Where’s Bill?

In Artesia, residents and employees are asking the same question

Artesia, California. Mid-March has passed, marking the one year anniversary of the pandemic lockdown for many American workers. 

 

In the City of Artesia, workers in Public Works and Public Safety have been working onsite throughout the pandemic, and even City Hall and Parks employees have been working most of the year on a rotating schedule, all of them keeping the City running and looking good.

Even City Managers, the municipal equivalent of a CEO, are supposed to be on the scene. Throughout the nation, these appointed heads of cities are showing up at their respective offices to oversee and assure that their cities are being run efficiently. But in Artesia, City Manager Bill Rawlings has not been seen for almost an entire year. Employees and residents are wondering, “Where’s Bill?”

“Good question,” said Andrew Perry, President of the Artesia employee union, AFSCME Local 1520. “I have heard that he works remotely through Emails and text messages, and that he was here for about 40 minutes when the BLM protests started last year. Other than, I have no idea. But yea, I’m asking that very same question.”

“It begs the question,” continued Perry. "How can someone order employees to work throughout the entire pandemic, either in the field or in the office, but not even show up once? I might understand if there was a medical reason or something, but all my sources say there are none.”

But it’s not just employees who are wondering this. It’s also residents.

Tony Simoes, an Artesia resident and businessman, and a former City employee, was also perplexed. “I can think of 17,000 reasons why he ought to show up. As a resident, I’m one of those 17,000. The guy gets paid more than City Managers in bigger cities, and he’s been out of the City for an entire year. I think that shows the kind of person that he is.”

 

Subscribe to this blog for more local updates on Artesia.