Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Concerned resident gets the "Council Crunch"
Peru resident Brian Foster approached the Peru city council last evening with an idea of providing an incentive of $250.00 to city employees who offer suggestions that could result in saving taxpayer dollars in excess of $5,000.00. Sounded good to me. Mayor Harl thanked Mr. Foster and pledged $250.00 also for the second suggestion. All is well right? What Mr. Foster could not have anticipated was the bizarre rejection of his harmless presentation by a couple of our finest. If I had not seen this one in person I might not believe it. Alderman Dave Waldorf (3rd Ward) was emphatic in his opposition to the idea because this would as he put it be rewarding city employees "For just doing their job". By all means alderman, lets discourage citizen involvement in local government every chance we get.
Now I have seen these aldermen berate and gang up on many individuals in open meeting who they determine are trying to encroach on their little domain. People with complaints about neighbors who don't cut their lawns or folks who are annoyed by the heavy-metal band playing at the neighborhood tavern. Even the family whose home along Church Street was inundated by stormwater in the great "100 year flood" of 2007 who asked Mayor Baker and the aldermen what the city could do to help them in front of a packed council chamber in the old Mirror Building? Baker looked directly at Mr. Smith and calmly replied, "We are not going to anything for you", and every alderman to a man sat their silent and indifferent because Don had made the decision and they all toppled like little tin soldiers. I have witnessed some pretty shabby treatment of many citizens who dare question the wisdom of our city council.
To his credit, Alderman Bob Ankiewicz did sail quickly to the defense of a fellow swabby.
Ahoy Bob! Yeomans work indeed! Then another classic Jack moment when O'Beirne who just seconds earlier had agreed with Waldorf that this was an ill conceived idea by Mr. Foster, pulled a complete 180 and says "I changed my mind and now I agree with Alderman Ankiewicz". It was Priceless.
Thank You to Brian Foster for stepping forward to make a difference in your community.
But in the spirit of our aldermen I must say, Just watch your step mister!
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14 comments:
Your perception of how our aldermen treat citizens is right on Steve. I have witnessed this at many meetings. Do you also get the impression that there seems to be a developing animosity or challenge amongst themselves? I do.
To Steve: Here is another book article to say nothing but "CITIZENS OF PERU this Mayor Harl is about to stab us again"
All the talk about TEST seems to be a chip on your shoulder.
Did you lose out to a contract to Test? Why the hate for this originzation?
You have a lot of bottled up hate for this city that in the past 44 yrs have progressed better then any other city in the valley. You know as well as I that the Mayor Harl has no love for this city but is taking steps to send us back to the dark ages and you like it .
Why are you intent on destroying the City of Peru ?
5:23PM
"but is taking steps to send us back to the dark ages and you like it" .
You are entitled to your beliefs but many of us feel that a breath of fresh air has finally been allowed into our city government. Things are now out in the open for all to see and the people are entitled to know what happened during the last 44 years to reach this point of crisis in our city government.
You need a button pinned to your shirt reading "I liked living in the dark its cool, I don't want to face reality"
Thank you for the kind comments. I actually anticipated some resistance – but not the direction it came from. I figured the department heads might push back since they will play the lead role in determining if the suggestions submitted have merit. I appreciate Alderman Ankiewicz jumping in. I actually had a few comments prepared in rebuttal – but things moved fast and I’m not used to confrontational debate.
1. Many private organizations give monetary awards to public employees – such as policeman of the year, fireman of the year, etc.
2. I view the City as a corporation that I hold shares in. The Directors (Council) and CEO (Mayor) work at my pleasure along with all of the employees of the corporation. So… my suggestion was like one of the owners of the company making a suggestion and offering money to implement it.
3. Unless empowered to do so, employees are under no obligation to save management money. That is the manager’s job. A smart manager will seek input from employees. It is only fair that they be compensated in some way for doing something that is NOT their job. Compensation can take many forms. I feel money is the best motivator for hourly employees. As a Navy Chief, my best motivational tool was extra time off.
One thing for sure – at least some people associated with Peru’s Government and daily operations will be thinking about saving money instead of new ways to spend it.
One last thought… WLPO reported that I was a City Employee. That is not true – not sure how she got that. Maybe her notes got jumbled – she did ask where I was from and what I did for a living.
Stevey, Stevey, Stevey. Let's see if this is correct. The Aldermen had an open debate about the merits of implementing an incentive bonus. No back room deals. No premeditated votes. A discussion and a vote. One Alderman actually changed his mind from this open, honest discussion and you STILL have a problem with it? You can't have it both ways.
Lois 7:02PM / Steve
Your wonderful Mayor, why don't you ask him HOW MANY APPOINTMENTS TO MEET WITH THE CITIZENS OF PERU on various issues to discuss matters, how many has he promised to attend but YET HE BLEW OFF AND DID NOT SHOW!
Thank God for the Aldermen listening to the people, but no Mayor.
Great mayor you suppport, Great for the city of Peru and its citizens. Three cheers for the really open government you talk about !
Knowing that, I can really sleep better at night.
7:02PM
Sorry YOU are the only one that has made that complaint so don't make it a big issue. I know many people that have taken their concerns to the Mayor without incident.
Considering how you are yelling on our blog, it is no wonder a meeting did not take place.
To 5:23 - How could I or any contractor lose a bid that has never happened? The answer is no. I have not, nor will I ever have any interest in doing business with the city of Peru.
I have no hatred of TEST, but I am very passionate about the need for fairness and honesty when it comes to my tax dollars being used to subsidize a company or an individual.
TEST, Inc. has never been required to compete for the honor to serve me and the other citizens of Peru. Don Baker and aldermen like Jack O'Beirne and Joe Mikyska have conspired to ignore the fair, honest and cost-effective practice of competitive bidding for the services that TEST provides. That is unacceptable as far as I am concerned. What these elected officiials have created (to the delight of TEST, Inc.) is a mind-set of many of the aldermen that there is simply no other option to the city other than handing over this contract to TEST. As Water and Sewer committee chairman, Jack O'Beirne has no clue how to operate these systems properly or efficiently, let alone cost-effectively. The Water and Sewer Fund runs a perpetual deficit and Jack's greatest concern is where the committee will have lunch after the meetings, and of course if he will have to pay. Here's how ridiculous things have become. If you were to ask O'Beirne at a city council meeting if the taxpayers of Peru are getting their money's worth from the O&M contract with TEST I would be happy to bet you $100.00 Jack would reply, "I'm gonna turn dat question over da Chris Perra to answer dat." "Chris, please tell us if you are providing quality cost-effective service to Peru."
I'm not kidding. It's that bad.
Bottom line is we will never know if we can do better until we try.
Regarding your last question........
Because my true identity is "Professor
Chaos", arch enemy of everything good and wholesome in Peru. You know!
Actually, just like "the Mayor Harl", "The Steve" really loves Peru and that is exactly why I want to change the things that cheapen and degrade her. I know we can do much better. And we will.
Does Wikipedia define the "Dark Ages" in Peru as 1965 to 2009?
To 7:59 p.m. - I didn't have a problem with the discussion at all. It was very entertaining.
I love it when we get those, the world according to Jack stories. Like this classic of a couple weeks ago.
"You know dair was a time when I yoosta walk down dair on dat old swing bridge and look down intuh dah wadder".
Steve....the latest Fund according to the Treasurer for April 2010 for the Water/Wastewater Department is: $2,131,595.59. Not much of a deficit there. Please check the Peru City website and then comment!
Why dump on the city employees to come up ideas to save money for the city ? Isn't this already the job of our incompident alderman ?
My comments regarding the Water/Sewer fund are based on its historical performance and the projected budget through fiscal April 30, 2011, and I stand by what I said before. If you review the monthly fund reports going back five years or even further you get an accurate picture of how well this fund has sustained itself. The positive fund balance you see at present is certainly due to the recent rate increase enacted by the city council and also Recovery Zone Bond proceeds recieved from the Federal Government. All of which is earmarked to pay for the Areas 4 & 6 Sewer Separation Project. There may also have been proceeds recieved from the recent bond issue for the May Road Storm Sewer Project.
If not for that very temporary surplus at present, that fund would already be right where the current fiscal year budget projects it will be. At a substantial "deficit".
I think you may have become programmed during the previous administration being too quick to accept some things at face value. Don't just scratch the surface. You have to dig pretty deep sometimes.
To Anon 8:54
This is not the job of the aldermen. The people whose job it is is the Mayor, the city clerk, the Supt of Public works, the Super of electric dept. In other words it is management working with employees to get the job done in the most efficient manner. To offer $250 for cost reduction ideas is kind of stupid when it is their job to reduce all costs .
Don't you see that happening in the city ? Look around , you don't have to be blind to see WASTE!
We have talked about it before in this blog.
Most ideas, which increase efficiency of an organization, are created by the employees performing their related occupation. The employees "on the job experience" lends itself to their pride in the work station.
You are correct in believing that this is already the job of the aldermen, as it is my job and your job and everyone else's job to endeavor to save money for the City. Kudo's to Mr. Foster for stepping forward. We grew up in the greatest industrial area in the world which is now labeled the "Rust Belt". Lets take ownership in our occupations and once again occupy this leadership position. Maybe today it is not an industrial society but it is still a society where we want to be leaders, not followers.
"The Nation of Sheep" was written too many years ago to be utilized as our age group's model. President John F. Kennedy told us in his Inaugural Address, "Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us". Let us all take that step together with Mayor Harl, Treasurer Hylla, City Clerk Bartley and our 8 City Aldermen towards the future success of Peru.
It is a good thing to know the who, what and why of the past. After all history is our foundation but we must also realize that the solution is not to attempt the impossible - to turn back the clock. The solution is to take this history, apply it to today and the future with both individual effort and teamwork in the environment of open thought and respect for all. THIS WILL CREATE SUCCESS.
Yes, good judgment, honesty and all other positive attributes are essential but the ability to work together as a team appears to be a critical concept at this time.
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