Yesterday I was speaking to a couple of City of Salisbury employees and they told me "no one" will listen to them when it comes to furloughs, raises, increases in health insurance and many other things. They then mentioned that no public works employees have been approached by any media in Salisbury about this or any recent budget.
So here it is.
City employees you have this comment section to say whatever you want to say to your leadership and the public you serve (that pays your salary). All I ask for is honesty and some sort of decorum. If you drop 223423908 F*bombs to express yourself the comment isn't getting through. I guarantee you people from all over the region (including City Hall) will read these comments or lack thereof and judge for themselves what you are or are not going through.
Here is your platform. I suggest you take it to try to get your point(s) across. If you don't use it, then that's on you and really makes a statement in and of itself. Don't blame SBYNEWS for not at least extending you a platform.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
43 comments:
Here is a question that I have for the Mayor, Jim Ireton, and the City Council.
When you are in the process of giving hard working city employees furloughs then why did you pay the travel expenses of an undesireable and unemployable candidate for fire chief of the Salisbury Fire Department.
That's right folks Jim Ireton authorized and paid for the traveling expenses of Bernie Becker from Ohio. Not once, but twice. Ireton told this guy the first time NO and then he brought this guy back and paid for his plane ticket and traveling expenses a second time? WTH!! This guy is trouble and this city needs to stay very clear of him. Now the city employees are paying for this criminal through furloughs.
I was in the dark about this situation, but found a website with several links to Dayton Daily News with the Bernie Becker allegations.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-16687477.html
I do need to make clear that I have no idea about the travel expenses.
Ron, the Becker guy is trouble and it is true about the travel expenses. What a poor decision on the part of our elected leaders.
Joe, I'm not a city employee, but I have friends who are.
Terry Cohen was on Bill Reddish this morning. She did take up for the little guy in the city who keeps the water running, plus patrol officers and ambulance people. She said others on the council don't want to raise fees for things like check bouncers to cover what it costs to deal with that. I was outraged!
These ridiculous government officials coddle those who bounce checks, but won't pay their rank and file employees.
Mayor and Council,
We understand the great challenges of our current economic situation that face our City. I do not believe anyone expects a raise for at least two years or beyond and thats understood. All we would request is that the jobs are preserved and services are maintained at a level the citizens expect and pay for.
As I review the proposed budget I see multiple araes where reasonable reductions can be made to save services. For example the $500,000 proposed for the river walk work. I walked the area and do not see anything that cannot wait for a year or two. Have you requested any funds from the federal government from the economic stimulus plan. These types of projects are what they are about. Hopefully good judgement will prevail and our great City will survive this period in history.
The city is already dead. The crossroads of Delmarva, land of no oppurtunity.
More info on the bad judgement call from our elected mayor.
Article: Township fire chief was warned in 2001 ; Clearcreek Twp.'s Bernie Becker is now accused of sexual harassment by his firefighters.
I give Perdue a year and bye-bye bluebird.
Mr Mayor. You have finally foound your "dream" of becoming Mayor. Now that you are look after THE PEOPLE. We are humans with rent payments, children to feed and clothe and purchase gassoline so we can come to work. Just think if your parents were treated like you are treating these employees. These employees are depending on you to do the right thing. To keep them in a job to take care of the family. How would your mom feel as your employee she had to give up part of a paycheck so Lori Chambers gets a whopping big increase. It is NOT fair to the working people who keep this city working well. Do some hard thinking and put yourself in the place of the employees.
I supported you 100% when you ran for mayor and THOUGHT you were a concerned person and woulde do the right things for us employees and citizens. Dont let us down.
12:16
the stimulus money is borrowed money. can you say greece. we cannot borrow any more money
well the one i have notice is the city is following what the state is doing to the state employees furloughs and no raises as well as 9 day pay pay back to the state. Welcome to the good state of maryland the place where we voted for a gov. that broke balt. when he was mayor. lets do it to the state
Well the Fire Dept. is shaving there budget by firing people who shouldnt be fired, so that they can pay for new toys. Wonder if the new Chief agrees with that?
Crime is out of control and they want officers to do everything in their power to fix that problem. How can this goal be effectively accomplished when EVERY officer will be given furlough days, thus placing fewer officers on the streets as opposed to more. SPD officers are already paid less than nearby state and county agencies in addition to not having take home cars as the other jurisdictions do. Don't turn SPD into another stop n go training location. To the city govt and officials...find a way to do what you know is right, not just focus on the dollar signs
While the city workers complain about furloughs, be thankful you aren't being hit again for more money out of your salary like those at the jail. They have to take furlough days and then on top of that they have to give up more of their salary. Not to mention the fact that those jail workers have to work 171 hours before they ever get paid overtime. Imagine if you had to stay at work for 16.25 hours because someone didn't show up to work and you are only getting your normal wage for that time instead of overtime. Why do they have to be stolen from like that when the sheriff's office across the parking lot doesn't have to. It should be that anything past 8 hours is time and a half, but not for them and there is no such thing as double time for the holidays. It is straight pay. Everyone is now making less now than they were two years ago, but none of your benefits are getting cheaper. I suggest everyone attend the county meeting tomorrow @ 10AM and demand some answers!
Anonymous said...
Well the Fire Dept. is shaving there budget by firing people who shouldnt be fired, so that they can pay for new toys. Wonder if the new Chief agrees with that?
1:19 PM
What new chief? Wannabe Mayor Ireton doesn't have the nads to make that decision. Like a Wus he is going to submit 3 names to the City Council and let them pick HIS department head.
Uh...Anon 2:05 PM, NEWSFLASH...this is a post about Salisbury city employees. Get a grip dude!
NO ONE should be getting a pay raise. They should NOT be moved in a higher paying position and do the same work. Delete the position you eveidently didnt need it.
Jim if mom got less money in her check at the end of the week you might not have gotten that three wheeler you rode as a kid. On the other hand Lori Chambers kids get something bigger and better than the kids of our city employees. It's only FAIR that no one get a raise or they ALL get a raise.
I agree with 1:04 PM. Why is Ireton trying to make friends with his enemies while turning his back on his friends and city employees who put him in office. Why are you giving your enemies massive pay raises?
Jim Ireton, I know you obviously have a short memory, but Lore Chambers, John Pick, Tom Stevenson and Susan Phillips were actively supporting Gary Comegys for Mayor. These people owe their allegiance to Barrie Parsons Tilghman. These people participated in the ugly blogs ran by the previous administration and mouthpieced by Jonathan Taylor and Outraged Richard.
These people are getting pay raises while the career firefighters are getting furloughs. The firefighters are some of the lowest paid firefighters in the state of Maryland and they went out of there way to endorse you and put you in office. Jim Ireton you are a traitor, you are a turncoat!
Thanks again Salisbury and Wicomico! You make it so nice to live in Somerset. Keep up the good work.
Jim Ireton has proven to be a failure, a flop, a weak mayor! A big disappointment to everyone who voted for him.
What happened to his few idiot followers who used to get on here and rant about Rome wasn't built in a day in Ireton's defense. Well guess what, Rome wasn't built in a day, but what has Ireton accomplished in just over a year in office? NOTHING! He has wasted more tax dollars and dug the hole deeper for this sewer pit of a city. One year of accomplishing nothing. That is 25% of a term for a one term mayor!
Jim Ireton did you understand that last sentence? That is right, one term mayor and many of us doubt you will get re-elected.
Public works employees have not been given a raise since BEFORE the economic meltdown. We understand the economy is crap now, but that was the same excuse 3 years ago when the police and fire dept rec'd raises. Meanwhile the fire dept gets a palace and fire boat and police salary has jumped 10k- which I think they deserve. But at some point the men and women that literally take care of the sh!t of this city need to be taken care of.
Riddle me this: how would the fire department put out fires without water provided by the water department that you have NO problem furloughing? How would the police and emts get to calls without good roads and working traffic signals? These positions are VITAL and have for too long been absolutely ignored and disrespected by Barrie and now Jim.
As Clay Davis would say, "This is some shameful shhhhhhheeeeeeeeeaaaait".
This column is not about a fire chief candidate or his past. Its about the city workers and the future they face. Try as nuch as you want, but your not respected and they will not follow you.
Jim Ireton must go. His actions are definitely impeachable!!
Since Jim Ireton is planning on furloughing city employees everyone of you people need to go to the Wicomico County Board of Education meetings and work sessions to demand that teachers get furloughs as well. You should also demand that full time benefits for part time teachers be eliminated(wink, wink). Start by going to the next worksession on Thursday morning. After all most city employees are county tax payers so please excercise your right to voice your opinion!!
WICOMICO COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Work Session
May 20, 2010, 7:30 AM
7:30 AM FY2011 Proposed Budget Dr. Fredericksen/
Mr. Cain/
Mr. Ford
Note: Board work sessions are open to the public and are held in the Board of Education office building unless
otherwise indicated.
My spouse, is a city of salisbury employee, and works for the public works department. Do you know that my spouse got up and worked around the clock for snow detail? Do you realize that my spouse gets out of bed to fix water mains and unplug sewer stoppages? Do you realize that my spouse does all of this, and yet now we are told we are getting fulough days, and have not received a raise, or an increase of living raise in about 3 years? Do you know that our health insurance went up, yet my spouse is dedicating his life and will gladly throw myself and our children on the back burner for the city of salisbury. We have bills just like everyone else. We pay rent, electric,a waterbill, car insurance just like Mayor Ireton and all of the council members. We have children that need to eat, be clothed and medicine's that need to be purchased. How do they expect to keep the hard working dedicated workers, if you do nothing to make them want to stay? Some are looking at having to get part time jobs, there for putting a hurting on the customer service that the public works department provides. I understand that the fire department is important, and the police department is important, but you people seem to forget about the littles that keep things going all the time. It must be nice for those city people that got raises, cause the rest of us are worrying about how we are going to keep our households running with the furlough days coming. I would love to meet one time with Mayor Ireton, and show him my bills and expenses and the money that we are left working with, when he is giving us furlough days, and raising our health insurance. The saying goes, is mama ain't happy no one is happy. I assure you, the public works department is mama, and they are so not happy.
Joe, it is obvious that most of these posts are authored by you. What a pathetic loser.
11:10
Spoken like a candidate who wasnt picked!! Nice try
1:19
How do you know they shouldnt have been fired? If they did to you what they did to someone else, I wonder how you'd feel then
2:51
Right on target. That's what happens when "your boy" gets picked last. You turn it over to someone else so you cant be blamed for making such a mistake!
4246
Dead on!
And furloughs for workers when there is $500,000 set for the riverwalk?????? Cmon! The furloughs dont even equate to $500,000. You want to save money? Spend less money on your people than you will on some project that is NOT necessary and put the difference towards your budget shortfalls and WIN all the way around.
That riverwalk is the thing that needs to be furloughed in this budget!
Furloughing City workers will only hurt the overall wellfare of the City. Mr. Mayor, if you are looking at making a difference and showing that you are a better Mayor and do care about Salisburys citizens, than you may want to make choices that differ from our last mayor. Your "enemies" didn't want you there, we did, because we thought you would be good for us and make things better. The City will go to SH#* if you continue on this path...
4:50- you are in la-la-land if you think Joe wrote these responses. Look at what city employees, especially public works has been through- 3 years of no raises combined with 3 years of health insurance increases. And you suspect that there isn't outrage out there? Try talking to the people that pick up your trash or sweep your street and see if this sentiment is real. I assure you that it is.
It takes the combined efforts of all the departments to run this city. I have always felt the public works employees were some of the hardest working and dedicated employees the city has. They are out 365 at all hours of the day and night to fix water main breaks,sewer backups,traffic lights,snow removal and other vital task. Imagine our city without water and sewer or snow like the winter of 2010. The city would crumble for sure. We should all appreciate the fine work that these men and women perform to keep our city running smoothly. They are a vital part of the city team.
Maybe Bryan Records ought to run for mayor !
City employees remember, alone you are one, but together you are many.
we have proven this works.Let the mayor & council know you are not going to sit down any longer and take this. There is no excuse for not getting raises for the last 3 yrs. costs have gone up but your wages have not. Apparently it hasn't made things any better sacrificing your welfare for them.
All of the city employees i know have sacrificed family time and would do it again & again to make sure the city runs and runs well, they are some of the most dedicated individuals in the public sector. again stick together and show them you are an important part of the city.
RP
4246 we know who you are and what goes around comes around ;-)
Public works needs leadership that will at least go out and justify raises for the employees of that department.
City employees have had one 2.5 percent cost of living allowance in the past five years. Yes, we understand that times are bad but raises did not come for us when times were good either. Wicomico County and other surrounding municipalities gave raises every year. It was a real slap in the face when Wicomico County employees got 8 percent and we got zilch! There is no voice for city employees and no one is willing to stand up for us. Mr. Mayor, you balanced your budget on the backs of city employees who make low wages and who have not had a decent raise in years. That is the thanks we get.
the lack of raises and the cost of everything going up causing city employees to look elsewhere for jobs. the city will lose good employees. what are you going to do to keep us here?
3:01 - you are wrong.....Not all of these people supported Comegys. Do not speak for me if you don't know what you are talking about.
9:26 makes a good point. The public needs to understand the context of what public works has endured. It's not really about not getting a raise this year- it's about repeatedly not getting raises year in and year out for most of the last 5 years- BEFORE the economy went down. Some of you can say that the Mayor is walking into this, but no one forced him to run.
The City is not fair at all it has been a hiding place for many who run for office in the City. Superintendent do what they want with nobody wholing them accountable for there action so that why the City Council treat the City employee the way they do because of the poor leadership we have. Everybody for there self. There is racial action, there are two difference rule for employee so you see we are all out of shape we it come down to the fact of the City Of Salisbury it is a big joke.
The City of Salisbury go out and hire people for top jobs that have no interest in the City this is one of the reason we have some many down fall in the City. the City Council for so many years have taking the City employee of pulbic work raise and give them to the fire department and the police department. They have never care and it has gotten worst. The City of Salisbury need to be investigated from the top to the bottom. There is a reason why a Director or a Superintendent do not help there employee.The employee have been doing everything for thereself with know help from there leader only when it come down to special people.
THE CITY OF SALISBURY EMPLOYEE NEED HELP, SOMEBODY HELP US HELP. you don't even treat slave's this bad. We are being treated bad. Call in A GOOD UNION FOR THE CITY EMPLOYEE. They need help and help bad. City employee are coming close in loose there home , cars etc. HELP. They have had a raise in Four to Five years and now they are getting furlough days when every other branch of the City either they are keeping what they all ready got with No furlough and No cuts So I want the citizen of Salisbury tell what is right and I will tell you what is wrong.
How long will it take for the Public to see and realize what the City employee do for this City. How long will it take for the Council and Mayor understand we are people and have family just like the police department and fire department. How long will the Director of public work allow these kind of action to continue O I forgot they don't care for there own people. They just make a show to fool the public, but let it come down to them and then you will see the difference in action and rule.
Funny you mention getting a UNION for City employees. The current Mayor is the member of a UNION, so I would think he'd sign off... or would he be hypocritical about it?
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