The Range Riders: here they come to save the day

Times were tough in the dusty little nowhere town of New Port Richey. The big dogs in the town controlled every city department from streets to dead animal pickup. They lived high on the hog, while the ruts and dead `possums multiplied. A call went out for help.

That call was answered by ( a little Clint Eastwood whistling western music, please) Pistol Pete Knowles, a Range Rider. Pete rode his feisty mustang into New Port Richey, shot up a few saloons, tied the bad guys up and generally improved the quality of life.

Then, with teary-eyed women waving lace handkerchiefs behind him, Pistol Pete tipped his Stetson and rode away.

Sort of.

Actually, New Port Richey is anything but dusty. It’s a pretty little coastal town about an hour north of St. Petersburg, Fla.

And, as far as I know, no one ever called Pete Knowles “Pistol Pete.” And I have no idea how he got to New Port Richey, but I suspect a Buick is more likely than a mustang.

And the town wasn’t really bad, just misguided.

What’s true is that Pete did have a profound effect on New Port Richey. As a member of a select group of re tired city managers called the Range Riders, that’s his job. The Range Rider program was established by the International City/County Managers Association’s Executive Board in 1974 for the express purpose of making the experience of retired city managers available to anyone who wanted to tap into it. As volunteers (their expenses are paid by ICMA), they work with local governments and city managers on issues that range from hiring and firing to form of government.

In Pete’s case, he helped New Port Richey scrap a government that was wallowing in mismanagement and institute a council-manager system with a professional manager in charge.

Other Range Riders have provided valuable assistance on severance packages for fired city managers and have helped rewrite city charters.

The program accomplishes two goals: it puts to work years of experience in city management that might otherwise be wasted, and it gives people like Pete something to do besides sit around at the Old City Managers Club playing checkers.

Still, outside the confines of the ICMA, not many people know about the Range Riders. The program is active in 23 states and can be reached through ICMA at (202) 289-4262. The cost of the phone call could be the biggest bargain your city ever got.