The City of San Jose is facing a whopping $100 million deficit for fiscal year 2010-11. Something’s got to give. Actually, a lot more than “something” has got to give, be cut, and/or taxed.
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a front page story that questioned the way in which American cities will be run and defined in the future. In his piece, reporter Conor Dougherty raised a number of issues that need to be addressed here in San Jose. Dougherty highlighted the troubles and travails of Mesa, Arizona. He cited Mesa Mayor Scott Smith’s belief that city service levels for his city will not return to prerecession levels for a long time, “if ever.” In an effort to cut costs, the City of Mesa has gone as far as to hire civilian investigators to do some after-crime reports and investigations, tasks previously done exclusively by police officers. “‘We are redefining what cities are going to be,’ says Mayor Smith.”
From the article… “Months after many economists declared the recession over, cities are only now beginning to feel the full brunt of it. Recessions often take longer to trickle down to local government, in part because it takes time for sales and property-tax revenues on which municipalities depend to catch up with a depressed economy.”
“More Americans work for cities, counties, and school boards than in all of manufacturing.” “More likely to be union members, government workers tend to be better paid and have greater job security than many of the taxpayers who pay their salaries….employment in local governments peaked in August 2008 and has fallen less than 1% since then, compared with a 6.3% fall in private employment from its December 2007 peak.”
They used to say that Social Security was the “third rail” in American politics…touch it, and you die. Public employee pay and benefits have become the new “third rail” for American politics, especially at the local level. The unions have a monopoly when it comes to labor costs in the San Jose City Government. They also have a monopoly on political power. Nothing will ever change in San Jose until someone reaches for and bends the third rail.
Its time to privatize city services…Not only will the private sector do a better job, it will cost the city/taxpayer less in the long run…
In other words, we’re going to cut libraries and parks so that police and fire can retire at 50 years old with $100,000 per year pension.
And, if you criticize it, people will talk about the dangers involved in “rushing into a hail of bullets.” (The jobs are actually safer than delivering pizza or being a farmer, but never mind facts.)
Just as we may need to ‘redefine how cities are going to be…’ so too should we (“we” = all of us) redefine how our city is run; what is working and what is not. (And let’s have honest and thoughtful dialog vs. mudslinging and finger pointing!)
More importantly, I want to see the phrase “public safety” re-defined (broadened actually) to include proactive options. For example, keeping our parks, pools, libraries and community centers opened and staffed provides safe and productive options for kids of all ages. It’s a form of public safety because it keeps the kids out of finding other more mischievous things to do. The result: we will probably need less of the services of our already-stretched-thin police and fire folks and we will keep our City employees working and productive as well.
So, when taking online surveys (or even some of the phone surveys I have participated in), I keep this redefined definition in mind: “Public safety” is multi-faceted and proactive vs. the more traditional and reactive definition it used to be.
My .02
Happy New Year everyone!
Tina
I see no reason why employees of the government need a union. The executives and legislators elected by the people are perfectly capable of setting the salaries and benefits of public employees in the interests of ALL citizens.
If the public employee unions continue to pick the pockets of tax payers to feather their nests, there will be rebellion.
Expect to see, sooner rather than later, ballot intiatives to disestablish public unions or radically trim their privileges and power.
“The times they are a changin’”
Greg, truly one of the stupidest comments to date. Congratulations.
Greg, truly one of the most intelligent comments to date. Congratulations.
Jay…not so much.
Happy New Year!
Greg, I stand corrected. Richard has the stupidest comment to date. You come in second.