I lost my attempt to get reapponinted to yet another 5-year term on the Fire & Police Commission. As past practice dictated, I applied by formal letter to the mayor; and the mayor nominated me as her choice when she announced her citizen appoinments to city boards, committees and commissions. In my case, the vote by the city council was five to five; the mayor did not exercise her option to break the tie so the vote died for lack of a majority. I was out! Forty-five years of experience flew right out the window!
The next day, I questioned why the mayor did not break the tie and she shared her concern for the five that voted against it! OK, I asked, “what about the five who voted in favor of it“??? Didn’t they deserve the same consideration and break the tie in their favor???
When I sat behind the desk in the mayor’s office, the time came each year to make those committee appoinments, and I would contact the people who were up for renewal and ask them them if they would considered remaining in service to their city. Some declined, usually due to other committments; and others had already contacted the office to inform me I would need to find a replacement. There was also a folder passed from one mayor to the next with letters showing interest to serve. Each year, there are at least 22 boards, commissions and committees for city residents to be appointed, to 3- or 5- year terms.
If someone showed and interest in serving on a particular commiittee, and the person currently serving was up for reappointement wanted to continue, I always welcomed the renewal, to take advantage of experience they possessed. I announced those appointments, and the council approved them.
So, what changed in the last 17 years?
In the case of my reappointment, it’all about POLITICS! And politics have no place in the dealings of the Fire and Police Commission. But that’s a hard pill to swallow for a handfull of city council members. The council president had asked me to coffee prior to the vote, to discuss the matter. When he finally got around to asking me, “how will you feel if you don’t get it?” I gave him my response and did not hold back on the adjecives!! His mind was made up, despite his parting comment, “I am going to vote my conciencse” he said.
Within the year prior to the end of my term, as I was serving as president of the PFC, we held a joint meeting of the council and PFC, and had gathered to specifically discuss the shocking revealation that the MFRD ambulance service was running $300K in the hole. Only a month before that, the city finance director informed the PFC of the situation. The PFC and finance staff held several meetings to understand the problem, when it became apparent to me and other members of the PFC that the problem was the result of something the city finance depaartment and the previous finance director(s) failed to do. They failed to provide the MFRD, and PFC with numbers needed for insertion – during several previous annual budgets – for any “uncollectable” ambulance recievable accounts. Coincidently, the number of years this covered, and the money not included in the budget, matched to the penny the money the budget was short!
At that joint meeting of the PFC and council, I started the meeting by announcing to them that we had been informed, we discussed it, and now we were bringing it to the attention of the 10 council members, saying, quite frankly, “we’re not pointing fingers, but…“. Well, it was in fact the city’s fault that it happened and the MFRD was not going to take the blame. (which, by the way, they did anyhow, because other aldermen insisted the city shouldn’ be the aambulance business ‘cuz it “lost money”.) When all was said and done, one alderman was not going to vote in favor of my reappointment because he “didn’t like my statement about ‘fingers'”! But, in the final analysis, I wouldn’t have started that meeting any other way. It was my intent not to be confrontational, but to promote a positive working atmosphere, to work together to come to a workable solution.
When the dust settled from that storm, the council did not budget for three full-time positions in the fire/ambulance department! They did promise that the open positions would be filled in subsequent years. Here we are a couple year later, having to work short (and with little regard for public safety); after a failed referendum asking if the posititions should be filled; and after sweeping me out the door -THE COUNCIL HAS STILL TO BRING THE MANPOWER IN THE MFRD UP TO FULL COMPLMENT!!!
PROMISES, PROMISES. THANKS FOR NOTHING!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
And I get to ride off into the sunset, I am left with time on my hands to sit like this on the sidelines and bring this and other important issues facing the city through this site. It’s not sour grapes! But rather an opportunity to say things that needs to be said without fear of retaliation (like kicking my ass out of local government)!!