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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

IT'S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT BUDGET CUT IDEAS


Just about every City of Hartford employee I speak with has numerous ideas how to cut the budget and reduce spending. Almost every resident can point out an inefficient area in city services. It isn't too hard to identify some waste, and in the end it all adds up.

A couple of the obvious ones are repeated time and time again at Council Meeting public sessions, but no changes seem to be made. City vehicles being used excessively for who knows what reasons. A constant example is the Assistant Police Chief who commutes daily to Stamford, CT in a city vehicle using the city's gasoline.

It would seem to me that the reason for a "take-home" vehicle is to be able to respond back to the city in an emergency. If you live an hour and a half away, is there really a need for anyone to respond back. I would hope that there would be enough qualified people on duty to have the situation under control in much less time than it would take to drive back from Stamford. Not a huge amount, but it all adds up.

A complete review of city vehicle usage needs to be conducted and the policy revised. I won't even go into the luxury SUV assigned to the Mayor's Director of Capital Projects.

A driver for the Mayor. Leadership starts at the top, and a Mayor should lead by example. Can we really afford to have someone driving the Mayor around, especially lately when that job consists of chauffeuring the Mayor and his wife from their home to the courthouse. On several days when I checked during jury selection, the Mayor's city-owned Mercury Mountaineer SUV and his driver were sitting in the parking lot of his attorney, directly behind the courthouse. Again, probably less than $60,000 (plus benefits) but it all adds up.

Sarah Barr, Director of Communications, Mayor's Office


Numerous media spokespeople. Probably half a million dollars, if not more, are spent on what the city calls "media relations". Most other people would call it media "spin" and the Mayor's Office actually calls it furthering the "Gospel of Perez". The Board of Education has a couple people handling "media relations" at salaries of over $100,000 each. When was the last time you saw a press release from the Board other than bus schedules. In reality, when media people check with the Board regarding an incident in a school, they are met with a firm "no comment". I would think a staff person could do that for much less.

The Police Department has at least 2 people handling the media and their website. Since the blog for Chief Roberts on the HPD website was last updated in August of 2009, I might question the need for that position. The Public Information Officer for the PD, a uniformed Sergeant who could be used on the street, works Monday through Friday during regular hours. The majority of incidents that the media is interested in typically happen after normal business hours.

When an incident happens after hours, a ranking officer in charge for the shift sometimes speaks to the media and on many occasions the Chief himself speaks at 2 or 3 in the morning if he is at the scene. Couldn't this happen 24/7 and free up a sergeant for the streets and save a "website coordinator" contract worth over $65,000.

Then the Fire Department has a PIO (public information officer) a Captain assigned for media relations. Probably another $80,000 a year plus salary (not including benefits). At any major incident there is always a Deputy Chief (always at least one if not more)and in most cases they speak to the media as needed.

And then there are the disciples spreading the "Gospel of Perez", also known as propaganda and spin, from the Mayor's Office. The numbers probably will never be accurate to the public as to how much is devoted to "media relations" out of the Mayor's Office, but salaries alone are probably over a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Couldn't one person operating out of the Mayor's Office handle all media relations as needed. If you look at the number of press releases generated by all of the various "media people" on a weekly basis, it would probably be hard to fill a 40 hour week for just one person. This could be a sizable amount of cash saved if one person co-ordinated media relations.

Many major cities, including New Haven, coordinate media relations through the Mayor's Office and centralize their operations reducing redundant positions. If the PD and FD can have ranking officers handle the media, why do full time positions need to be assigned. Again, it all adds up.

In addition, last year at budget hearing time the issue of city cellphones was brought up, and numerous cellphones couldn't be accounted for, even though the city was still paying the bills. Sounds like a savings is available there, who knows how much that could add up to.

Just a start, but it amounts to reduced spending. Fell free to post any ideas.

LEGAL MALPRACTICE OR INCOMPETENCE ? ROSIE STRIKES AGAIN


John Rose once again was the topic of conversation at Monday nights Council Meeting. Much of the debate was regarding a move to clarify the City Charter and whether John Rose should issue an opinion or should the Council just skip right over him and get an outside opinion.

On Tuesday, it seemed to become quite clear that Rosie does not have the best interests of the Council first and foremost. Almost 24 hours after the Council meeting, Rosie sent an e-mail to all Council members advising them that in his opinion they had broken the law the previous night. The e-mail from Rose to the Council outlining his thoughts is below.

The question arises though on whether the Council is actually receiving proper advice from Rose. He has exhibited his disdain for the Council on numerous occasions, and this is just one more glaring example.

If Rosie sat through the meeting and observed this perceived illegal activity and said nothing , it can amount to one of two things. If he didn't realize the actions were improper and had to research it the following day, that is incompetence. Although he makes it quite clear that he is ignorant of, or unwilling to obey, FOI laws, the Council deserves much better representation when dealing with the business of the City.

If Rose sat there and knowingly let the Council proceed down a path he knew, or felt, was illegal I would think that would constitute malpractice. If this was a game of "gotcha" to show the Council who's "the boss", Rose should be removed from Council meetings permanently. If necessary, someone competent from the Corporation Counsel's Office should be assigned to serve the Council since Mr. Rose is incapable, or unwilling to do that. Although in considering the track record of the Corporation Counsel's Office, finding someone competent in that office might potentially be a problem.

Rose 4-27-10 Email

A COUPLE MORE FOR THOSE WHO FELT LEFT OUT, WE CAN'T ALWAYS BE SERIOUS

HARTFORD'S VERSION OF DANCING WITH THE STARS
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THE SOUTHEND HULA DANCERS
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FRED AND GINGER

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JUST AN IDEA TO CLOSE THE BUDGET GAP

Here's a performance I'd pay to watch. It could be a fundraiser to close the budget gap. Maybe the Bushnell could host it, starring Mayor Eddie A. Perez, Chief of Staff Susan McMullen, Chief Operating Officer David Panagore, Corporation Counsel John Rose and of course Director of Communications Sarah Barr (no performance of the Mayor would be complete without her).

Possibly we could even open the performance with a short prayer vigil for the Mayor

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THE "HARTFORDITE"

I spoke with WFSB's Dennis House at last nights Budget Hearing at Bulkeley High School.

He told me that he had done a posting on his blog and put a link to "We the People" on there. While looking at his blog, he had a posting directed to the taxpayers of Hartford and questions they should be asking regarding "economic development", or the lack thereof in Hartford.

Here are his suggested list of questions:

The City of Hartford is beginning budget hearings to talk about Mayor Perez’ proposed tax hike. Citizens aren’t happy about paying more taxes and there are some questions taxpayers should be asking city officials.

1. Why has the city lost so many taxpayers since 2005? ING, Mass Mutual, Met Life, WFSB, the Goodwin Hotel, T.J. Maxx, and the list goes on, and on.

2. Rather than raise taxes on an already burdened citizenry, why not attract new business to the city?

3. Why have dozens of companies opened stores and restaurants in the surrounding towns, but avoided Hartford?

4. What is the city doing to recruit new business to the city?

5. Why are there so many empty storefronts downtown?

6. What additional services will we get in exchange for paying higher taxes?

7. Does the administration feel responsible for the loss of thousands of jobs in the city, and the loss of millions in tax revenue?


To view Dennis's blog click below or he can be found at wfsb.com under "blogs"

Click here to go to wfsb.com and read "the Hartfordite"

DO YOU RECEIVE HARTFORD 2000'S H2K "E-LERTS'


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Linda Bayer from Hartford 2000 and Richard Frieder from the Hartford Public Library have been providing an e-mail service for a while that has proven very beneficial.

The "e-lerts" usually consist of a common sense, plain English notice of Council meeting agenda's in advance of the meetings followed up by a "council re-cap" of action taken by the council a day or two after the meeting.

Occasionally "e-lerts" include notices of upcoming community meetings of interest to subscribers.

Overall it is a great service, and well worth signing up for, it is free of charge.

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