LEADERSHIP: DOES JOHNSON HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

Anyone in an elected position is suppose to be a leader. From the President of the United States all the way down to a city council member or a city commission member. This is also true of our county elected officials. So that puts Barbara Johnson in this category since she is an elected official. Barbara Johnson – leader. She leads the Clerk of Courts office.

What is a definition of a leader? According to Mr. Webster, a leader is “a guide, a commander. Someone who shows the way; to direct; to persuade; to tend to….”

The February 2009 Reader’s Digest (pg. 180) has some excellent quotes on LEADERSHIP. Some of them are:



Doris Kearns Goodwim: “Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation.”

Well, Barbara Johnson is surrounded by people with diverse perspectives. Can they disagree with her without fear of retaliation? Or does she just not listen to them?




Rev. Theodore Hesburgh: “You have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”

From what I’ve seen, Johnson has no vision. If she does, she obviously does not articulate it clearly and forcefully. She is blowing an uncertain trumpet.



Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (Michigan): “Sometimes leadership is planting trees under whose shade you’ll never sit.”

Forget about Barb planting trees….or planting ANYTHING for that matter. Remember, she is our “NOTHING” clerk because in the past 20 years, she has (and continues to do) “NOTHING!”



Gen. Bruce Clarke: “When things go wrong in your command, start searching for the reason in increasingly large circles around your own two feet.”

Well, Johnson doesn’t have to look at increasingly large circles around her own two feet; she just needs to look at her own two feet! !



H. Ross Perot: “Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.”

It is obvious that Johnson has no idea how to lead. That office is like a ship without a captain / an army without a general: there is absolutely NO leadership in that office whatsoever. One would think that one of the supervisors would at least step up to the plate and lead, but that has not happened. Why? It must be for one of two reasons: either they are not able (which I find hard to believe) or they are not allowed (which I would suspect to be the case).

If she were a true leader, she would have put one of her seasoned veteran employee into a position to “Manage the office,” so that she could actually then have the time to “Lead” the office. But anyone who is in that office on a regular basis will see that is not the case. She has proven over the past 20-plus years that she doesn’t lead, and she has no idea how to lead. After all, why would the “NOTHING” clerk want to do anything about anything, especially leading a county office that she was elected to be in charge of.

Too bad, and so sad; especially since OUR tax money is paying her to do “NOTHING” about everything.

To you the voter I ask: Does this look like she is doing the job that she was elected by YOU THE VOTERS AND TAX PAYERS of Erie County to do?

STOP THE TRAIN ! ! WE NEED TO CHAT ! !

To the person who left the comment below from last week’s article:




“As a former employee in the COC office, I can say that the information on this website is not only accurate, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. I will write more at a later date because I don't have the time right now. All I can say is that life is much better since I left that place. There is life outside of the COC office! I urge the girls in there to either retire or find another job because when you do, your life will be so much better and stress free! !

Former COC employee”




Please email me at votejohnson.out12@yahoo.com because we need to chat! !

OPEN THREAD

I thought it would be good to have an open thread where you can comment on anything pertaining to this web site, or Barbara Johnson and her work as Erie County Clerk of Courts. After just under 7 months time, there has been A TON of information posted on this site (and more to come!). I think that after 7 months time, I have done more work on this site than Johnson has done in her 20+ years as Clerk! I will respond to comments within a week or so.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with the information on this site? Do you disagree with it? Why do you agree or disagree? Do you think Johnson is doing a great job, a good job, an ok job, bad job, or not doing her job at all, and why. Especially for you Johnson supporters, let's hear from you. Here's another chance for you to take the floor. I know there are other "Watchdogs" out there as well (people who know Johnson and do not like how the office has fallen apart over the past 20 years). This is your time to talk about your experiences with that office.

So let's hear it. Your thoughts please………………………………….

AREAS OF CONCERN 8: HAVE CASE FILES PROPERLY FILED AWAY

I hate to sound like a broken record, however, it looks like our “Nothing” Clerk, Barbara Johnson continues to do “Nothing” about everything including having case files properly filed away. Our “Nothing” Clerk, Barbara Johnson, has done “Nothing” about this because “Everything” is the same.

How’s this for starters. If you are going to the COC office to look up a particular case, there are three different locations in which to do your “hunt.”

First, start in the main COC office. If it’s a more “current” case, you can check where the files are kept in the office. If you have no luck there, check the many, many boxes filled with case files sitting all over the office. If THAT doesn’t work, then ask one of her staff; perhaps one of them have it on their desks. You can also have one of her already overworked staff call around to the judges offices to see if any of them have it. Though this was very common when former Judge Anne Maschari was in office (she had case files in her chambers dating back to 1979), this is not so common any more.

Still no luck?

Well, never fear, because if it is an older case, the case file you are looking for could be over in the Hedges Building on Columbus Ave., across the street from the library. Just ask one of the already over worked staff to take you across the street to help you search for it. Hey, maybe you’ll be lucky and the weather will be nice for your little jaunt to the Hedges Building. If not….Oh well…..It sucks to be you I guess.

Now if you’re looking for a REALLY, REALLY old case (for historical research), just ask one of the already over worked staff to take you up to the 3rd floor of the Court House to the offices of Judge Tone (which was the former COC office).

Speaking of former and current COC office, why would Barbara Johnson (our COC who is soooo qualified to have this job) sign off (basically saying it’s OK) to move her office from the 3rd floor (where they were bursting - at - the – seams for space) to a SMALLER office space on the 1st floor without having a sensible plan for ALL the case files? If she had any experience, listened to others, or even asked other COC in other counties, she could push for a “Records Retention Center.” But no, it’s just easier to have the citizens (which she prides herself on her “customer relations”) go chasing around on a wild treasure hunt.

WAIT! ! THAT’S IT! ! While searching for a particular case file, if you think of the entire experience as a “Treasure Hunt,” then this could actually be a really fun experience! And just think how good you would actually feel about yourself once you found your “treasure! !” See it could be a “feel – good – about – yourself” exercise. And these days, everyone needs to have those!

Seriously, she has had about 4 years since the move from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor and since the Nov. 2008 election (where she was called out on this) to correct this problem. Unfortunately, our “NOTHING” clerk has failed at doing her job yet again.

Too bad, and so sad; especially since OUR tax money is paying her to do “NOTHING” about everything.

To you the voter I ask: Does this look like she is doing the job that she was elected by YOU THE VOTERS AND TAX PAYERS of Erie County to do?

COMMENTS ON COMMENTS: 5

Before we get to a comment that someone left, I would like to point out that after a week, not one Johnson supporter left a comment after last week's article. Why? Could it be that they could not find any facts or evidence to back up what they say? Or, could it be that they have come to their senses and realize how bad the COC office is and that it is all Johnson's fault?.....................NAW, I think it's the former. At any rate, it's interesting that not one supporter commented (not even Johnson herself disguised as a supporter).

Now, onto this very interesting comment that an anonymous poster left in last weeks article:

August 1, 2009, 11:48 PM:
"I found this site while trying to find a link to online records for the Erie County Clerk of Court. There are no online records for the Erie County Clerk of Court's office!! WOW! Even in Stark County, where the unemployment rate is 12.1% and we're losing large businesses left and right, we STILL found the money to put our records online and our Clerk of Court Nancy Reinbold does a fantastic job in keeping with the duties of her office. Wouldn't it be fantastic if some Clerks of Court from other counties were required to form a peer review board in order to evaluate their counterparts in other counties? I think that is an idea worth pursuing. Good luck with this! Something in Erie County is certainly fishy with regards to this office."

The first line that jumped out at me was: "Even in Stark County, where the unemployment rate is 12.1% and we're losing large businesses left and right, we STILL found the money to put our records online and our Clerk of Court Nancy Reinbold does a fantastic job in keeping with the duties of her office." Yes, Erie County's unemployment is right up there as well. The BIG difference is that Stark County clerk Nancy Reinbold does the job that she was elected to do, and she no doubt knows how to manage and lead her office. She does what ever it takes to acquire the funds needed to get the records on line.

Whereas Johnson does not have a clue how to manage or run her office. She has proved that time and time again over the past 20-plus years. If she did know what she was doing, that office would not be in the chaotic mess that it is in today. Johnson would have investigated in how to acquire the funding needed to put records on line by talking to other COC in the state; but no. Perhaps she thinks that if she did that, she would appear to her piers as being weak and not knowing her job which would not be the case at all; it would simply prove that she is investigating her options. It would also show that she is truly working towards the goal of getting records on line. She would be actually doing some "INVESTIGATIVE WORK" to obtain much needed information.

That information certainly won't come to her in the middle of the night in a dream.............well, OK, MAYBE it will, but I seriously doubt it. But then....she and her other supporters claim that she is a "Good Christian Woman," so who knows, perhaps God will speak to her in a dream and give her all the information she needs to get the job done. I mean, maybe, just maybe she's been waiting for an answer from God for the past 20-plus years! ! ! Maybe we just need a little more time! ? ! ?

Then the commenter goes on to say, "Wouldn't it be fantastic if some Clerks of Court from other counties were required to form a peer review board in order to evaluate their counterparts in other counties? I think that is an idea worth pursuing." Now that is one of the best ideas I've heard in a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG time! ! ! Can you imagine the pressure Johnson would come under if she was reviewed by her own peers? And then that information can be made public at election time! ! ! GAWD, I LOVE THIS IDEA! ! ! !

Now Johnson supporters, it's not too late to leave your comments. Actually, you can leave your comments anytime. I really look forward to reading them.

CALLING ALL JOHNSON SUPPORTERS

Over the course of this website (the past 6 months) we have had a few Johnson supporters leave comments. Some of the articles which they have left comments are: "Web Traffic Increase," "Open Thread," and "Quarterly Report Card: Winter 2009" just to name a few.

I am opening this up to any and all Johnson supporters. This is YOUR chance to voice your opinion. Leave a comment as to what we have put up on this site that is wrong...but be prepared to back your statements up with facts!

Some Johnson supporters in the past have said that everything on this site is a lie. Well, explain why (supported of course by evidence to the contrary). There are 48 articles so far on this site. Let's here from you, Johnson supporters. Show your true support for Barbara Johnson and state your case in the comment section at the end of this article. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! !

I know you are out there and log on this site; now speak up and be heard! !