Kathy Gambatese
Please tell us your name, age, where you live, and how you make your living.
Kathryn E. Gambatese, 68 years old. Lives in Richmond Heights. Current position, 21 years as councilwoman, city of Richmond Heights (compensated), volunteer.
Describe for us the duties of a member of the County Council.
The council has two primary duties: fiduciary and legislative. As legislators we have the power to introduce, enact and amend ordinances and resolutions relating to all matters within the legislative power of the county as stated in the charter that formed us. Council may write or amend ordinances or resolutions and shall include, but not be limited to, the following: appointments, establishment of departments, policy, procedures, contracts. Council provides the oversight and approval of the annual tax budget, operating budget and capital improvements program and makes appropriations. These and other responsibilities are enumerated in the charter that formed it. Primary duties are the same as those of municipal councils.
Why do you want to serve on County Council?
My overarching goal is to provide accessibility and accountability to the resident and business tax payers of Cuyahoga County. Fifty percent of the core county services is the safety net it provides of health and human services. The new charter allows us to promote economic development opportunities to provide those businesses and residents reasons to work and live in NEO, particularly in our county.
In 2006, I was appointed to the Mental Health Board of Cuyahoga County by the current commissioners and became chair in 2007. Two months into that role CEO Bill Denihan and I, along with our counterparts at the AOD Board, were charged with consolidating the two boards. July of 2009 saw the completion of two years work to form the new ADAMHS Board, which I continued to chair.
The experience of leading the process of consolidation of the two boards ignited my interest in running for the new council. The transparent, inclusive, thorough process demonstrated by the ADAHMS Board commitment to creating a better, more efficient, effective, and cost saving county department is at the heart of my passion to be part of improving the services and reputation of Cuyahoga County.
The first year of existence as the new board resulted in:
1) Administrative cost savings: The board administrative budget was reduced by $1.9 million, which was put back into services. 2) Personnel cost savings: ADAMHS Board has 70 budgeted positions, 30 positions less than the separate boards, saving $2.5 million that was put back into services. 3) Facility cost savings: ADAMHS Board is saving $440,000 each year of a ten year lease for new office space located, which is a reduction of the prior combined lease costs were $790,000.
I have the experience to help reduce redundancy and waste to realign our county departmental structure and redistribute already insufficient tax dollars and other revenue to get more bang for the tax payer's buck.
What qualifications do you bring that make you the most qualified?
In addition to my 21 years experience on city council, I have served on several boards, in particular ADAMHS, and including a multi city chamber of commerce board, as president for six of the 12 years on a Girl Scout board that encompassed three counties, and as a board member of the Northeast Ohio City Council Association board that any given year has 30 to 40 municipal cities council members. I have demonstrated consensus building and vision planning skills that have helped me build countywide and beyond relationships. The new council must address the fragmentation of the 57 municipalities with hundreds of taxing agencies thwarting any forward thinking. My city council has demonstrated effectiveness in cooperative ventures with other cities and entities that have resulted in reduce costs and improved service.
What will you do in your first weeks? Please describe in detail, to give our readers an idea of what this position will actually be like.
First steps are outlined in the charter itself, which covers what needs to be established, how the council will run itself including setting up committees, assigning or hiring new staff, and appointments, to name a few. The object is to learn as we go while keeping the business of the county running until changes are made or not. Hopefully we will have ethics training for everyone, including employees. I would keep my campaign web site up and begin routine communication to my district and beyond as we engage in what will be a steep learning curve to drill down into the myriad departments and programs of the county organization. Initially we need to engage in some team building of the council, executive and staff while we review and analyze what's there and realign the organization structure with the dollars available. We need to develop the vision and strategic plan for the next three years.
How, specifically, will we know that you are doing a good job?
Overall, when we meet the benchmarks we set for ourselves immediately upon taking office that we routinely lift up for examination. If you can't measure it, create expectations that can be. When business and new residents are lined up to come here. When all you read about the county is good news. We will know if we don't lose ground providing critical services as we seek to reorganize and we have been able to improve services. We will know when our constituents call for help with a problem, not to holler at us. We will know when there is evidence of good employee morale that results in improved work ethic. The persons elected to two year terms will know if they get re-elected. Believe me, as much interest as the citizens had in the passage of this extraordinary charter, we will know.