Bucking Buck Lee

Today's daily, the Pensacola News Journal, finally catches up on the old news that Santa Rosa Island Authority general manager Buck Lee received poor performance reviews from staff in advance of his employment contract renewal negotiations. But reporter Lynette Wilson adds a little spit and polish to the story by characterizing the reviews as "mixed." Then, she sticks the whole subject away in a dark closet, with no details showing.

The Island Authority board is expected to consider renewing, modifying or terminating its contract with Lee when it meets today.

Lee's current contract expires in May.

All Island Authority department heads and a random sample of other employees evaluated Lee's performance in two categories: leadership and employee relationships, and employee goal setting and performance monitoring.

Mixed reviews? Listen, when underpaid subordinates with no job security who live paycheck-to- paycheck tell you the boss is something less than a demigod, you know either he's terrible or they've lost their minds.

Lee's defense sounds a lot like the defendant who murders his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan:

Lee said that in a perfect world, he would have had time to learn about the various departments and settle into his job. Instead, in the aftermath of Ivan, he was trying to get the road between Navarre and Pensacola beaches reopened; the island ready for the Blue Angels air show in early July; businesses up and running; and residents back into their homes as fast as possible, he said.

We didn't notice anyone in a shirt and tie out there shoveling debris off Highway 399 or tearing out the sodden wallboard in residents' homes. If Buck was busy doing all of that, it must have been after hours. On overtime, you might say.

There's a reason -- several of them, in fact -- why the weekly Independent News designated Buck Lee one of the Losers of 2005. The IN has been on his tail since shortly after he was hired in May, 2005. Last month the weekly reported:

Except for one department head that gave Lee all 4's (above average), the others gave him average to below average ratings. He scored real low in guiding day-to-day business decisions and implementing effective ways to monitor and evaluate customer concerns and issues.

The Island Authority knew when it hired Lee that he didn't have the education or management experience to run the SRIA. They were counting on his "policy experience" as a former county commissioner. Now, it's learning what voters know all too well about many of our local politicians: Buck Lee's biggest concern seems to be Buck Lee.

He isn't very smart about hiding it, either:

• Just as gas prices were skyrocketing, Lee spurned the pickup truck used by his predecessor and leased a canary yellow $80,000 gas-guzzling Hummer.
  
• Then he demanded a pay raise six months after signing a one year contract.
  
• When that didn't work out, Lee tried to claim overtime pay for doing his job.
  

Meanwhile, Lee is pushing an exhorbitant lease renewal fee policy equal to 50% of market value for select small businesses who didn't lawyer-up or cross the palms of the good ol' boys years ago. This is an issue in which everyone on the beach has a major stake, as we've pointed out before.

Some are predicting the SRIA board will wimp out and renew Lee's contract today, but without a raise. If the board had any gumption, it would put him on notice of a re-review in three or six months, tell him to dump the Hummer, and begin advertising now for a potential replacement.

Debbie Norton for General Manager, anyone?