09-06-2008, 06:27 PM
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_10394764
MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THIS ARTICLE AND LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT A JOKE MATT DHILLON IS.
IN CASE THE LINK NO LONGER WORKS I HAVE POSTED THE ARTICLE BELOW
Former clients of Matt Dhillon, the consultant linked to the elimination of six jobs in Antrim Township, say their governing bodies weren't very happy with the recommendations of the professional and chose not to follow some of the ideas they paid him for.
Antrim Township followed Dhillon Management Services report on Aug. 21 by firing six top-level township employees. Since then, the employees have spoken out about the thoroughness of Dhillon's work, the supervisors have stood by their decision, and an attorney has been hired to review the legal correctness of the firings after the fact.
Antrim isn't the first government Dhillon has tried to downsize.
John Duffy, borough manager for the Borough of Matanuska-Sustina near Anchorage, Alaska, said the borough would not consider hiring Dhillon again.
"I don't believe we got our money's worth," he said. "They found some things we could improve upon. Some recommendations were not based on solid work. Some of the statements were flat wrong. They said the borough manager is overworked, but they never talked to me."
Dhillon and his wife, Kirsten, run Dhillon Management Services Inc., out of Fullerton, Calif. In August he presented a report to Antrim Township that suggested it had more employees than were needed for the amount of work. He recommended the elimination of several positions as part of restructuring for the township.
The report has not been released to the public. Antrim Supervisors eliminated the following positions: township manager, utilities director, utilities superintendent, road master, assistant road master and finance secretary.
Criticized in Alaska
Speaking by phone Thursday, Duffy mentioned a number of complaints that were similar to complaints raised in Antrim.
"They didn't interview me, yet they had a number of comments about the manager's office," he said. "They were up here once and did most of the work by Internet or by phone. They sent up a draft and I commented on the draft but none of the comments made it on the final report."
Matanuska-Sustina hired two consultants to do a management audit and compared the results. Dhillon visited the site once, but the other consultant "camped out here in order to better understand the situation," he said.
Division managers and other employees often said, "We never got talked to," Duffy said.
"No one lost their jobs," he said. "There's no way we would allow that to happen."
There were some recommendations by Dhillon that "we agree with and will follow through on, and some we completely disagree with," he said. "They (Dhillon) said our emergency department design is on the verge of collapse. We find that to be an outrageous statement."
Dhillon also recommended the elimination of jobs at landfill transfer sites, claiming it would save the borough money, according to Duffy. "The assembly (council) did not go with that proposal," he said. "It would have been a disaster ... Our assembly was wise enough to think about it and knew it would cost us more in the future."
Another issue was problems that Dhillon did not recognize. Duffy said: "We have 189 vehicles and three mechanics. That's a problem, but it was never mentioned in the report. The depth of the report was lacking."
Duffy said he also was displeased with "outside parties" receiving the report before he had a chance to review it.
Criticized in South Florida
In 2005, Dhillon's report on a police department drew criticism by police and members of the community. A short time after the report was released, three officers with the Wilton Manors Police Department handed in their resignations. Each was at least a 20-year veteran, according to an article in South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Aug. 5, 2005). Their last day was Sept. 30 of that year.
Staff writer Elizabeth Bair wrote: "The announcement comes on the heels of a highly critical report issued in June by the California-based Dhillon Management Services, which said the department was overstaffed and the city could save almost $1 million by cutting back on overtime and eliminating several high-ranking positions.
"The report led Police Chief Rick Wierzbicki, a 24-year veteran of the department, to announce his retirement effective Sept. 20."
In the June 30, 2005, issue of the Sun-Sentinel, Daniella Aird reported Wierzbicki's decision to quit came a day after a "heated meeting where police officers and supporters jammed City Hall to protest the report released last week" by Dhillon.
Aird reported: "According to Matt Dhillon's findings, 'there is significant gap in accountability in terms of responsibility and leadership...and a complete lack of understanding of the role of public sector managers.'
"The report also claimed the department's management was overstaffed and that several positions needed to be eliminated, including the assistant police chief, six sergeants and a school resource officer. The city hired Dhillon for $30,000 to assess the 36-member department and recommend changes.
"At the meeting, Wierzbicki told commissioners the report was 'unjust,' and the audience hooted and cheered. 'These men and women care about the community and strive to protect it,' he said."
In the June 24, 2005, issue of the paper, Wierzbicki was quoted as saying the study was unfair because it did not include enough feedback from officers: "The report has a lot of errors that need to be corrected and it's having a very negative effect on our morale."
Pleased in Portland, Maine
About two or three years ago, Dhillon worked with the city of Portland, Maine. City Manager Joseph E. Gray said Dhillon looked at the city's planning and development and reviewed its inspection services program.
"Overall, we were satisfied with his report," Gray said.
Dhillon made recommendations on a site plan and developed a review process with suggestions on how they could be "streamlined," Gray said.
A couple of positions were eliminated as a result of the report. Gray said it was not "a matter of wholesale elimination of positions."
Gray said that his staff has begun implementing some of Dhillon's recommendations and his planning staff is continuing to work with some of the recommendations.
He said it's hard to measure the success of Dhillon's work "because the economy is so slow."
Looking back, Gray said that if there was a drawback in working with Dhillon, it was distance related. It's easier to deal with consultants that are geographically closer to you, he said.
"We knew we had issues, and that's why we brought him in in the first place," he said. "We wanted someone from the outside to come in and review the issues and make recommendations."
Dhillon could not be reached for comment.
About the company
DMS is promoted as a national consulting firm that provides services to cites, counties, special districts and states. The company's Web site is located at: http://dhillonms.com
According to his biography, Dhillon has 15 years of experience in working with local governments and has reportedly worked with more than 120 local government clients in the United States.
DMS was selected from among three consultants. Antrim Supervisors have said that before he was hired, they called various governments where he worked and inquired about his work. He came highly recommended, according to Supervisor Chairman Curtis Myers.
They also have said that he came as an outsider with no personal interest in the affairs of the township.
Dhillon's study of Antrim Township was conducted from May 20 to Aug. 2. The consultant spent three days on site for his first visit and two and a half days on site for the second visit, he said in an August presentation.
The study cost around $30,000 and supposedly shows how the township can save $500,000 each year by job cuts, contracting services and other more efficient working conditions.
Concerned about legal action stemming from the elimination of six staff positions, the supervisors voted 4-1 to hire attorney Thomas Rees, a specialist in labor law, to review the management report that led to the terminations.
Rees, who is with High Swartz of Norristown, Pa., is charging the township an hourly rate of $220.
MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THIS ARTICLE AND LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT A JOKE MATT DHILLON IS.
IN CASE THE LINK NO LONGER WORKS I HAVE POSTED THE ARTICLE BELOW
Former clients of Matt Dhillon, the consultant linked to the elimination of six jobs in Antrim Township, say their governing bodies weren't very happy with the recommendations of the professional and chose not to follow some of the ideas they paid him for.
Antrim Township followed Dhillon Management Services report on Aug. 21 by firing six top-level township employees. Since then, the employees have spoken out about the thoroughness of Dhillon's work, the supervisors have stood by their decision, and an attorney has been hired to review the legal correctness of the firings after the fact.
Antrim isn't the first government Dhillon has tried to downsize.
John Duffy, borough manager for the Borough of Matanuska-Sustina near Anchorage, Alaska, said the borough would not consider hiring Dhillon again.
"I don't believe we got our money's worth," he said. "They found some things we could improve upon. Some recommendations were not based on solid work. Some of the statements were flat wrong. They said the borough manager is overworked, but they never talked to me."
Dhillon and his wife, Kirsten, run Dhillon Management Services Inc., out of Fullerton, Calif. In August he presented a report to Antrim Township that suggested it had more employees than were needed for the amount of work. He recommended the elimination of several positions as part of restructuring for the township.
The report has not been released to the public. Antrim Supervisors eliminated the following positions: township manager, utilities director, utilities superintendent, road master, assistant road master and finance secretary.
Criticized in Alaska
Speaking by phone Thursday, Duffy mentioned a number of complaints that were similar to complaints raised in Antrim.
"They didn't interview me, yet they had a number of comments about the manager's office," he said. "They were up here once and did most of the work by Internet or by phone. They sent up a draft and I commented on the draft but none of the comments made it on the final report."
Matanuska-Sustina hired two consultants to do a management audit and compared the results. Dhillon visited the site once, but the other consultant "camped out here in order to better understand the situation," he said.
Division managers and other employees often said, "We never got talked to," Duffy said.
"No one lost their jobs," he said. "There's no way we would allow that to happen."
There were some recommendations by Dhillon that "we agree with and will follow through on, and some we completely disagree with," he said. "They (Dhillon) said our emergency department design is on the verge of collapse. We find that to be an outrageous statement."
Dhillon also recommended the elimination of jobs at landfill transfer sites, claiming it would save the borough money, according to Duffy. "The assembly (council) did not go with that proposal," he said. "It would have been a disaster ... Our assembly was wise enough to think about it and knew it would cost us more in the future."
Another issue was problems that Dhillon did not recognize. Duffy said: "We have 189 vehicles and three mechanics. That's a problem, but it was never mentioned in the report. The depth of the report was lacking."
Duffy said he also was displeased with "outside parties" receiving the report before he had a chance to review it.
Criticized in South Florida
In 2005, Dhillon's report on a police department drew criticism by police and members of the community. A short time after the report was released, three officers with the Wilton Manors Police Department handed in their resignations. Each was at least a 20-year veteran, according to an article in South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Aug. 5, 2005). Their last day was Sept. 30 of that year.
Staff writer Elizabeth Bair wrote: "The announcement comes on the heels of a highly critical report issued in June by the California-based Dhillon Management Services, which said the department was overstaffed and the city could save almost $1 million by cutting back on overtime and eliminating several high-ranking positions.
"The report led Police Chief Rick Wierzbicki, a 24-year veteran of the department, to announce his retirement effective Sept. 20."
In the June 30, 2005, issue of the Sun-Sentinel, Daniella Aird reported Wierzbicki's decision to quit came a day after a "heated meeting where police officers and supporters jammed City Hall to protest the report released last week" by Dhillon.
Aird reported: "According to Matt Dhillon's findings, 'there is significant gap in accountability in terms of responsibility and leadership...and a complete lack of understanding of the role of public sector managers.'
"The report also claimed the department's management was overstaffed and that several positions needed to be eliminated, including the assistant police chief, six sergeants and a school resource officer. The city hired Dhillon for $30,000 to assess the 36-member department and recommend changes.
"At the meeting, Wierzbicki told commissioners the report was 'unjust,' and the audience hooted and cheered. 'These men and women care about the community and strive to protect it,' he said."
In the June 24, 2005, issue of the paper, Wierzbicki was quoted as saying the study was unfair because it did not include enough feedback from officers: "The report has a lot of errors that need to be corrected and it's having a very negative effect on our morale."
Pleased in Portland, Maine
About two or three years ago, Dhillon worked with the city of Portland, Maine. City Manager Joseph E. Gray said Dhillon looked at the city's planning and development and reviewed its inspection services program.
"Overall, we were satisfied with his report," Gray said.
Dhillon made recommendations on a site plan and developed a review process with suggestions on how they could be "streamlined," Gray said.
A couple of positions were eliminated as a result of the report. Gray said it was not "a matter of wholesale elimination of positions."
Gray said that his staff has begun implementing some of Dhillon's recommendations and his planning staff is continuing to work with some of the recommendations.
He said it's hard to measure the success of Dhillon's work "because the economy is so slow."
Looking back, Gray said that if there was a drawback in working with Dhillon, it was distance related. It's easier to deal with consultants that are geographically closer to you, he said.
"We knew we had issues, and that's why we brought him in in the first place," he said. "We wanted someone from the outside to come in and review the issues and make recommendations."
Dhillon could not be reached for comment.
About the company
DMS is promoted as a national consulting firm that provides services to cites, counties, special districts and states. The company's Web site is located at: http://dhillonms.com
According to his biography, Dhillon has 15 years of experience in working with local governments and has reportedly worked with more than 120 local government clients in the United States.
DMS was selected from among three consultants. Antrim Supervisors have said that before he was hired, they called various governments where he worked and inquired about his work. He came highly recommended, according to Supervisor Chairman Curtis Myers.
They also have said that he came as an outsider with no personal interest in the affairs of the township.
Dhillon's study of Antrim Township was conducted from May 20 to Aug. 2. The consultant spent three days on site for his first visit and two and a half days on site for the second visit, he said in an August presentation.
The study cost around $30,000 and supposedly shows how the township can save $500,000 each year by job cuts, contracting services and other more efficient working conditions.
Concerned about legal action stemming from the elimination of six staff positions, the supervisors voted 4-1 to hire attorney Thomas Rees, a specialist in labor law, to review the management report that led to the terminations.
Rees, who is with High Swartz of Norristown, Pa., is charging the township an hourly rate of $220.