Purpose and Process
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of Fontana POAs endorsements is a logical extension of our organizational mission which is to provide the most professional and preeminent police services by collaborating with the City of Fontana in recruiting and retaining the best personnel.
Providing the best police services means we focus on the safety and wellbeing of the greater Fontana community.
That means the stakeholders including residents, businesses, civic and community organizations including Fontana POA, faith-based organizations, and governments.
Because the government that affects all of us the most is our local government, we focus on local candidates and local issues first.
We believe the best candidate is the one who balances priorities.
We believe the most important priority of government is the safety of the community. You would expect that because we are the police officers and detectives who are dedicated and committed to public safety, your safety.
We also believe that businesses should be provided with an environment in which they can thrive so our entire community can prosper.
The balanced city is built on a foundation of business-commerce and the safety of the people. Without businesses there is no city. Without public safety, a city cannot thrive.
No one wants to live, work, play, and invest in a place unless they feel safe.
It is only with a strong foundation can a building stand the tests of time.
It is only with a strong business-public safety foundation can a city stand the tests of time.
When those two factors of a healthy local economy are met, the other factors which enhance and enrich the city can develop.
The other factors which make an excellent quality of life means parks, libraries, schools, senior centers, community activities, appropriate infrastructure including good roads, clean water, sewers, power, maintenance, affordable housing, and helping those in times of need.
The key is Balance.
We see the optimal city as a partnership with all the stakeholders working together, not some fantasy of an unattainable utopia, but in a collaborative, well planned, and focused effort.
We look for people who believe as we do – people who work together to make Fontana a Better Place to Live, Work, Play, and Invest.
PROCESS
We review the list of proposed candidates.
Then we review public access information about the candidate’s leadership skills. The specific skills we look for are:
- Trustworthiness
- Integrity
- Communication capabilities
- Proaction meaning the courage to act
- Innovation meaning new ideas when old ideas do not work
- Collaboration meaning working together as part of a team to maintain and improve the City
- Caring meaning the candidate who genuinely care about the people who are the fabric of this City and the City’s mission and goals
We select the person we believe is the best person for the job.
Just because we did not select someone does not mean we dislike the person, or that they are not talented. Our selections are based on an analysis of who we believe will be the best for the City, public safety, and the economy.
We are looking for a candidate who can work well with other key leaders. That means consistent, reasoned, relevant, and deliberative interaction with the other stakeholders.
By other stakeholders we mean contemporary elected officials, appointed department directors and managers, and the people of our City.
The candidate’s efforts should be judicious and composed, to ensure smooth municipal operations and the overall quality of the policy decision-making processes.
That means the ability and desire to listen to reasonable ideas and rationally exchange thoughts on the issues that seek to resolve. It does not mean someone who is obstreperous, needlessly argumentative, and causes more problems.
There is a difference between having varied opinions and conspicuous unsubstantiated obstructionism.
WORKS REFERENCED:
Jong One Cheong, Chulwoo Kim, Dong-Young Rhee, Yahong Zhang. (2009, Sept) “The Policy Role of City Managers: An Empirical Analysis of Cooperative Relationship in Policy Process between City Managers and Elected officials.” International Review of Public Administration.
Peter F. Drucker. (1964) Managing for Results. London: Pan Books Ltd.
Peter F. Drucker, Francis Hesselbein (ed), Jim Collins, Phil Kotler, Jim Kouzes, Judith Rodin. (1993) The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Tansu Demir, C. Reddick, Renée Nank. (2013, Nov. 15) “The Relationship Between Public Service Values and Administrative Involvement in Policymaking.” Public Organization Review.
Kevin C. Duggan (2017, Jan.) “A Key Ingredient for Success: An Effective City Council/City Manager Relationship,” League of California Cities.
Hunt. Ted. (1997) Organization Assessment Workbook: Questioning Our Purposes and Effectiveness. Los Angeles, CA: Book privately printed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
Hunt, Ted. (2003) “Speaking out on why we need to learn to communicate,” Journal of International Association of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Certified Instructors, Vol. II, No.4, July/August.
Sally Selden, Gene A. Brewer, J. Brudney. (1999, June) “The Role of City Managers.” The American Review of Public Administration.
Tyller Williamson, Hans Uslar, Pat Martel. (2024, Jan 24) “Developing an Effective City Council and City Manager Team: The Key To Good Governance and City Success.” Presentation at Mayors and Council Members Academy, League of California Cities and International City and County Managers Association.
James Q. Wilson. (1991) Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do And Why They Do It. New York: Basic Books.