I got yet another “lovely” comment from yet another disgruntled North Miami Beach cop, from what is most likely a freshly created email address, and calling himself “YeahRight.” Frankly, this is getting tiresome.
This cop starts off his comment with “Your a crazy woman Kienzel.” The English teacher in me must again lament the misuse of the word “your” for the word “you’re,” but I’ll refrain from explaining yet again. <sigh>
The misspelling of my name is a common mistake many people make, but if he bothered to look at the blog he claimed he read, all he had to do was copy it correctly. However, I digress.
Officer YeahRight then follows that statement with a story about his loss of salary, his new expense of having to contribute to his own pension, and how his wife has been out of work and unable to find a job.
Well, at least this guy has an idea of what’s going on all over the country. Millions of Americans are in the same boat, many of them right here in North Miami Beach.
Here is his comment:
“I was just told about this site. Wow! Your a crazy woman Kienzel. And so are most of the people replying. Your comments about NMBPD are not only completely inaccurate but you write in a way that your sounding envious. Is that your reason for all your anger? My salary and overtime with the PD was $80,000 last year. Take out the necessary taxes and insurance and pension contribution (11.1%). I took home about $50,000. My wife before she was laid off from work last year brought home about the same and she hasn’t been able to find work since. So I’ve lost 10% of my pay from the last contract plus 50% of my household income and now I should vote in another 26% paycut to avoid losing rookie officers. That would make my total take home income around $37,000 from $100,000 just a year prior. Does that paint a pretty financial picture for you. Yes I will face foreclosure and no I haven’t mismanaged my finances. You and your commenters pass judgement with all you write thinking were out here making ridiculous amounts of cash.’but that’s okay, cuz I’ll still respond to your house or your accident, or any other reason you have for calling and treat you with the upmost respect while in the background your trying to make our lives a financial hell. I’ll never tell you this while in uniform for obvious reasons but i sure as he’ll will tell you now. You and your haters can GO F$&K YOURSELF.”
Now, I’m not saying he doesn’t have problems. He’s not alone. I have friends and acquaintances who have been out of work for well over eighteen months now, many of whom would actually kill for a $25,000.00 a year job. Heaven knows what they’d do for a $50,000.00 a year job. To quote Bill Clinton’s former campaign strategist, James Carville, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
By sheer coincidence, today’s Miami Herald published an editorial on its OpEd page called “Gravy train must end” (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/02/2342307/gravy-train-must-end.html). This opinion hit the nail on the head about government employees with this line: “The rationale has always been that government doesn’t pay as well as the private sector for comparable jobs so the benefits are better to attract and keep top employees. That may have been true in the 1970s or even the 1980s, but for the past 20-plus years public salaries have closed in on private sector ones, and in some cases surpassed them, particularly in South Florida. Public employees’ benefits, meanwhile, have grown to become unsustainable, particularly when revenues from property taxes continue to tank in a tough economy.”
This particular column discusses how accrued vacation time and banked sick leave paid to employees who voluntarily leave their jobs are bankrupting cities, counties and school boards in South Florida. The editor claims that reform is not only necessary, but critical.
Here in North Miami Beach, in addition to massive payouts to former employees, we have a pension system that is utterly and completely unsustainable and in dire need of reform. I’ve been told that the city’s employees have always contributed toward their own pensions, and that the cops are now being asked to contribute for the first time, an amount equal to 11%.
In the private sector, most companies require employees to either take their vacation and sick time or forfeit. They also usually match the employee’s contribution, with a cap, to a 401k plan with a defined contribution, not a defined benefit, which is a luxury that NMB employees have when they retire. Public employees really don’t know how good they’ve had it all these years!
According to the proposed budget, North Miami Beach will pay out in the fiscal year 2011/2012 the amount of $4,630,498.00 in pension contributions for 80 officers who are on the “police plan,” or an average of $57,881.23 per cop. On top of that amount, the city pays 8% interest on those contributions, which in today’s economy is insane!
The numbers don’t lie, but Officer YeahRight wants to call me “a crazy woman” because I simply point out the truth.
Apparently, the cops don’t want to give up one more penny of their salaries. They also don’t want to accept their 52% share of the budget reduction. They believe they’re entitled to keep their jobs, their salaries, their pensions, their take home cars, and whatever other things that go along with the job. They feel they are entitled to everything they’ve always received, whether or not the city can afford to keep pace with these demands. The cops believe they’re more important than every other employee and that the police department is more important than any other department in the city.
So, I have an idea.
Mr. City Manager, let the cops keep all the spoils. Give them everything they want and more. The cops have been trying to convince the residents of North Miami Beach that they need police protection more than anything else in the world and that the city is going to go to hell if even one cop is laid off.
Give the cops what they want so they just stop whining, giving residents the stink eye and referring to us as “savages” on the LeoAffairs website.
So instead of wasting all that time preparing a budget, I’ve come up with a 12-step plan for you:
1. Close all the parks. Let the kids play in the street.
2. Close all the community centers and not just the two you already closed. Let the kids play in the street.
3. Close the summer camp. Let the kids play in the street.
4. Close the library. We “savages” don’t read anyway.
5. Shut down the Code Compliance Department. The cops don’t care what our “unappealing” neighborhoods look like anyway.
7. Stop the shuttle buses for the elderly who need transportation. Screw the old farts who can’t walk or drive a car.
8. Stop all trash pickup. The “savages” here can haul their own garbage to the dump.
9. Curtail all storm preparations. Let the “savages” drown.
10. Close the theater. “Savages” don’t need no stinkin’ culture.
11. Increase the water rate even higher to make it unaffordable to pay for running water.
12. You know what? Screw it! Just turn off the water altogether. “Savages” don’t need plumbing anyway.
In fact, Mr. City Manager, fire every last damn employee EXCEPT the police department. Just put an end to all city services except police protection. The only thing we need are prison wardens to stop us from killing each other.
But at least we’ll be able to keep them on the job and “pay them what they’re worth.”
Is that a plan or what?
Oh, and by the way Officer YeahRight… GO F$&K YOURSELF, too.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Dear Officer GO F$&K YOURSELF:
I’m sorry you now are in the same boat as the majority of the residents of South Florida. However, it’s not the fault of the taxpayers of NMB that your wife was laid off and you cannot make it on your single income. Using your mindset, why aren’t you blaming her employer for the financial bind you are in as the employer is the one that laid her off. Of course it was probably because they were losing money and couldn’t afford to keep her on the payroll, but hey, why should that matter right? After all, they are in business, just like the City of NMB is, just to support your $100,000 lifestyle.
You forget to mention to the hundreds of thousands of readers of this blog that in addition to your $80k salary the city is paying you, they are also contributing another $57k ANNUALLY into your overblown retirement plan. 90% of the residents of Miami-Dade County don’t even make $57,000 a year and you get that just as a pension contribution. You also forgot to mention that you only pay $16 a week for the take home car you are driving while the rest of us pay much more for our own transportation.
I like the way you equate paying 10% into your own pension as if you were donating it to Mother Teresa. What about the other $50k the taxpayers are contributing to your pension?
I also notice you didn’t mention the dirty secret that you don’t want any of the residents to know about…the infamous DROP program that allows 28 of the city’s senior police officers to remain on the job after they retire and bank their entire retirement check while the taxpayers are forced to pay 8% interest on their second “paycheck.” Instead of taking a pay cut to keep the 24 rookies on the job, why don’t you vote to get rid of the DROP plan that is milking the residents even more than all your other perks. By getting rid of the DROP, there would be NO layoffs of police officers. But of course its much easier to blame the city manager, the mayor, and the residents for your financial plight. It just wouldn’t be too cool to your “blue brotherhood” to propose they take cuts, its much easier to whine and complain to anyone that will listen to you. So keep up the good work that you are doing protecting us from each other, we appreciate that friendly service with a smile that you will continue to deliver. Just be safe and don’t drive too fast on the way home to Pembroke Pines.
Ramundo, thanks for coming to the defense of the crazy woman. You brought up a very good point that the pension contributions made by the cops are not salary cuts or taxes. They are not paying the money to some outside entity, never to be seen again. They are contributing to their own pension accounts. That money belongs to them…WITH INTEREST!
As for your comment that this blog is being read by “hundreds of thousands of readers” I’d have to say that’s a bit of a stretch. I do have an expanded readership thanks to the Miami New Times and my friends over at Federal Jack, who repost my blog on their website, which does have a worldwide readership. However, if you think I have hundreds of thousands of “fans” you’re just as bat shit crazy as I am. Welcome to the club. 🙂
Steph, I can’t make issue out of much of what you said except this part;
“I’ve been told that the city’s employees have always contributed toward their own pensions, and that the cops are now being asked to contribute for the first time, an amount equal to 11%”.
The cops are not “for the first time” being asked to contribute 11%; the cops have been contributing 11.1% for several years now towards the pension and the cops have always contributed towards their pensions. Unlike FRS which until recently required zero contribution towards State pensions. I believe they must now contribute 3% or something like that.
I agree reform is needed but what is your (hope I got the proper “your” in there :)) feeling on employees with as little as 6 or 8 months to go until they are eligible? Is it fair to move the goalpost now? The City should look at maybe closing the current plan which means those that are in it are there to stay but no new members can join and starting a second 401 type pension for all new hires. That I think is the best option the City has. The City hired one of the best pension attorneys in the country to evaluate the PD pension and from what I gather, that attorney didn’t tell the City “what they wanted to hear”. The City is looking for a quick immediate fix and frankly there isn’t one. Pensions are designed for long term use; any savings on pension reform won’t materialize for several years. So in the long run the City and residents will save money by moving towards a 2 tier system, but there is no viable short term solution for savings.
Do the cops feel their “entitled” to their pension? Like I said, an officer who’s been here 19+ years, yet is short of the 20 required, is supposed to feel how? The cops I don’t suspect feel “entitled”; they just feel that upon being hired 19 years ago they were promised something by this City and maybe they just expect the City to keep that promise. To move the end zone on those employees right around the corner to me, and it’s just my opinion, would be wrong.
Thanks for the post Steph. My wife laughed out loud at the picture you used.
Frank, I was told the 11% was something new. Several cops have brought this up in comments and emails to me. If they’ve been contributing all along, was this just an increase? Where does their references to a 10% cut come in? With all the conflicting information I’m getting it’s hard to keep it straight. Please fill me in on this if you know the correct figures. I want to make sure I get it right!
I do know that the people with FRS are just now being asked to contribute the 3% for the first time. I also know that the FRS is fully funded and has been managed property all along. It’s a completely different animal than the city’s pension plan, which everyone now knows (and plenty knew all along) was a complete fiasco from the beginning. Whoever developed the city’s plan sold it to the folks running city hall back then, who then either never questioned the outrageous requirements of the city, didn’t understand the ramifications or simply figured the money tree would always be in bloom.
Now all hell is literally breaking lose, not just here in NMB, but for the first time in HISTORY the credit rating of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has been downgraded just yesterday (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/05/2347462/sp-cuts-us-debt-rating-cites-weakening.html). This is a direct result of deficit spending.
I’m really not sure how many people in NMB, much less the country, realize what this means and how serious a financial situation we are facing. This is a devastating turn of events, and does not bode well for any of us.
Frank, I’m glad you wrote and that you’re not still angry at me. I know you and I have always been able to chat even if we disagree. I wish more of the cops were as reasonable as you. No, it’s not fair to suggest to “move the goalposts” for those close to retirement. I completely agree that new hires should start 401k’s instead of the plan in place. Honestly, I do not believe the city is looking for a quick fix, as you stated, but they really need to do something drastic in order to keep us afloat. From what I’ve been reading in the budget and talking to employees who are knowledgeable about the city’s finances and the water department’s finances, things really are as bad as the CM is saying. The new CM and the new Mayor really are charged with fixing a mess neither of them created. You have no idea the damage that was done by the previous mayor and especially the previous city manager. Both of them were incompetent beyond belief! The numbers really do not lie.
I am certainly not a pension expert. I never claimed to be a financial whiz. I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that the city cannot afford to keep going in this direction or it will go bankrupt. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that. You’re right that there is no easy solution, but our options are very, very limited.
What is frustrating me more than anything is the lack of professionalism being displayed by SOME (certainly not the majority) of the cops. I get they are angry. The thing is, most of us are or should be taught the basic truth that while we have a right to our feelings, we do not have a right to take them out on other people. When my children were little and prone to temper tantrums, instead of falling for the drama I told them to go to their rooms, have their tantrum, and come out when they were ready to behave properly and discuss the issue. Guess what? It worked. They learned to control their behavior and deal with their frustration in an acceptable manner. They also learned that negative attention did not work with me. As a parent, I refused to be held hostage by a screaming brat. I’m not about to succumb to those tactics now. I’m a reasonable person, but if someone wants to attack me and tell me to go f**k myself behind a curtain of anonymity, they should expect a response. Like I did with my own children, I’ll try to find a way to make them see how foolishly they’re behaving without resorting to the same childish behavior.
BTW, when I saw that picture I cracked up and I just knew it would be perfect. Glad your wife appreciates my “warped” humor, too!
Steph
We haven’t been give raises per our CONTRACT for over four years now…do the math yourself and see how much the city has saved over those four years…that should add up at leat to 10%
There was some confusion in the information I received earlier about the pension contributions, which are currently 11.1%. Apparently the cops have been making contributions, previously at 8%. The PD that just now started making contributions is Miami-Dade, not NMB.
As for the 10% “cut” I keep hearing about, thanks for clearing up that it’s actually not a “cut,” but that you haven’t received raises. Wording it that way also adds to the confusion of trying to sort this all out. Teachers have also not received raises in probably the same time frame since the economy started tanking. In the private sector, I know that raises have also been non-existent. So, everyone is pretty much in the same boat as far as their salaries not increasing.
You should know, and maybe this is just semantics, a lack of an pay increase is not the same thing as a pay cut. Like when Congress tries to say they gave a tax cut when the truth is they just didn’t increase taxes.
Okay, thanks for the explanation!
They have been receiving COLA that adds up way above 10% over 4 years.
Changing the plans for the current participants is not even really on the table. It is not only unfair, but my understanding is that it’s not legally viable. (I’m no pension expert either though.) Definitely new plans should be in place for new hires both on the PD and civilian side. And that will improve things down the road (way down the road, as you’ve stated).
You say “the city is looking for a quick fix and there isn’t one.” The city is just an entity. “It” doesn’t look for or want anything. The city (as I think you mean it) comprises the mayor and council and the staff. While I think a few of the council members might like to dismantle the existing pension systems in their entirety (which would be a quick fix), the others (and the staff) realize this is not possible. But…and this is what the manager is faced with today…the city as an organization absolutely DOES need a quick fix. The existing deficit and lack of reserves for critical operations make that pretty clear. And I believe that is what Stephanie has been saying all along.(In fact, Chicken Little started raising the those red flags long ago.)
A number of poor decisions were made when the money tree was in bloom. Even the most recent former city manager cannot be blamed entirely for that, as said decisions for the most part preceded his tenure in the position (he did cover the situation up and fail to address it though, that’s for sure). Millions of people made similar poor decisions when the tree was blooming, such as buying homes they should have known they couldn’t afford in the long run. And so, here we all are.
I’m not going to address who is entitled to what, as I don’t think that’s for me to say. But the bottom line is, to use an accounting term (and this is finance we’re talking about), the city as an organization can no longer afford the police department as it is without eliminating practically every other service the residents enjoy. The Leisure and Public Services departments have more or less managed to maintain service levels in spite of devastating cuts over the last few years (not without some pain, mind you). But now we see that that is no longer possible either. I think the current city manager is doing his very best to find a compromise that works for everyone. Like it or not, something truly has to give.
That is one damn funny picture, isn’t it?
The cops give 11%, the City of NMB gives 22% and the market gives 66% or so we are told by the pension lawyer, Mr. Klausner (?)
Mind you, for every dollar our cops give, the city has to find $2 to match it, plus at the end of the day, everything has an 8% dividend even if it does not exist in real time.
We pay among the highest for police service in this region, except for Miami Beach and Homestead, and we are only behind Opa Locka and Miami Gardens for crime. Amazing.
The water department gave more than $13 million every year to the city, yet not one penny is in its reserves! The union leader is asking to check its books, because he feel the city has two books and we are “hiding the money”.
We are one disaster away from bankruptcy!
Officer “YeahRight” is also leaving out we pay $150,000 per year for a cop which excludes our take home vehicles, free equipment to allow him to do private jobs for gracious over time. The sergeant go for $200,000.00 a piece that includes a $77,000.00 pension yearly, and a $100,000.00 salary.
People working for us in the City with PhD and MA’s barely make $30,000.00 in pensions.
Most of us are for keeping and maintaining our own police department for generations to come, but not one that will bankrupt us in no time to come.
You are right about that, Mubarak. We are one disaster away from catastrophe. The PD would like you to think that should we take a penny away from them, anarchy would ensue. Yet one big hurricane would wipe out our water plant, with no reserves, and no good credit rating to borrow money. How long would it take without water for anarchy to ensue?
First of all, there are very few officers that make 150,000.00 per year. The off-duty jobs you are talking about Is not for overtime. We make 35.50 per hour on off- duty jobs. 5.50 each hour goes to the city. So, if we work 7 hours then 7 hours, the city gets 38.50 for that job. These pensions were established prior to about 75 percent of us getting a job here. Find out what the city pays for a gallon of gas and I believe the feds pay for half of the fuel. Let’s try to come up with solutions to the problems not add to them. Stop comparing our city to Opa Locka and Miami Gardens. NMBPD has always been one of the best Departments in the Country. We have taken steps backward and we are running this city into the ground! We all know about the pension issues, pay cuts, take home cars. Instead of pointing fingers, let’s fix it. Offer “reasonable” solutions not outrageous false allegations. Action leads to success. We all want to prosper and have a happy healthy life. We are setting bad examples for our children and our city. Let’s turn this around and make positive comments and suggestions before it’s to late.
The off-duty jobs are not paid by the city, nor are they pensionable. There is a difference between off-duty and overtime. I don’t know why people keep thinking they are one and the same, but they are not. This is a fact.
While I don’t agree that the current administration is “running the city into the ground,” I do believe there needs to be reasonable discussions to come up with reasonable solutions. The financial problems this city is facing are a combination of this city’s previous corrupt administration and the economy. It is an unfortunate fact that the current administration and city manager are now being charged to fix the mess left in the wake of the previous mayor and manager, who screwed us ALL royally!
I do agree that pointing fingers will not resolve any of this. I will never claim that I have the solution. Obviously, this blog was written as tongue in cheek, dark humor, and was merely my way of pointing out that we cannot let all departments suffer at the expense of any other. What I do hope for is that everyone in this city can behave like adults, stop the name calling and treat each other with respect. Maybe I’m expecting too much, but seriously, that is how adults resolve problems.
As for the residents, it appalls me to see them attacking each other in a pointless, fruitless manner, when everyone should be working together for a common goal.
Again, here you go spewing yet more misinformation or skewing your comments to make the PD look so bad.
As “stopthemadness” said, off duty details are not overtime as you stated; they are paid by the business at a rate set forth according to agreements between IUPA and the City. If you think the rate should be higher then tell the city not to agree to the rate. And by “city” I mean Mayor, Council and Manager.
You seem to take joy in writing that an officer gets a “$150,000 salary” (salary being the operative word here) which is completely untrue. The City pays a total of $150K or so however the SALARY for that officer is not $150K so again, another point of misinformation on your part MZ. Why don’t you do some research as it appears you have a lot of time on your hands, and compare NMB PD and what we pay towards our pension (11.1%) against any other municipal PD in Dade or Broward; heck let’s go statewide. I want you to check and see how NMB PD compares to other agencies and their contribution rate. I would almost guarantee we are in the top 5 of the State with the percentage we contribute. I believe I sent you an email this past week pointing out other statements of yours that are completely without merit but I never received a response. That’s okay as long as it gets you to quit extolling the non-existent virtues of past Chiefs then I’m happy.
So just so you’re aware MK every time you show up and “spin the facts” to suit your agenda I will be here to call you out on it. Perhaps, just maybe you’ll think about what you’re writing before hand knowing someone is going to be the watchdog of your bias.
Frank, Mo, Nelson, Todd or whatever you want to call yourself, this was provided in one of the earlier blogs by someone who had the time to look into one of the 24 cops potentially to be laid off.
EXPENSE IN PROPOSED 2012 BUDGET PRESENTED 17th JUL 2011
POLICE OFFICER: (c.c.) name withheld
SALARY $76,995
CELL $600
FICA $5,944
RETIREMENT – POLICE PLAN $55,629
HEALTH INSURANCE $5,853
GROUP LIFE INSURANCE $315
ACCIDENTAL DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT $26
DENTAL $0
TRAVEL & EXPENSES *
TRANSFER TO WORKERS COMP-SELF INS $2,618
UNIFORM CLEANING $500
TOTAL $148,480
*City provided vehicle, fuel, maintenance
Add the fuel, take home cars etc and we are speaking over $150,000.00
You cops love to twist the facts. Bottom line is, you are pricing yourselves out of jobs if you do not want to do reforms with your pensions and salaries.
A sergeant gets $200,000.00 average excluding OT and take home vehicles with “free” fuel.
Now, tell me, are the figures making sense now?
I always find it amusing when people like Kazan try to belittle or otherwise invalidate any disagreement to his incorrect statements. Whatever you think my name is is irrelevant; stick to the facts at hand.
Kazan always tries to skew total cost of an employee with that particular employees “salary”. Two separate and completely different numbers.
According to Kazan the PD “is pricing itself out of a job”. Does that mean that there is not one City, County, State or Federal law enforcement agency that is going to exist based on that statement? Because if we are pricing ourselves out of a job then by that you imply that no one is going to be hiring cops of any sort.
Do you see what is going on in the UK? Do you watch the videos of “rioters” throwing large heavy objects at the police? Do you read about the number of injured officers over there? What price do you put on that Mr. Kazan? Do you think that any sane honest person is going to hire on for things like that at a bargain basement price? Not going to happen.
I wonder Mr. Kazan do you ever attend the Miami-Dade County commissioners meetings? Do you stand up and voice your criticism about the over 100 police administrators that make over $100K a year? I would bet not because at that meeting you would be even more irrelevant than you are at the City Council meeting. Let’s face it; most citizens of NMB pay the majority of their taxes to the County and yet I have never seen or heard of any of the STP (not my term) stand up before the County Commission and voice their concerns about the pay at the Miami-Dade Police Department. If they got paid less maybe you and others would not have to pay so much in taxes. But then again, to enter that meeting you need to pass through a security checkpoint and it’s very apparent how you feel about that.
Greed: that can be used to describe not only Wall St. but many NMBPD over paid fat cats.
Selfishness: when over paid cops do not want to take a pay cut to save their fellow workers.
Stupidity: when cops follow union organizers, like a dog with a bone in the mouth looking at his shadow below him in the stream and jumping after the bone he sees in the water.
Wrong again stupid………you better check your numbers because I don’t know where you get these from, but they are WRONG. It’s no wonder no one takes you seriously at the council meetings….
I believe that Kazan got those figures directly from the budget, but I have personally not verified them. There is a difference between what an employee actually earns as a salary and what the employee costs the city in real dollars. As for pension contributions, they are made for the benefit of the employee, but it is for future and not current income. The total budget of approximately $22 million includes all costs, and not just salary.
Those princesses we have working for us wants to give only a part of the story. They portray they are the most important entity and we MUST do away with all services to keep them afloat.
Not this time.
I heard Mexico is paying top dollars for police service….let them go and find work there.
Forget the 12 step program, make it a one step…..Give every resident a gun.
Well, a lot can be said about what is going on here in NMB. I never stated that the “current adminIstration” is running the city into the ground. Think about this for a minute, the Morale is at an all time low, people are working under tremendous stress, and some don’t know if they will have a job tomorrow. Some citizens speak of things they no nothing about and make up things as they go along. Meanwhile the employees of this city are suffering because there is a lack of communication. I also hear a lot of talk about Unions. The Pd is not a car manufacturer nor an airline, we cannot strike or “walkout”. That is illegal and not what we do. The Union is in place to protect it’s members. I understand that some people do not like Unions for one reason or the other.
You have said that “the Cops” feel that they are “entitled” to certain benefits. Some of these benefits were in place a long time ago before the majority got hired. I don’t feel “entitled” to these benefits. I am however, entitled to a safe and fair work place. I don’t know where people are getting the idea that we are not willing to make cuts and pay for the cities cars. Let’s be fair about it. I understand that The Mayor and members are in a tough situation. So as residents and eployees it is critical that we support them in a fair manner. As for the CM, he is doing what he was hired to do. Just remember, he has NO ties to the city, its residents and employees. He will be here for a short period of time and could cause major issues. We will be left with the mess and we will once again have to clean up.
Thanks for writing back and clarifying what you meant. I can see that you’re a reasonable person and I appreciate that you are willing to discuss this issue without drama like some of the others. I also understand how you feel about your Union, but I am one of those people on the “outside” who believe that unions do more damage than good. I will be explaining my opinion in future blogs, but I do also believe that employees are not responsible for what I believe the unions are doing. To me, they are two separate issues. This is, of course, just my opinion.
With regard to your comment that the CM has no ties to the city, it is my opinion that this is exactly what this city needed at this particular time. I believe this based on what took place with the previous CM, where he hired and fired based solely on nepotism and not at all on qualifications and skills of the applicants. Someone from the outside has the ability to do what is necessary without having any allegiances to any particular employees or, and this is very important, council members. The person the council almost hired, a man by the name of Dennis Kelly, was recommended by the former mayor, and he had close ties to several other sitting council members. He had also worked for a time in other cities (I think North Miami was one of them) in the area and came with a lot of questionable baggage and contacts with questionable politicians. We didn’t need any more cronyism in NMB since most of the problems we are facing today are directly related to just that! Baker had all his cronies in place in almost every department in the city, and as a result, money was funneled in and out of so many places no one knew what was going on. He was able to prepare a generous budget based on fiction and using the reserves from the water department, where he came from, and somehow managed to convince the previous administration that everything was just wonderful. As soon as the corruption was uncovered and voted out, and a new CM was hired, who had no ties whatsoever to anyone at city hall, he was able to examine all the books and discover that the well really had run dry. While you believe that he will only be here a short while and create a mess, I think the exact opposite. Even if he isn’t here for long, which I have no way of knowing, I honestly feel he is doing whatever he can to actually clean up a mess that started long ago. You may disagree with me, and that’s fine. But, I’m just stating what I feel is the case.
Your welcome. You have a very valid point with regard to the CM. I am looking at it from a different point if view. I just hope we can resolve these issues and move on. NMB is and always has been an Awesome place to live and work. The majority of the residents deserve the protection and top notch police services.
Absolutely! Thanks for helping all of us see things from both sides. A little discussion really can go a long way.
“FRS is fully funded and has been managed property all along.”
I think you mean “properly” 😉
Yep! Typo. These old arthritic fingers are prone to goof ups 🙂