The mayor is now angry with the Council for agreeing to accept a half million dollar grant from the feds to replace retiring fire fighters. The Council agreed to this because we asked each department head to figure out how to do more with less while at the same time, find alternative revenue to pay for operations (ie state or federal aid). The mayor did not want us to accept the grant and has vowed to veto it because he wants the department to agree to employing part time dispatchers. Not sure why he would do this. With fewer personnel at the KFD, we’ll be paying more in overtime.
A former Alderman in the City of Kingston, Bill now resides in the Town of Ulster.
Kingston Today 
Of course you know why he wants to hire part time people with that money. Heck, if you want to know but don’t want to ask him, I’ll tell you.
That doesn’t help, pretending there is no rational alternative to whatever you think is right.
Hey Bill,
Just wanted to say that I like your blog. Keep it up! I just added it to my MyYahoo! page so, i’ll stay up to date on what you’re doing.
thanks!
Paul
Thanks, Paul!
Your failure to understand is disingenuous: the mayor is trying to negotiate more flexible contracts. And you are not helping.
The public labor sector is naturally voting its own interests. It is quite the same phenomena as early socialization attempts that gave the factory workers control of over management: they voted themselves great jobs and put the companies under. Then there are the tests that allow lab animals to get certain rewards by pushing a lever, and they will do that to exhaustion.
For our own good we must set up structures that limit our ability to self reward, and deflect the obloquy that gets directed at anyone who must speak the truth to the people: “We are out of money. It is gone. Sorry.”
The issue runs deeper than the simple notion of entrenched interests feeding at the trough to the public’s detriment.
Well then go deeper! Let it all out. And I don’t characterize it as “feeding at the public trough”… that’s inflammatory, that’s ad hominem
These are good people, but we cannot expect people to not only act against their own interests, but even take the lead in doing so.
You have space to write here, you have an audience: put it all out there. State your case.
The grant will enable us to reduce hundreds of thousands if dollars in overtime costs. We asked the chief to cut costs and find alternate sources if revenue when the Council conducted budget deliberations last fall. He is attempting to do that with this grant. This however will be impossible if the Council and Mayor don’t agree to accept the grant moneys.