Monday, June 15, 2009

Well tickle me pink - the 5%, 6% and 7% raises got reported!

As some of you may know, the White House press corps has something of a reputation for lobbing softballs at the POTUS. Why? Simple - they want to maintain access to the person they cover. If they lose access... they could lose their livelihood. Or at least the President (or his surrogates) could make that particular reporter's life more difficult for a time. So often a reporter has to make a choice between reporting real news or avoiding certain things that may prove problematic in maintaining access.

I sometimes wonder if the same dynamic exists in Cheshire.

Anyway, I give a big hat tip to the Herald's Josh Morgan. Despite Town Hall's best efforts at avoiding the public disclosure of certain information, such as the town's nearly two dozen take-home vehicles that get free, unlimited gasoline... if you ask questions in public and on-camera... it becomes increasingly difficult to keep information hidden by a veil of secrecy.

And the steady drumbeat of questions finally got some exposure for a particularly troublesome issue in this week's Herald:

Republican Councilor Tim White said he was “still scratching” his head at raises of 5 percent to 7 percent that were given out earlier this year. He said everyone knew last July that “things were bad.”

Regardless of the source (me), I certainly would have thought twice before including that highly important piece of information in any press coverage. A reporter never knows how a Chief Executive will react when the light is shed on an Administration.

And seriously... 5%? 6%? 7%!? In this economy?!As we enter collective bargaining,* is it reasonable to believe the unions will begin by saying... "oh yeah... though we don't like our boss and he got a 6% raise... we'll take this one for the team and agree to a 1% raise this year. Sure. We hate coming to work, but again... we'll take this one for the team."

I thank the Personnel Committee Chairman for his sagelike foresight that gave us these 6% and 7% raises this year.

And btw, when you see some Town employees getting those raises, anyone else think that just maybe the teachers felt jilted?

We need some leadership in town. We've been without it for too long.

Tim White

* The typical three year contracts all expire on June 30... though it is not uncommon for contracts to be inked after June 30 with backpay being delivered after the contract is adopted.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

When you have a person in the education field as your "Personnel Chairman", what do you expect?

He has no grip on reality and what is going on in the real world.

Why would he even waste his time trying to investigate average pay raises when he has an open check book?

tim white said...

"Why would he even waste his time trying to investigate average pay raises when he has an open check book?"

That's right... it's all free money!

Anonymous said...

I work for a Fortune 250 Company. In the past (2) years, our wages have been frozen, 401K contribution reduced by 50%; a host of benefit eliminations & reductions + increase cost of contribution. AND WE ARE BEING WARNED OF ADDITIONAL DRACONIAN LAYOFFS & WAGE CUTS. What color is the sky in the TM & TC's world???

Anonymous said...

BTW, it will be interesting to see how much the student enrollment decreases next September....THAT's a real indicator of how the recession has hit Cheshire (people moving out becuase they can't afford to live in Town)

Anonymous said...

"We need some leadership in this town..."

Looks like we will possibly be getting a new superintendent!!

Hooray!

Anonymous said...

RE: Looks like we will possibly be getting a new superintendent!!

Even if we do, don't count on any significant changes.

Most certified school administrators are liberal spenders and liberal ideologues.

The exceptions tend to be in rural areas where administrators are more sensitive to the financial restraints and values of their communities.

As long as we have a Dem majority on the BOE, we can expect more of the same from any new Superin't.

Anonymous said...

What do you republicans want to spend the money on?
A police department that drives six take home vehicles unlimited gas-a $25,000 harley all day doing nothing but cruising around and paying the top ranking captain $80,000 a year to boot?
Practically rent free housing for them also? A Swat team that stands around and does nothing for several hours?
Is that worth more than education?

Anonymous said...

1:30

No, us Republicans don't want to spend the money on the police vehicles either, but Tim has been fighting that battle for years to no avail due to the Dem majority.
Look in the mirror and you will see who is responsible for the mess we are in.

Anonymous said...

Moving to Mexico

Dear Mr. President, Senate and House of Representatives:
I'm planning to move my family and extended family (18-20 mouths) into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me.
We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements.
We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Calderon, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All Mexico government forms need to also be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but, I don't plan to purchase car insurance,
and I probably won't make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone,
please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put U S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th.
I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.
13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be
extremely nice and never say a critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who come to the U.S. from Mexico.
I am sure that President Calderon won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
Thank you so much for your kind help,
Sincerely, US Citizen & Taxpayer