After the burial of Paid Parking the city got down to the regular business of the Council
In the following series of videos Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco's shear lack of even the most basic concepts of management become all too painfully clear. Scirocco is being questioned by Council members over serious deficiencies in his Departments handing of cash and his lack of inventory control that is widely believed to have led to widespread employee theft in his department
The following videos are uncut and unaltered.
In this first video Scirocco is complaining about the complexity of the most simple business forms.
In this next video Scirocco is asked why his men can’t seem to count
In the third video Scirocco sheepish admits his men may be stealing.
In the forth somehow he blames McTygue for his own failings. This is always a Scirocco
Favorite.
And finally Skip pretty much admits he doesn’t understand basic City policy.
This stuff is hard to believe if you don’t see it yourself.
27 comments:
JT-
RE: "This stuff"
I've SEEN it myself. DPW was uber-vigilant about signing out every single set of canvas Work Gloves... well, that was under the former Commissioner in 2005 and 2006. I kept losing them, then signing for EACH new pair, and had the moolah taken from my paycheck. I lost enough gloves to fund the National Debt.
MUCH has changed since then. Most notably, the moral integrity of the Council itself. Though you only briefly touched upon "the burial of Paid Parking," I feel the selfish need to vent like the Blowhard I am. Please indulge me. Or not.
Even without Skip's theatrics,
it was a remarkable evening.
It was irresponsible leadership at its best.
There was no input from any certified "Expert"... yes Livin' Ben, there ARE such folks. And there was no input from the people who actually PAY to come to Saratoga to $upport our Merchant/Residents.
And finally, note there was no "input" from politicians/journalists in other cities similar to Saratoga Springs... cities with a "Tourist" economy and recently-installed state-of-the-art MODERN parking devices, not a meter to be seen.
After 2 1/2 years of tireless thankless unpaid blowhard work, I've contacted the "Experts" and found spokes-folk from SEVEN Saratoga-like communities. And in anticipation of the NEXT genuine Public Hearing, I had arranged to pay for them to come and speak. From some politicians, I got certified Depositions. And from Journalists...
...I got copies of their "BEFORE" and "AFTER" stories. In EVERY case, the merchants predicted Doom-and-Gloom and the End-of-the-World. And in EVERY case, the start of "Paid Parking" resulted in MORE commerce, BETTER traffic flow, and a Municipal Surplus spent on everything from flowers to street improvements to modern lighting.
Thanks to Joe Dalton et al, the people with genuine "been-there" experience never even got a chance to speak.
Last time I checked, Saratoga Springs does not have the authority to print US currency. Last time I checked, our Unions had suffered enough and were not ready to accept more layoffs.
Let the Unions talk to the Chamber to find the solution.
Because the City Council is a place of powerless cowardice.
I do not use those words lightly.
We elected the Council to make difficult decisions. I would not mind if they ended the "Public Parking" debate with a firm and unanimous vote of "NO."
But true Democracy demands a thorough and transparent Public process.
Our Council PROMISED us that much.
But our Council's promise means little in the face of an 11-member "Committee" of the Dalton/DBA attack dogs. In a nation where all voices have the right to be heard, Spa City speaks only the lingo of Broadway's TRUE Blowhards.
-Kyle York
So tell me Joe- Where the money will come from?
And Union members- Talk to Joe about your mortgage.
Let's see.
We have a $40,000 + benefits city employee at the recycling center who cannot count money or garbage bags? Anyone who has dropped off a computer monitor for recyling, knows the routine - $5.00 for the guy in the office and in with the rest of the metal goes the computer. No receipt.
And then we have PW employees in City Hall who are unable to count the money, sort mail and transmit checks to Finance.
"Nobody's an accountant in my Department" was the Commissioner's response.
You can't make this stuff up.
That mother f--king no good ass licking piece of shit!
thanks for the videos, i didn't stay
for this part of the meeting. too funny.
The union pigs feasting at the public trough and spineless politicians sucking up for the union vote still can't admit that they are the reason that the city is broke.
I kicked a retarded kid in the balls for no reason. He didn't tell on me, even though he was smart enough to. He never told a soul and neither did I. I am a lawyer for the state.I love kicking people.I think I will kick you.
These City Unions have better wake up, for the first time that I can recall I heard Council members talk of going to a volunteer Fire Department. You boys are pricing yourself right out of a job.
We are so in tune to the people's desires that we will support paid parking AND increasing the city workforce AND moving ahead with the construction of a super palace police HQ.
See this is why we are so successful: because we know what the people really want.
Anon 9:56, One of the reasons the City is broke is because they budgeted for money they did not have. This is not the unions fault. This would be like me buying a house, car and a vacation from the money I would get from my rich uncle's estate. Only one slight problem, he's not dead.
How idiotic to put money in a budget that you don't have. A truly responsible government budgets funds it knows it is getting, not what they hope they might get.
This is the perfect time though for changing the structure of the DPW and their contracts. The DPW should be split into two divisions, Grounds and Maintenance. There should be only one supervisor for each section. Not a supervisor for each department like now. Foremen, (at a lesser pay) can head the minor sections of each department. There should be at least 2 classifications to the workers. A junior member and a senior member. The junior making a lot less than the senior. The senior spot should be filled by the junior only if there is an opening. This will also be a stopgap for any future budget problems. You don't have to fill the senior position if the money isn't there.
Employees should pay more for insurance. Or for that matter, how about the City self insuring? This might work and save money.
What about a vehicle use fee on the Racino? This would be in much needed revenue. And it wouldn't be a burden on residents.
Der skipper may be incompetent, but Ivins is grossly inept. Twice putting money into the budget we weren't getting has caused major fiscal problems in the City.
This is a major problem that needs to be addressed. We are sinking into a quagmire and at some time soon the City will hit a point of no return and start sliding back to become a mini Buffalo.
I ask the following question in all sincerity:
Did this Skip guy graduate from high school?
great video john,it's hard to believe he's to dumb to be embarassed,I was crying laughing and screaming at the same time,THE SARATOGIAN should be very proud they endorsed this thing
You crack me up.demroc must be crying in his pasta over daddy being the laughing stock of the City.I wonder if they had a poll who was worse Paterson or Skippy who would win.
Let's encourage the City Council to continue to cut the City budget and it's workforce. In a long run, this sort of downsizing, no matter how painful, will prove to be good for the City in controlling future budgets.
Dear Fat Lady Sings,
Your comment about how many supervisors should be needed to control the City's DPW workforce is good. However, you are way to kind to Der Skipper with your idea that Scirocco has one foreman per department. How about the current situation where three foreman are in charge of three people? I know this borders on the ridiculous, but upon taking office in 2008, that's what "ya' know" Commissioner Skipper has done to reward his boy, Jr. "Big Deal" O'Neal.
I will fix this mess. I shall return!
Every day it's new drama about the fools in City Hall, especially in the DPW. The level of incompetence has reached a new crescendo with the latest scam dealing with Garbage Gate and the inability of Skippy Scirocco to keep track of the City's, for sale, trash bags. What an embarrassment for City taxpayers to have this level of sheer incompetence at the head of City Government. From what I understand about local politics, we can thank the likes of the former Mayor Keehn and her Democratic followers for this buffoon in Public Works. I guess I was duped into believing that Mayor Val Keehn was steering me right into believing that this guy was up to the task. How wrong was I...better yet how wrong was she?
If Skipper were representing the taxpayers he would do a productivity study of his people. Also he needs to compare costs of using his people to those of outside contractors. Then choose the best way to run his department that gives us the best value.
I just got home from work, and I feel I have to speak out. I work for the DPW and I must say, we are in trouble. We have lost all credibility in the City and with its residents. Most recently, all our problems are because of the lack of leadership and a basic undermining of public respect because of what's been going on in the City's Department of Public Works. We have clearly become the target of ridicule and taxpayer scorn. I fear for my job and i fear for the other people I work with. As I read this blog, I feel sad that the good workers in City government are becoming the target for other peoples failures.
Please have compassion for those of us who are truly trying to do our job right for City taxpayers.
5:34PM - I'm going to believe you.
I know that Cogan is out on the road trying to make the best of it - its a learning curve. Skip hasn't managed his department because he thought it would take care of itself. BIG MISTAKE AND GAMBLE FOR THE CITY. The PWD office is a mess. Those people haven't a clue how to be productive. The videos are an embarrassment to this city's taxpayers and all those people who know a good days work and want to earn and keep their jobs. The Union has been self-serving and that's the other problem. The public is tired. Very tired bud. Change is in the winds. Skip can't finish the job he assumed would be a piece of cake and some of those thugs who just continue to believe the shit won't stick to them had better begin to watch their backs.
The inability to count by $4 bills is pathetic. Hire someone who can count and keep receipts and really wants a job.
No lie, I saw two city workers on West Circular St. this morning with their truck idling while they went through a recycling bin at the curb in front of someones house.
anonymous said:
Hey its only a part time job, paying $14,000 a year. What do you expect....
JT-
Forgive me for flying past your "Parking R.I.P." story. Heck, we ALL did... because this post is an irresistible gem, hysterical world-beating genius.
But to backtrack, I thank you for your message meant for, well, for me- The only "Proponent" from the Public and my comment made at meeting's end. You wrote--
"Proponents of Paid Parking were flabbergasted by the deadly opposition that seemed to them to pop up out of nowhere. Well long-time City residents have seen it all before and we knew it was coming."
I too "have seen it all" beginning with my visits from RPI in 1973, my years shuttling between Saratoga and my family's Lake House, and my decade here full-time 24/7... most of it spent at City Hall.
More importantly, I've carefully studied all FIVE prior "Blue Ribbon Committee" reports on Paid Parking. No experts were ever consulted... no "Case Studies" were ever examined... nothing but the All-Powerful townies talking to townies. Oh, and FOUR of the FIVE reports were written by Joe Dalton.
But THIS time, Commissioner Ivins laid out a PROCESS in which the "Dalton Committee" would be only the STARTING point. And for the FIRST and ONLY time, the PEOPLE would have a chance to hear other information... more than the opinions of our friends up and down Broadway.
I take our Economy Mess DAMN seriously and so I set out to bring FACTS... the TRUTHS of 2010... because THIS time the PROCESS would be different.
Commissioner Ivins personally assured me that yesterday's "Public Hearing" was NOT for Public input. It was to be a "Work Session" for the Council to choose the two "best" proposals. The Council's hard work would define the framework for the PUBLIC HEARING scheduled for March 8th. And then, the Public would be heard.
So I arranged to have certified EXPERTS with national recognition attend and SPEAK. I searched long and hard for other year-round cities built on Tourism, towns with about 30,000 residents. Most important, I looked for towns that chose to RECENTLY install MODERN meterless Paid Parking systems.
I found seven Case Studies. I collected detailed letters from politicians and City Treasurers. MOST important, I had seven "WHOLE STORIES" as told by journalists.
JT- I respect the hell out of you and all "long-time City residents." I recognize the intelligence everywhere around me on our streets. And when presented with TRUE FACTUAL EVIDENCE for the FIRST TIME EVER... well, you'd be much slower to dismiss Paid Parking.
You would be stunned as the visiting Journalists would READ from their Pre-Parking news coverage... and you would SWEAR the comments were from OUR DBA. Each and EVERY Case Study documented INTENSE opposition and fear.
The visiting Politicians and Journalists would impress you in a serious and open VERY Public process that would present a rich context of the "Pro/Con" debate.
And you would sit up and take notice when you heard these visitors tell YOU how SUCCESSFUL each town was with their carefully-planned system. How they made improvements based on the weekly reports of usage and revenue.
You certainly would NOT have walked away from that PUBLIC HEARING and come out ready to deliver the "Native Knee-Jerk Reflex" to refuse any further debate.
You would have looked beyond "The World According to Joe Dalton."
-Kyle York
Democracy Silenced is Democracy Denied
The Duped Dem makes a good point.
So where are all the Democratic supporters that helped get this moron elected as Commissioner of Public Works back in 2007? Where are they now? Where's the Keehn's? Where's the Benton's? Where's the Goldburgs? Where's the infamous Brucie Roach? Where's Shawn the wonder boy? And let's not forget Ronnie Kim, Skippys buddie for the past two years?
Where are all these ingrates today,when Skippy needs them the most??
Total failure... that's where they are.
Mentally retarded disenfranchised city dem: Those democrats you speak of were not and are not Skippy fans. They used skip to suck up some of those votes. But other than that they are no more loyal to him than you clowns were or are to Johnson when you jumped on his band wagon.
Mr. York
Thank you for doing so much research into the paid parking issue. I was not a paid parking supporter but would like to read about the cities that have succeeded with paid parking so I'll be better versed in the issue when it comes up again. Would you let us know the cities you researched please?
1. The town of Hergzovrendai, Ukraine
2. The village of Gzadnia, Croatia
3. The hamlet of Pnotniaziac, Poland
To answer the question about Skippy's eduction - he dropped out of school the day he turned 16. I think this shows.I guess Val and all her buddies are just "far weather" friends of Skip. No where to be seen these days.
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