WTF.
- Thread starter 68jk09
- Start date
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- 2,487
Ah, the youth of today's society. They know everything i.e. the law, their rights, the constitutionality of all they protest, etc. Now these budding "Einsteins" could probably quote every word that Abby Hoffman ever said and believe it. They will learn a quick life's lesson when on their sacred campus, void of Police Officers, they become the punching bags for some nefarious group of miscreants from the other side of the tracks. When that happens I hope the nearest Officers are on a "personal" elsewhere some distance away.
68jk09 said:
A major city that ALREADY provides FREE Counseling, FREE Methadone Centers, and now places where there is a supervised injection site for drug users. Just maybe things haven't been working because as a society, we have made it too easy, sometimes maybe even "encouraging" continued drug use.
Everybody deserves a chance to straighten out any mistake of using drugs. As a society, we should be willing to give them that one chance to change their lives. But NOT go this far as to help them push those needles into their bodies.
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 15,669
Is Chirlane McCray the co-mayor of New York?
By Rich Calder, Yoav Gonen and Kate Sheehy
March 5, 2018 | 10:01pm
Modal Trigger
Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCrayDavid McGlynn
This could be the most powerful unpaid internship in New York City.
First Lady Chirlane McCray has taken on a co-governing role in City Hall with her husband, Mayor de Blasio, that appears to have surpassed even that of his top deputy.
The unprecedented, unsalaried and by all accounts unofficial advisory post was on full display Monday in the announcement of Houston schools chief Richard Carranza as the city?s new schools chancellor. Hizzoner not only publicly praised his wife for her role in the selection process ? he mentioned her before First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan.
MORE ON:
CHIRLANE MCCRAY
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De Blasio's wife threatens to run for office
'Modern-day lynching': Lawyer rips case against Noerdlinger's son
Manslaughter case against Rachel Noerdlinger's son falls apart
?I want to thank Chirlane for the many, many hours she has put in this effort,?? de Blasio said in a statement before adding, ?I want to thank First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan as well. The three of us acted as a team.??
McCray, City hall revealed, also sat in on meetings all weekend between her husband and his top aides discussing the appointment. And the first lady was there when de Blasio made Carranza an official offer.
A quote from McCray was included in the stunning press release, too.
?I look forward to working closely with [Carranza] to help all of the inner cities? children and their families,?? she said.
But political observers say there?s more to McCray?s input in official city business than meets the eye ? that it is a bid to elevate her political standing for a possible run for office herself.
?There?s a concerted effort to get her as much exposure as possible,? said a source familiar with McCray?s role at City Hall.
?There?s a clear understanding ? that these are joint announcements, and Chirlane is going to have a presence and a voice every time one of these appointments is being made.?
Democratic political consultant George Arzt noted that ?rumors are already swirling? about McCray running for political office.
?She?s very powerful now, and I think she?ll become even more visible,? Arzt said.
?Certainly there has never been anyone like her in city government.?
When reporters Monday started questioning McCray?s involvement after the Carranza rollout, mayoral press secretary Eric Phillips testily tweeted back, ?She?s not only at all the big announcements. She?s involved in all the big decisions.?
And on NY1 later, a testy de Blasio dismissed criticism of McCray?s involvement in his administration as ?the most idiotic thing I ever heard in my life.
?It smacks of sexism,? he added angrily.
Modal TriggerLuiz Rampelotto/Sipa USA
But behind the scenes, the mayor and his aides have been laying the groundwork for McCray?s ascension for some time. De Blasio has been effusive in his admiration for ? and professional reliance on ? his wife since before he even took office.
Calling her ?my closest confidante?? and ?No. 1 adviser,? the mayor gave McCray, who draws no salary, a full-time staff of five to work out of both Gracie Mansion and City Hall, has her regularly sit in on policy and staff meetings and handed her official posts, from chairwoman of the Mayor?s Fund to Advance New York City to the head of a major mental-health initiative that provides services in the most needy neighborhoods.
?The first lady is obviously a top representative of the city, overseeing programs critical to our mental-health and anti-addiction campaigns,? acknowledged mayoral spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein.
Her starring role in Carranza?s selection, however, was a first.
Last month, there was another first.
For the first time since de Blasio took office in 2014, McCray officially announced another appointment with her husband in a press release.
?Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray Appoint J. Phillip Thompson as Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives,? read the City Hall press release.
Administration officials later claimed that the wording of the press release was unintentional and would go on to update it online.
?Certainly there has never been anyone like [McCray] in city government.?
- George Arzt
But a review of public records also shows that McCray has been upping her involvement in official city business.
In de Blasio?s first two years in office, McCray participated in 82 staff meetings, phone calls and public events with her hubby, the records show.
Over the mayor?s second two years, the first lady more than quadrupled her participation in internal meetings and public events, to 343.
McCray has also taken 10 solo trips out of the Big Apple since May 2015, including six that were billed to taxpayers. Three occurred in the past four months alone.
McCray?s excursions have included speaking engagements, award ceremonies and sit-downs with former presidential First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Rosalyn Carter and other high-profile elected officials.
The goal is to get her as much exposure as possible without including the burden of putting her under intense media scrutiny, said the source familiar with the situation.
?She doesn?t do interviews and doesn?t take questions at press conferences,?? the source said.
?There?s a concerted effort to get her as much exposure as possible ? without the heavy lift.??
Her experience includes overseeing the administration?s $850 million Thrive New York mental-health program, as well as the Mayor?s Fund to Advance New York, a nonprofit that raises money for various City Hall pet projects.
E-mails obtained by The Post show that while building her Gracie Mansion resume, McCray consulted in early 2015 with de Blasio?s main campaign pollster: Anna Greenberg, of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, in Washington, DC.
Modal TriggerStartraksPhoto.com
?I spoke with [one of your aides] today, and she talked about the initiative you will undertake in 2015 centered around mental health, domestic violence and [children ages] 0 to 3,? Greenberg wrote in an e-mail to McCray in December 2014.
?I would be very happy to talk to you about your plans and how it fits into what I see in the polling in the city and around the country.?
McCray wrote back, ?I would be so grateful to have some of your brain power.?
De Blasio campaign officials said Greenberg didn?t conduct specific polling for McCray but was referring in the e-mail to her general polling knowledge ? which, they were quick to add, she shared at no cost.
Arzt said he believes that the city?s first lady would be a ?formidable? candidate for several political seats.
He said he could see her potentially running to replace term-limited Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams or Brooklyn city Councilman Brad Lander, who represents Park Slope, where McCray and the mayor lived before Gracie Mansion and still own a home. Both terms expire in 2021.
McCray started the buzz herself in November ? mere days after de Blasio won a second term ? by telling Cosmopolitan magazine she would ?consider? seeking elected office someday, just not for mayor.
?We need women to run,? she said. ?I encourage women to run. So I can?t rule it out myself.?
McCray is a far cry from previous mayors? significant others.
The closest most recent comparison would be to Mayor Giuliani?s then-wife, Donna Hanover, in the 1990s, observers said.
Hanover had a staff of four and office space in Gracie Mansion. But she focused on charity and social issues and wasn?t involved in personnel decisions or policy.
By comparison, De Blasio ?is always running stuff by [McCray], and staff are always checking to make sure she?s been consulted,?? said the knowledgeable source.
?It?s very much a given that the administration is run by that partnership.?
By Rich Calder, Yoav Gonen and Kate Sheehy
March 5, 2018 | 10:01pm
Modal Trigger
Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCrayDavid McGlynn
This could be the most powerful unpaid internship in New York City.
First Lady Chirlane McCray has taken on a co-governing role in City Hall with her husband, Mayor de Blasio, that appears to have surpassed even that of his top deputy.
The unprecedented, unsalaried and by all accounts unofficial advisory post was on full display Monday in the announcement of Houston schools chief Richard Carranza as the city?s new schools chancellor. Hizzoner not only publicly praised his wife for her role in the selection process ? he mentioned her before First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan.
MORE ON:
CHIRLANE MCCRAY
New York leaders honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights legacy
De Blasio's wife threatens to run for office
'Modern-day lynching': Lawyer rips case against Noerdlinger's son
Manslaughter case against Rachel Noerdlinger's son falls apart
?I want to thank Chirlane for the many, many hours she has put in this effort,?? de Blasio said in a statement before adding, ?I want to thank First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan as well. The three of us acted as a team.??
McCray, City hall revealed, also sat in on meetings all weekend between her husband and his top aides discussing the appointment. And the first lady was there when de Blasio made Carranza an official offer.
A quote from McCray was included in the stunning press release, too.
?I look forward to working closely with [Carranza] to help all of the inner cities? children and their families,?? she said.
But political observers say there?s more to McCray?s input in official city business than meets the eye ? that it is a bid to elevate her political standing for a possible run for office herself.
?There?s a concerted effort to get her as much exposure as possible,? said a source familiar with McCray?s role at City Hall.
?There?s a clear understanding ? that these are joint announcements, and Chirlane is going to have a presence and a voice every time one of these appointments is being made.?
Democratic political consultant George Arzt noted that ?rumors are already swirling? about McCray running for political office.
?She?s very powerful now, and I think she?ll become even more visible,? Arzt said.
?Certainly there has never been anyone like her in city government.?
When reporters Monday started questioning McCray?s involvement after the Carranza rollout, mayoral press secretary Eric Phillips testily tweeted back, ?She?s not only at all the big announcements. She?s involved in all the big decisions.?
And on NY1 later, a testy de Blasio dismissed criticism of McCray?s involvement in his administration as ?the most idiotic thing I ever heard in my life.
?It smacks of sexism,? he added angrily.
Modal TriggerLuiz Rampelotto/Sipa USA
But behind the scenes, the mayor and his aides have been laying the groundwork for McCray?s ascension for some time. De Blasio has been effusive in his admiration for ? and professional reliance on ? his wife since before he even took office.
Calling her ?my closest confidante?? and ?No. 1 adviser,? the mayor gave McCray, who draws no salary, a full-time staff of five to work out of both Gracie Mansion and City Hall, has her regularly sit in on policy and staff meetings and handed her official posts, from chairwoman of the Mayor?s Fund to Advance New York City to the head of a major mental-health initiative that provides services in the most needy neighborhoods.
?The first lady is obviously a top representative of the city, overseeing programs critical to our mental-health and anti-addiction campaigns,? acknowledged mayoral spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein.
Her starring role in Carranza?s selection, however, was a first.
Last month, there was another first.
For the first time since de Blasio took office in 2014, McCray officially announced another appointment with her husband in a press release.
?Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray Appoint J. Phillip Thompson as Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives,? read the City Hall press release.
Administration officials later claimed that the wording of the press release was unintentional and would go on to update it online.
?Certainly there has never been anyone like [McCray] in city government.?
- George Arzt
But a review of public records also shows that McCray has been upping her involvement in official city business.
In de Blasio?s first two years in office, McCray participated in 82 staff meetings, phone calls and public events with her hubby, the records show.
Over the mayor?s second two years, the first lady more than quadrupled her participation in internal meetings and public events, to 343.
McCray has also taken 10 solo trips out of the Big Apple since May 2015, including six that were billed to taxpayers. Three occurred in the past four months alone.
McCray?s excursions have included speaking engagements, award ceremonies and sit-downs with former presidential First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Rosalyn Carter and other high-profile elected officials.
The goal is to get her as much exposure as possible without including the burden of putting her under intense media scrutiny, said the source familiar with the situation.
?She doesn?t do interviews and doesn?t take questions at press conferences,?? the source said.
?There?s a concerted effort to get her as much exposure as possible ? without the heavy lift.??
Her experience includes overseeing the administration?s $850 million Thrive New York mental-health program, as well as the Mayor?s Fund to Advance New York, a nonprofit that raises money for various City Hall pet projects.
E-mails obtained by The Post show that while building her Gracie Mansion resume, McCray consulted in early 2015 with de Blasio?s main campaign pollster: Anna Greenberg, of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, in Washington, DC.
Modal TriggerStartraksPhoto.com
?I spoke with [one of your aides] today, and she talked about the initiative you will undertake in 2015 centered around mental health, domestic violence and [children ages] 0 to 3,? Greenberg wrote in an e-mail to McCray in December 2014.
?I would be very happy to talk to you about your plans and how it fits into what I see in the polling in the city and around the country.?
McCray wrote back, ?I would be so grateful to have some of your brain power.?
De Blasio campaign officials said Greenberg didn?t conduct specific polling for McCray but was referring in the e-mail to her general polling knowledge ? which, they were quick to add, she shared at no cost.
Arzt said he believes that the city?s first lady would be a ?formidable? candidate for several political seats.
He said he could see her potentially running to replace term-limited Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams or Brooklyn city Councilman Brad Lander, who represents Park Slope, where McCray and the mayor lived before Gracie Mansion and still own a home. Both terms expire in 2021.
McCray started the buzz herself in November ? mere days after de Blasio won a second term ? by telling Cosmopolitan magazine she would ?consider? seeking elected office someday, just not for mayor.
?We need women to run,? she said. ?I encourage women to run. So I can?t rule it out myself.?
McCray is a far cry from previous mayors? significant others.
The closest most recent comparison would be to Mayor Giuliani?s then-wife, Donna Hanover, in the 1990s, observers said.
Hanover had a staff of four and office space in Gracie Mansion. But she focused on charity and social issues and wasn?t involved in personnel decisions or policy.
By comparison, De Blasio ?is always running stuff by [McCray], and staff are always checking to make sure she?s been consulted,?? said the knowledgeable source.
?It?s very much a given that the administration is run by that partnership.?
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 15,669
nypost.com
Junkies have turned $35M Bronx development into a shooting gallery
By Reuven Fenton, Yoav Gonen and Bruce Golding
2 minutes
A city-owned parking lot in the South Bronx that was transformed into a $35 million development has become a magnet for junkies who infest its outdoor plaza ? and leave behind their used needles.
The corner at 149th Street and Bergen Avenue is being used as an open-air shooting gallery by druggies who brazenly get their fix on the circular cement planters that double as benches.
?It?s disgusting,? said Alan Cantu, 45, while waiting there Wednesday for a bus.
?I mean, they maintain the park in terms of watering the plants and sweeping, but the junkies ruin it. I don?t see why anyone would hang out here if they didn?t have to.?
An employee of Triangle Equities, which redeveloped the site in a deal with the city in 2015, said he carefully picked ?dozens? of syringes out of the planters on a daily basis.
?This whole intersection is big with drug addicts, but especially the plaza, here,? the worker said.
In an ironic twist, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. had predicted during a 2013 ground-breaking ceremony that the Triangle Plaza Hub would ?provide a shot in the arm to our local economy.?
Triangle Equities said it recently installed high-intensity lights and security cameras to keep people from ?misusing this area,? but it ?may have to consider no longer allowing public access.?
The spot is stumbling distance from St. Mary?s Park, one of 16 green spaces in the borough officials have targeted for installation of 60 syringe-disposal containers and where The Post on Tuesday photographed two junkies preparing to shoot up under a tree.
Junkies have turned $35M Bronx development into a shooting gallery
By Reuven Fenton, Yoav Gonen and Bruce Golding
2 minutes
A city-owned parking lot in the South Bronx that was transformed into a $35 million development has become a magnet for junkies who infest its outdoor plaza ? and leave behind their used needles.
The corner at 149th Street and Bergen Avenue is being used as an open-air shooting gallery by druggies who brazenly get their fix on the circular cement planters that double as benches.
?It?s disgusting,? said Alan Cantu, 45, while waiting there Wednesday for a bus.
?I mean, they maintain the park in terms of watering the plants and sweeping, but the junkies ruin it. I don?t see why anyone would hang out here if they didn?t have to.?
An employee of Triangle Equities, which redeveloped the site in a deal with the city in 2015, said he carefully picked ?dozens? of syringes out of the planters on a daily basis.
?This whole intersection is big with drug addicts, but especially the plaza, here,? the worker said.
In an ironic twist, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. had predicted during a 2013 ground-breaking ceremony that the Triangle Plaza Hub would ?provide a shot in the arm to our local economy.?
Triangle Equities said it recently installed high-intensity lights and security cameras to keep people from ?misusing this area,? but it ?may have to consider no longer allowing public access.?
The spot is stumbling distance from St. Mary?s Park, one of 16 green spaces in the borough officials have targeted for installation of 60 syringe-disposal containers and where The Post on Tuesday photographed two junkies preparing to shoot up under a tree.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,392
I worked in that area from 1995 to 2004. On days when I didn't drive to work I got off the Subway at 149th & 3rd Ave. then walked through that plaza at 6am to get to my USPS job at Westchester & St. Anns Ave. The 4 legged rats would run right over my feet as I walked through there. The 2-legged "rats" wouldn't come out until after 11a.m. On some days when we were shorthanded, I would actually go out and deliver a piece of the route that covered that area. Because of all the vacant lots this was the biggest route in area goinf from 149th & 3rd Ave., east to 149th & Cauldwell, north to Cauldwell & 156th, then west to 156th & Bergen. When I first tranferred to that station in 1995, route #9 was referred to as an "Airport" due to the vast open spaces between bldgs. Nowadays it is getting built back up but the infestation of vermin (4 & 2 legged) has not been taken care of. 
As a young "War Years" buff I saw many big fires in that area. L17 used to be 1st due truck to most of it before 1968 when L55 was organized.
As a young "War Years" buff I saw many big fires in that area. L17 used to be 1st due truck to most of it before 1968 when L55 was organized.We are on a road to our own self destruction.
I thought things were looking bad in the 1990s, but now I look back and it seems the 1990s were the Good Ole? Day?s.
I remember a video that came out then called ?America you?re too young to die?. There was also song done by Gary Paxton about it.
It sure tells the story of what is being talked about here.
Someday today?s younger generation may wish they could go back to the days they never had the chance to know.
I thought things were looking bad in the 1990s, but now I look back and it seems the 1990s were the Good Ole? Day?s.
I remember a video that came out then called ?America you?re too young to die?. There was also song done by Gary Paxton about it.
It sure tells the story of what is being talked about here.
Someday today?s younger generation may wish they could go back to the days they never had the chance to know.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,487
Willy, you speak of today's younger generation wishing to go back to our "good old days", but according to them, we did not know anything, we were old fashioned and they have all the answers now because all they have to do is blame everything on someone else. No common sense (it's not common), no responsibility and above all it's "all about me."
I guess the title to this thread says it all. Some may NOT agree, but I think our society has gone completely crazy.
In this case I hope this police officer fights this suspension and wins. Gets back every penny with an apology, while enjoying this time off.
In this case I hope this police officer fights this suspension and wins. Gets back every penny with an apology, while enjoying this time off.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,487
Today's society mandates that each time a Police Officer dons his uniform he or she must ask themselves, "How do I want to be wrong today?"
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3,353
Just for the hell of it find out where Mia lives. Nice upper-class neighborhood? Just saying.
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 15,669
IT IS REPORTED THERE ARE 4.000 FF's IN HOUSTON & THEIR UNION BACKED THIS GUY... & THE GUY THAT IS SCREWING THEM WON BY 4.000 VOTES ?..... Houston mayor calls for 400 firefighter layoffs to raise pay for others
Mike Morris and Jasper Scherer
Houston Chronicle
Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to lay off up to 400 firefighters as he prepares to award pay raises required by Proposition B, the voter-approved charter amendment that grants firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank, according to five Houston City Council members who were briefed on the plan.
The move to fully implement the pay parity measure comes after talks between the city and fire union about phasing in the raises over five or more years became strained last week.
Meanwhile, city officials are preparing council members for the difficult task of closing a $197 million deficit in the annual budget that must be adopted for the upcoming July 1 fiscal year. About $80 million of that budget gap comes from the firefighters? raises, council members were told.
In addition to the firefighter layoffs, Turner will seek to close the deficit by asking all city departments to cut their budgets by at least 3 percent, a move that is likely to require layoffs of as many as 100 municipal workers, the council members said. Councilwoman Brenda Stardig said she was told no police officers will be laid off.
On May 9, Turner?s administration plans to issue back pay to firefighters retroactive to Jan. 1, which will total about $30 million, several council members said.
?So, basically, on May 9 you want to be hanging out near a firefighter because he?s going to be buying,? said Councilman Greg Travis. ?He?s going to have a lot of money on that day.?
The city plans to mail layoff notices to firefighters within weeks, Travis said. Among the layoffs are 68 fire cadets who Turner has declined to promote amid a citywide hiring freeze than has spanned more than five months. The mayor nonetheless promoted more than 60 police cadets Monday.
The fire cadets filed grievances against Turner Thursday claiming the mayor was discriminating and retaliating against them.
?I feel sorry for those guys because in about two or three more weeks they?re going to get the notice,? Travis said. ?It?s last in, first out.?
Turner?s plan would cut about $25 million out of the fire department?s $503 million budget, Fire Chief Sam Pe?a told council members. Officials have said that despite the cuts, the number of firefighters on duty at any time will not change.
Pe?a also has proposed a reduction in the number of firefighters dispatched to small fires at single-family homes, saying that sending about a third fewer personnel would free up resources without preventing the department from handling minor emergencies.
Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton said the layoffs would put the city ?below national safety standards.?
?The mayor?s hatred of firefighters now will have terrible consequences for us and for the public. He?s willing to destroy public safety in Houston to punish firefighter families,? Lancton said. ?A world-class fire department is being destroyed from within by third-rate politicians.?
Turner, who campaigned against Prop B and repeatedly warned of potential layoffs if it passed, told reporters Friday that his hands were tied because the charter amendment did not come with a funding mechanism. He also said the fire union rejected a city proposal to phase in pay raises. That offer did not appear to fully implement the charter amendment over the city?s proposed five-year window, falling short of increases in incentive pay that the finance department projects would be necessary to reach full parity.
?People want to put the administration in a box,? Turner said. ?If you don?t implement Prop. B, people criticize you for not implementing Proposition B. When we move to implement Prop. B, people say, ?We don?t want the layoffs.? Well, you can?t have it both ways.?
During negotiations since Prop B passed in November, the firefighters proposed to phase the raises in over three years, retroactive to July 1, 2018. The raises then would be distributed based on firefighters? length of service, with all members reaching full parity by July 1, 2020.
Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen said fire union officials should support the idea of phasing in the raises over five years, which she considers a more reasonable time frame.
?One of the critical things in this discussion is that, if the union would agree to implement the expenses over a five-year period, then we wouldn?t be looking at layoffs,? Cohen said. ?That?s the key issue, as far as I?m concerned.?
Turner?s slow implementation of the pay parity measure, which was approved with 59 percent of the vote Nov. 8, has prompted sharp criticism from the fire union. Lancton has said Turner was denying firefighters higher pay unlawfully, while the mayor insisted his administration was figuring out how to define parity across the fire and police departments.
One uncertainty appeared to stem from differences in educational requirements between the departments. For example, police officers must have a master?s degree to be promoted to assistant police chief, a stipulation that does not exist for assistant fire chiefs and fire marshals. Under Turner?s plan, firefighters would receive reduced raises if they lack the degree required by the corresponding police department position, multiple council members said, explaining why the latest cost estimate of $80 million falls more than $30 million below Turner?s previous estimate.
Councilman Mike Knox said he was not convinced that Turner could use the educational requirements to justify smaller raises for some firefighters.
?I?m not sure that?s going to fly,? Knox said.
Turner defended the move, saying the requirements are part of what constitutes parity between the departments.
?If within police, if there are educational requirements to get to a certain rank, then the same thing ought to be expected of fire, if you want parity,? Turner said.
Lancton disagreed, saying Turner was ?picking and choosing which parts of equal police-fire pay he will implement.
?Playing games with the education and compensation part of Prop B is dishonest and not with the letter or spirit of the proposition,? he said. ?City council members already tell us they?re uncomfortable with what he?s doing."
Meanwhile, Councilman Dwight Boykins said he again would propose a monthly garbage fee at the next city council meeting intended to reduce the number of layoffs. He floated a fee of $8 to $10, a total that likely would not cover the entire cost of firefighters? raises, but still generate tens of millions of dollars in new revenue. The fee would be tacked on to residents? water bills and exempt disabled veterans and seniors, Boykins said.
The District D councilman said Turner was noncommittal and told him to gather support from other council members.
A spokesman said the mayor told council members to bring their revenue suggestions to the council table.
Boykins originally pitched the idea of a garbage fee to help fund firefighter raises last December. At that time, he recommended a monthly fee of $25 to $40. Turner rejected the idea, saying he ?will not support forcing Houston homeowners to pay a costly new tax on trash collection to pay for firefighters? salaries.
Travis speculated that the confusion over what constitutes parity likely would spark a lawsuit. Already, the parity issue has played out in court through a case in which the city has alleged that Prop. B violates the state constitution, and another where the city is seeking a ruling that effectively would render the fire union?s collective bargaining rights unconstitutional.
The fire union also has asked a judge to force the city to begin implementing the pay raises.
Turner?s opponents in the 2019 mayoral election, Bill King and Tony Buzbee, criticized the mayor on Friday. Buzbee said Turner should prioritize cuts among other city departments, such as libraries and parks, while King said Turner?s "failure to negotiate in good faith" with firefighters led to the Prop. B-induced budget shortfall.
???
?2019 the Houston Chronicle
Mike Morris and Jasper Scherer
Houston Chronicle
Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to lay off up to 400 firefighters as he prepares to award pay raises required by Proposition B, the voter-approved charter amendment that grants firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank, according to five Houston City Council members who were briefed on the plan.
The move to fully implement the pay parity measure comes after talks between the city and fire union about phasing in the raises over five or more years became strained last week.
Meanwhile, city officials are preparing council members for the difficult task of closing a $197 million deficit in the annual budget that must be adopted for the upcoming July 1 fiscal year. About $80 million of that budget gap comes from the firefighters? raises, council members were told.
In addition to the firefighter layoffs, Turner will seek to close the deficit by asking all city departments to cut their budgets by at least 3 percent, a move that is likely to require layoffs of as many as 100 municipal workers, the council members said. Councilwoman Brenda Stardig said she was told no police officers will be laid off.
On May 9, Turner?s administration plans to issue back pay to firefighters retroactive to Jan. 1, which will total about $30 million, several council members said.
?So, basically, on May 9 you want to be hanging out near a firefighter because he?s going to be buying,? said Councilman Greg Travis. ?He?s going to have a lot of money on that day.?
The city plans to mail layoff notices to firefighters within weeks, Travis said. Among the layoffs are 68 fire cadets who Turner has declined to promote amid a citywide hiring freeze than has spanned more than five months. The mayor nonetheless promoted more than 60 police cadets Monday.
The fire cadets filed grievances against Turner Thursday claiming the mayor was discriminating and retaliating against them.
?I feel sorry for those guys because in about two or three more weeks they?re going to get the notice,? Travis said. ?It?s last in, first out.?
Turner?s plan would cut about $25 million out of the fire department?s $503 million budget, Fire Chief Sam Pe?a told council members. Officials have said that despite the cuts, the number of firefighters on duty at any time will not change.
Pe?a also has proposed a reduction in the number of firefighters dispatched to small fires at single-family homes, saying that sending about a third fewer personnel would free up resources without preventing the department from handling minor emergencies.
Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton said the layoffs would put the city ?below national safety standards.?
?The mayor?s hatred of firefighters now will have terrible consequences for us and for the public. He?s willing to destroy public safety in Houston to punish firefighter families,? Lancton said. ?A world-class fire department is being destroyed from within by third-rate politicians.?
Turner, who campaigned against Prop B and repeatedly warned of potential layoffs if it passed, told reporters Friday that his hands were tied because the charter amendment did not come with a funding mechanism. He also said the fire union rejected a city proposal to phase in pay raises. That offer did not appear to fully implement the charter amendment over the city?s proposed five-year window, falling short of increases in incentive pay that the finance department projects would be necessary to reach full parity.
?People want to put the administration in a box,? Turner said. ?If you don?t implement Prop. B, people criticize you for not implementing Proposition B. When we move to implement Prop. B, people say, ?We don?t want the layoffs.? Well, you can?t have it both ways.?
During negotiations since Prop B passed in November, the firefighters proposed to phase the raises in over three years, retroactive to July 1, 2018. The raises then would be distributed based on firefighters? length of service, with all members reaching full parity by July 1, 2020.
Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen said fire union officials should support the idea of phasing in the raises over five years, which she considers a more reasonable time frame.
?One of the critical things in this discussion is that, if the union would agree to implement the expenses over a five-year period, then we wouldn?t be looking at layoffs,? Cohen said. ?That?s the key issue, as far as I?m concerned.?
Turner?s slow implementation of the pay parity measure, which was approved with 59 percent of the vote Nov. 8, has prompted sharp criticism from the fire union. Lancton has said Turner was denying firefighters higher pay unlawfully, while the mayor insisted his administration was figuring out how to define parity across the fire and police departments.
One uncertainty appeared to stem from differences in educational requirements between the departments. For example, police officers must have a master?s degree to be promoted to assistant police chief, a stipulation that does not exist for assistant fire chiefs and fire marshals. Under Turner?s plan, firefighters would receive reduced raises if they lack the degree required by the corresponding police department position, multiple council members said, explaining why the latest cost estimate of $80 million falls more than $30 million below Turner?s previous estimate.
Councilman Mike Knox said he was not convinced that Turner could use the educational requirements to justify smaller raises for some firefighters.
?I?m not sure that?s going to fly,? Knox said.
Turner defended the move, saying the requirements are part of what constitutes parity between the departments.
?If within police, if there are educational requirements to get to a certain rank, then the same thing ought to be expected of fire, if you want parity,? Turner said.
Lancton disagreed, saying Turner was ?picking and choosing which parts of equal police-fire pay he will implement.
?Playing games with the education and compensation part of Prop B is dishonest and not with the letter or spirit of the proposition,? he said. ?City council members already tell us they?re uncomfortable with what he?s doing."
Meanwhile, Councilman Dwight Boykins said he again would propose a monthly garbage fee at the next city council meeting intended to reduce the number of layoffs. He floated a fee of $8 to $10, a total that likely would not cover the entire cost of firefighters? raises, but still generate tens of millions of dollars in new revenue. The fee would be tacked on to residents? water bills and exempt disabled veterans and seniors, Boykins said.
The District D councilman said Turner was noncommittal and told him to gather support from other council members.
A spokesman said the mayor told council members to bring their revenue suggestions to the council table.
Boykins originally pitched the idea of a garbage fee to help fund firefighter raises last December. At that time, he recommended a monthly fee of $25 to $40. Turner rejected the idea, saying he ?will not support forcing Houston homeowners to pay a costly new tax on trash collection to pay for firefighters? salaries.
Travis speculated that the confusion over what constitutes parity likely would spark a lawsuit. Already, the parity issue has played out in court through a case in which the city has alleged that Prop. B violates the state constitution, and another where the city is seeking a ruling that effectively would render the fire union?s collective bargaining rights unconstitutional.
The fire union also has asked a judge to force the city to begin implementing the pay raises.
Turner?s opponents in the 2019 mayoral election, Bill King and Tony Buzbee, criticized the mayor on Friday. Buzbee said Turner should prioritize cuts among other city departments, such as libraries and parks, while King said Turner?s "failure to negotiate in good faith" with firefighters led to the Prop. B-induced budget shortfall.
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?2019 the Houston Chronicle