to have the understanding of the day to day "works" Be able to research, monitor,and find and apply for grants and budget management.

    The Proffessional Secratary needs to be organized,adept at writing, presentation and interpritation

    This is all pretty much "CPM" material.

    Change is needed "

    wow wrote on Aug 8, 2012 10:13 PM:

    " There are what maybe three department heads running the whole city? Ana Urquijo is the interm head of the whole city. No one can complain to HR if things are wrong because HR is their boss and therefore can do whatever they want. Is she getting paid extra to not hire Department heads? The city needs to fill these positions that have been budgeted for. Where has the money gone since it wasn't used to fill the positions. And now I hear the Chief of Police is leaving too. Is she going to run the police department too? She has a history of being against the police department for every advancement they make. The City of Douglas is in big trouble if they don't hire qualified Department Heads soon. "

    Nava Gets The Boot wrote on Aug 8, 2012 9:43 PM:

    " Yes Nava should get the boot! I don't want a nut like him having ANYTHING to do with our city and especially our money. He has done absolutely nothing for Douglas but give us terrible publicity with his crazy letters. Get him out he gives the city a bad name! "

    agua prieta citizen wrote on Aug 7, 2012 10:44 AM:

    " I am a resident of the united states and the government owe me because i am here. I live in agua prieta because the u.s. doesn't give me enough money every month to make my car payment and pay for my cigarettes. Who else is going to pay for my 2012 Cadillac? I need all of the WIC mony i can get and more mony on my Arizona card so that i can buy junk food for my kids. You tax payers should give more to the many people like me in douglas and all of the other border towns in the U.S.

    Note: the letter abovet is an example of what we deal with as a town on the border. This sentiment will probably never be voiced aloud like this, but we responsible citizens should be aware that it is a sad truth... our system is broken. Vote every year for change. "

    BAD PATH wrote on Aug 5, 2012 12:30 PM:

    " FINANC E
    Bad start for the Mayor and Council. Getting rid of Dave Cavney from the finance committee reaffirms that those that ask questions are removed quickly. The members that rubber stamp are still there after many years. The next to get the boot will be Mike Nava who has does a great job of taking care of the constituent’s money. After that the administration can continue with the open check book policy. Citizens will have to attend meeting and demand transparency. Who knows what the manager, assistant manager, clerk, attorney and all the others cost the city to them sit in the Ivory Tower. "

    wow wrote on Aug 4, 2012 4:14 PM:

    " sounds to me like the same person keeps posting comments. and yea douglas doesn't care about its people agua prieta citizen u sound like a lazy fat person "

    what wrote on Aug 4, 2012 4:09 PM:

    " since when does douglas have gangs???? "

    Shocked wrote on Aug 3, 2012 9:40 PM:

    " Owe it to us?????? Are you serious???? Poor Mexican????? Who are you talking about? First, if your Mexican your on the wrong side of the border. Mexican American I understand. Second, the city of Douglas doesn't owe you a darn thing. A city's sole responsibility to its citizens is to offer services and try to better the quality of life. It seems that many here have forgotten that including those in public positions. I read over and over how you all bicker, but my question is this, how many of you attend the city meetings? Or any of the special committee meetings? I'm sure close to none. Here is the truth, if you don't like the direction the leaders are taking, then physically get your butt off the computer and become involved. Don't lay on your backs and complain. I saw the low number of voters that came out this election. Many of you don't have the right to complain, because you don't voice your opinion. But, not to worry because I do have a solution for those poor people that believe that the city "owes" you something, it's called getting up and being productive. Do something for yourself, don't wait for someone to do it for your lazy butt. It's like your afraid to work. Oh but then lord forgive that they lower your EBT or take any other type of help away because you,ve become self sufficient. What happened to pride? It seems complacency has become the norm. "

    Lost cause wrote on Aug 3, 2012 7:51 PM:

    " There is far too much corruption in Douglas now. Thirty years ago, it was a terrific community, we had very little crime, no real gangs, drugs weren't as rampant as they are now, and there were jobs. Cerain greedy judges and corrupt mayors destroyed everything. Douglas is now a town where you can either grow up to be a cop, prison guard, drug smuggler, border patrol, or work at the port.
    Fix the streets, create jobs, help kids stay off drugs and try to reduce crime, nurture the youth, give them hope. I'm glad I left when I did "

    uugghhhh wrote on Aug 3, 2012 5:50 PM:

    " You all sound ignorant and have no correct spelling whatsoever. If you want to make a point spell correcty!!! And maybe somebody would give a crap about your opinions. "

    agua prieta citizen wrote on Aug 3, 2012 12:25 PM:

    " Its true, the city needs to pay for us who dont have mony. I wish i could get more mony in my check every month from my po box there in douglas. We the poor people need the help, just cuz we dont work doesnt meen u dont have to support us!! Viva la raza! "

    RR wrote on Aug 3, 2012 11:30 AM:

    " Talk, talk talk. We need action. Let us wait and see if this mayor, council and city manager are just talkers or are they truly working for the benifit of the city and all its people. "

    douglas citizen wrote on Aug 3, 2012 8:55 AM:

    " Hey Martinez, you just talk fancy words tambien. How do you think the city should help los pobres? helping los pobres is the number one thing the city should do. everything else is extra. and to Ramon and to getitright. stop discriminating against pirtleville man cause he don't live in Douglas.
    A lot of others who were on council and mayor lived outside of Douglas. it is all about keeping people who care about the poor out of government. "

    J.S. Martinez wrote on Aug 2, 2012 5:20 PM:

    " The key goals are way too vague. It is just a bunch of fancy words from a public managment book. What specific things is the city going to do to bring business and industry to Douglas? Douglas can not offer what other cities can offer. We are too much geographicly isolated for most industry to consider Douglas. The mayor and council must think outside the box and be very creative to attract business and industry. They also need to partner with the school system in order to insure an educated and trained work force. I support the mayor and council, however, they need to take there leadership to the next level if they expect Douglas to succeed. "

    GetItRight wrote on Aug 2, 2012 3:16 PM:

    " Uh, you live in Pirtleville?! You can't run for mayor if you don't live in Douglas. "

    Ramon wrote on Aug 2, 2012 11:56 AM:

    " Hey Pirtleville man, you can't be mayor if you live in Pirtleville. You have to live in Douglas to run for office in Douglas. I'll bet if you were mayor you would ignore the "Los Pobres" and only thaink about yourself. We need visionaries in office not people with a socialist agenda. "

    PIRTLEVILLE MAN wrote on Aug 2, 2012 8:39 AM:

    " IT IS CLEAR THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND MAYOR DON'T WANT TO HELP THE POOR. THEY ARE RICH PEOPLES AND WANT TO KEEP THE POOR DOWN. NEXT TIME I AM GOING TO RUN FOR MAYOR AND CHANGE THINGS. I KNOW THAT ALL THE POOR PEOPLES WILL VOTE FOR ME "

    douglas citizen wrote on Aug 1, 2012 5:26 PM:

    " The goals for the future the city need to focus on is caring for the poor people of douglas. There needs to be more programs. We are poor mexicans and the city owes it to us. "

Write a Comment

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
   









Contact Us

Email the Editor
530 11th Street
Douglas, AZ 85607
tel: 520.364.3424
fax: 520.364.6750
Subscribe Online
Place A Classified