Well tonight’s budget workshop at the Canfield Casino was a subdued affair, missing the usual firebrands of the grand old DFC. No Val or Kim not a Benton or Goldberg in sight as a matter of fact, I didn’t see one sitting member of the Democratic Committee in attendance. I guess for all practical purposes they have become irrelevant to the city.
Most Commissioners but especially Commissioner of Public Works Anthony "Skip" Scirocco offered band-aid solutions for the cities economic black hole, with Scirocco wanting to tax everything from our dogs to the sky above our homes. Scirocco who lacks even the basic skills of budgeting, laid out ideas, all of which the adults of the Council politely pointed out were full of shit. He also never brought up his reported “half a million dollar surplus”This Video shows just some of the ideas from Commissioner of Public Works Anthony "Skip" Scirocco from new fees to reassessment in a down housing market, that would transfer more of the Tax burden from Commercial real estate to homeowners not to mention the half a million dollar cost. Remember you elected this Rocket scientist. WARNING watching Scirocco can be painful
In this video Scirocco shows he lacks any understanding of the cities sale tax formula with the county.
Commissioner of Accounts John P. Franck's assessment of the situation the city finds itself in is particularly grim. Seeing no improvement in the cities economic outlook for the foreseeable future, he called on the Cities unions to make sizable cutbacks or face severe layoffs. I would go a step future and warn them they might be witnessing their own extinction, if they don’t take a more reasonable approach in Contract negotiations.
Well the only bright spot was Mayor Johnson's announcement that the there might be a real saving, but not a reduction in the cities heath insurance rates. The public comments were for the most part intelligent and coherent. Former Commissioner of Public Works Tom McTygue’s comments about workers giving up one workday a month to save jobs was particularly well received by the crowd.
Gone were the uniformed police threatening the public with rape and pillage if a single city cop is laid off. Commissioner of Public Safety Richard Wirth can be thanked for taking the fear mongering out of Public Safety's repertoire. Wirth has brought a level of respect back to Public Safety, something that was sorely needed after four years of Kim’s bombastic rhetoric and fiery press conferences.
I will tell the Commissioners that the Public is in no mood to be nicklered and dimed to death with new fees, fines and bullshit. Time to sharpen the knives for cuts, for as Commissioner of Accounts John P. Franck said, "the Pigeons have come home to roost."
26 comments:
JT-
Pulitzer-worthy reporting, as per is the norm! But I've gotta' beg to differ on the 4-star rating given to the Public Comment.
I was there, of course, NEVER one to miss a chance to Blow my Hardest. And as specifically requested... dare I say "CHARGED" by Commissioner Ivins and the Council... I selfishly seized the mike with the promise of seven "highly specific" income-generating initiatives, each carefully "researched" with Case Studies, City Ordinances as written verbatim, legal Court decisions supporting the City Ordinances, and a brief description of how each of my "INITIATIVES" might generate "REVENUE" for the City.
I was aware of the Council's need to hear ALL Public Comment... as long as they weren't Public Comment on Paid Parking. After all, the "Hearing" was only happening because the Council reneged on the promise of a "Parking Public Hearing" after they killed the very concept of "Paid Parking" on the advice of an 11-member Committee that declared that ALL FOUR RFP proposals/responses were "POISON" because of the lousy/flawed RFP... the very RFP proudly created by that very same 11-member Committee. Not one single citizen was ever allowed to offer an opinion.
ANYWAY,
I was presenting my seven specific initiatives, edited for length but with enough specificity to indicate the research behind each of the seven ideas.
Not even mid-way through, the Council pleaded with me to "hurry it up." And so I did.
The rest of the Public Comments were from our City's finest minds. Lots of Big Generic Broad and Sweeping... posturing. The sole exception (viewed from my seat in the Dunce Corner) was ex-Commissioner Mctygues's fervent plea that Union employees voluntarily sacrifice "one paid day per month" in order to create the REAL SAVINGS to help keep fellow employees on the payroll. The time-tested idea was well-received by the audience.
But not even one controversial ex-Commissioner was urged to "hurry up." Nor was there one single interruption of the parade of passionately plodding speakers promoting generic non-specific "Odes to the Obvious"... like "we need cooperation" and "we need consensus" and "we need to revisit fees structures and permit pricing"... nobody else was interrupted and directed to "keep it brief."
MY QUESTION... directed ONLY to people who actually were THERE... I ask you wise witnesses-- HOW on GOD'S EARTH were my SEVEN IDEAS so lacking in specificity, seriousness, potential REAL revenue... or unsupported by research, and Case Studies... that I was offered less respect than every single speaker on that momentous Monday night?
I even proposed an initiative to make Condominium Owners PAY into City coffers to partially compensate for their city-subsidized "Tax Shelters blotting out the Morning Sky."
It's not that my all-consuming ego was hurt or wounded. It just seems that my seven specific Revenue-generating initiatives were dismissed while the Council listened with rapt attention and utter silence to familiar and beloved faces preaching the mantra of TSOGS (The Same Old Generic Shipt).
The most famous and oft-repeated gem was "While an increased Sales Tax WOULD generate revenue, I am NOT proposing any increase in the Sales Tax!" The crowd went wild. Every time.
PLEASE SPEAK, my neighbors and witnesses. Because I have NO IDEA why my initiatives did not warrant the respect of a Council on a night filled with the echoing Earnest Ether of Empty Rhetoric.
-Kyle York
Show Me the Money
That's a good point about the missing in action DFC crowd. Hanging low, huh folks?
It was good to hear from Tommy McTygue again. He made more sense in a two minute public comment period than Scirocco does in a year
It seems just the other day that Kim was pounding his chest demanding that they build a 30 million dollars Police Palace for him and his boys. Now they have to have a bake sale to pay for hay for the Police horse
JT, lets' not forget Scirocco raised the price of the landfill bags from $3to$4 without an explaination (33%) increase and last night he wanted to raise the fees on dog liscenses(this is his true field of expertise)and he also wants to create a new tax of $25 on each home owner to repair storm water drains(taxes all ready go for these repairs)this would be a double tax.The fact is scrirooco just wants to tax you out of your home...check his voting record,he needs to make more cuts.he also mentioned doing a reassessment(very costly)and with property values down slightly there would probably be a negative return.Did they ever find those missing boxes of bags(17 in all $12,000 value)...amazing that this bird brain continues to get a free pass from Barbara Lombardo.
Scirocco seems to want to kill this town by nickleing and diming us to death. Tell me Skip what are your crews doing on this beautiful day? I bet not a dam thing. Send them home Stop them from driving in circles trying to look busy
Mr. York - Perhaps the old adage "familiarity breeds contempt" is fitting here. Even though it is certainly your right, perhaps staying away from a public comment period every once in a while would make the council more receptive to your thoughts on the occasional times that you do show up
Mr York
I was there. Your comments were WAY too long. The counciul was correct in asing you to 'hurry it up/ Trust me when I tell you, the eyes were rolling in the room as you rambled on. And on. and on....
My advice: learn to present your ideas more concisely and in a 'summary' format.
Otherwise your poor presentation skills will continue to trump what could very well be legit ideas .... in the public's mind.
I know I personally gave up listneing you after your "point #1". As did my neighbors.
Don't play the victim here. Take it as a lesson learned.
Tommy McTygue was one speaker last night that truly had something to say. His idea for cooperation from the City's workforce, for voluntarily giving up one day a month, had real merit. At the very least this idea would test the Union's resolve in working with the City during this difficult time. It would also circumvent and diminish the Union's role by allowing individual employees to step forward and offer help to the City without the Union getting in the way. You can bet the CSEA and the other City unions would balk at such an idea because their power over the City would in effect be compromised. Then, if there is no cooperation with voluntary days off, let the lay offs begin!
McTygue had it right and it was good to hear him again offering up important and meaningful ideas at this community forum. To bad the local newspaper didn't report his comments. Unfortunately, and I'll bet, the new reporter for the Saratogian didn't even know who Tom McTygue was. It's sad that good ideas don't get reported. However, in today's edition of the local newspaper, a paragraph of ink is dedicated to raising fees on dog licenses and sandwich board signs.
maybe kyle should hire someone to speak for him at these meetings. while the man may have an occasional good idea or two, he is absolutely horrible at explaining himself in front of an audience.
and i agree with the poster above who stated that maybe kyle should stay away from a meeting or two as well. he has really gotten to a point where nobody wants to listen to him anymore because he has an opinion and answers for everything it seems.
kyle, i like the initiative you show, but you are one of the worst public speakers i have seen in quite some time.
Alas, I must bear the "Rolling of Eyes" for my "Sins of Specificity." For some reason, I am hopelessly forever mired in the "Factual Information" thing.
FAR BETTER to get a crowd on the edge of their seats between rounds of raucous applause. All I need to do is turn to the Grand Generic Spa Clichés- "We need more coordination!... We need efficiencies!... Less partisanship!... Speak with NYRA!..."
I understand how BORRRRRING it is to focus a citizen's mind on factual information. That is why our community is only all-too-happy to leave those silly/boring/eye-rolling details to a "Blue Ribbon Committee."
You know, the kind of 11-member team who write an RPF, then receive four responses to their RFP, only to then say "WHO WROTE THIS LOUSY STINKIN' RFP????? THESE RESPONSES ARE ALL USELESS!!!"
“We in Saratoga Springs need to be smarter!”
Now THERE'S the crowd-pleaser to beat 'em all!
-Kyle York
Rolling my Eyes
"The Unions elected me to spend money not save it"
Skip Scirocco
The Saratogian beat Mctygue with bullshit,Scirocco does not know how to manage,dumb never grows into being smart,he has and he never has had the experience to manage the complex operation that is the dpw today,it's more than streets and side walks and the people around him including his new dull deputy are actually dumber than him,2 and 2 is 5,next question.Scirocco while he was a supervisor voted for the county wide landfill...it never came about,but it did and does cost the county 10s'of millions now he wants to turn the transfer station over to County Wide refuse who are his biggest campaign contributors,it would be wise to keep on eye on this slippery career politican and hope he doesn't fool us again!
It's official:
Kyle York is the new Village Idiot.
Sorry, Colonel.
Kyle I see the flamers are out in force today.
For what it’s worth your proposed crackdown on Motorcycle straight pipes was right on the money. I don’t give a rat’s ass if we need the money or not. They are a menace to the peace of our community and this from an ex Harley owner who had to give it up for a convertible when my legs gave out. Haft of the noisy fuckers are from Japanese rice burners anyway. These clowns don’t know jack shit about bikes. I rode my through a couple of rough winters from the Hub to wherever, down to Florida and wore the road out between here and Hampton beach. These idiots couldn’t make a run around Saratoga Lake in a drizzle.
Your comments about cell phones was right on. I don’t care again if we need the money or not but if I see one more Soccer mom driving junior to school in her Hummer while putting on makeup and yapping on the phone I’ll scream. If I can see it through my half blind eyes I don’t understand why more cops don’t. I’m sorry about your 3 through 6 suggestions but you did put me to sleep after two. Just kidding but a little brevity might go a long way.
But it's all about ME!!!!!!
Ben-
Be VERRRRRY careful or the word will get out that it's now a threesome with you and me and Phil.
JT-- THIS BLOG is the PLACE for BREAKING News. And I've got one you might deem "Decline-Worthy"--
THIS VERY MORNING on WAMC at approximately 10:10 am, BARBARA LOMBARDO announced LIVE AND ON THE AIR that The SARATOGIAN is about to take an IMPORTANT STAND on an ISSUE. I am NOT making this up.
She and the interviewer got to talking about CHARTER REFORM. Babs said there had been a "poor and hurried" attempt "earlier" (see Val & DRC & Candidate Young Lombardo). But a new serious look at change is underway.
THEN CAME THE BOMBSHELL... YOU READ IT HERE FIRST--
In the coming weeks, said Professor Babs, The SARATOGIAN is going to be publishing a SERIES of stories on the NEED FOR CHARTER REFORM...
...it gets better...
THE SERIES is being crafted in cooperation with the INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMITTEE that has been studying the issue. That would be the committee under the guidance of PAT KANE.
I kid you not.
It happened TODAY...
and you read it HERE FIRST!
-Kyle York
Anti-CellPhonite
Anti-LoudHogite
Please, dear fellows and maybe ladies???
Let's stay focused on the real problem of incompetence facing our City; and it's not Kyle York.
Kyle,if I may, a word of suggestion to your approach. Keep it as simple as possible. Frankly, you are talking to people in City Government today that can not even take on the most trivial of tasks. How in the world do you expect these morons to comprehend what the hell you are talking about?? I don't mean to be curt, but its true. You are discussing ideas that is way beyond their job description.
Charter Reform! Yee Ha! About Time that people took this serious. This group of idiots running things right now are the worst we've had in years. Let's get this party started!
If the charter is reformed we will get a new batch of idiots running things. Who is to say there will be any difference in the way taxes keep going up or the limited representation of 5 council members.
To Liquid Nails:
First, don't blame everything on the Council. The City has been living under the weight of the Unions for far too long. The recent pathetic excuses for mismanagement in one department will be addressed.
Tell us what you know about Charter Change:
1. Name a city with a Manager/Executive of similar size (27,000) that has comparable statistics and is overall better off than our own? In addition to electing our legislators, our public has the privilege of directly voting for the executives of our various City departments. As citizens and taxpayers, this is democratic representation.
2. Accountability under a strong City Manager/Executive would be gone because oversight over the executive function of the various departments of the City through the ballot box is lost and the taxpayers still have to pay the bills. Would the City Manager/Executive appoint department heads? Would the executive appoint the Assessor, the Assessment Review Board? If the public were unhappy with one department head would the executive become vulnerable at the next election cycle? (answer: no)
3. With an Executive, the City would have not five legislators, but many "at-large" City Council legislators. Will voters lose control over the executive functioning of the various departments of City Hall? (answer: yes)
4. The present Mayor has the power to appoint and shape the direction of the City, for good or ill, but this would pall in comparison to the consolidation of new powers in the City Manager/Executive's office to appoint department heads, administer departments and create budgets for all departments, shifting fiscal priorities. Will you have oversight of that? (answer: no)
5. Shouldn't we be thinking creatively how best to improve our present accountable City government and Charter and perhaps imagining staggered, and perhaps longer, term seats with limits? Presently, our elected Council has to satisfy their voting constituency and divide the pie on the table - it's that simple.
6. If a Commissioner fails he/she is not reelected.
7.As far as the old reformers opining now for new recruits, remember that The Change the Charter Committee and Saratoga Citizen –- are all tied together to elect Pat Kane the certifiable ominpotent incpemotent.
Yea,changing the form of gov't will do nothing but hide the fact that the saratogian endorsed skip zerocco and were're all paying for it now.Maybe the saratogian will use as a TEMPLATE the same managerial wazardy that drove their parent company JRC from $70 a share to being worth 1/4 of a cent that's a fact,Barbara Lombardo is on a mission to destroy the city of saratoga springs and its' uniqueness,just look at their parking lot,use that as one example to their committment to this city and then try to park there,they'll have you towed,no form of gov't is succeeding in these tough econmic times, lets be patient,tough deceisions have to be made and they will be under this form of gov't.
I pick my nose and eat the snot... but I like the hard stuff, not the gooey. My dad once said when I was a kid "he likes the pies, not the sauce!",I 'm in Hell. I'm having an affair with the sexiest black woman who's 10 yrs younger than I. I long to be single and not in this crazy house
Dick Wirth is ruining the police/fire dept. Cutting 14 positions, dare, k9 and child safety seat program. What a joke this clown is.
Comm Wirth is doing a very good job at cutting where it is needed.
Those that are friends of the cuts don't like it. Too bad.
Just wait and see: MORE CUTS TO COME....
Barb Lombardo just can't except that she was fooled by a bigger FOOL, his name is Skippy.
She has been elevated to a position at the Saratogian that is beyond her capabilities. [The Peter Principle]
Too bad we can toss her from office like we will with Skippy.
But then again the Saratogian is not long for this world.
Post a Comment