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JRG Blog

One of the funny things about being in the local media business is way that people in the business act like they don't read each other's stuff. We all do and we have for years, even before the Internets effectively ended the big media news monopoly.

Many of them try to admit they don't read the blogs and many of the old media members begrudgingly admit they read QuincyNews.org (they do, because my Google tracker tells me so).

This is the lead I am burying: The newspaper's FOIA request which led to the city admitting the cost of Firegate (It is what everybody calls it, so let's not get caught up on formalities, okay?) in Sunday's edition.

Looks like that $395,000 doesn't include the cost of the city lawyers, who are getting paid the same if they are sitting in on firefighter hearings or flicking paper footballs through each other's fingers (I'm not saying they are doing that, btw).

So let's just say the tab is $400,000, because we know there are other indirect costs. It is a pretty staggering amount and I think the biggest question is what exactly did this process accomplish?

I guess the city learned some union rules are pretty strong, of course if the mayor had some experience with the Fire and Police Commission, you would think he would have known that going in. Oh, wait...

Rules were broken and punishment was handed down. Apparently, the punishment did not fit the crime in two of three cases that went before the arbitrator. We don't know if that's the case for the women involved, unless one of them goes to court.

Looking back, I don't see how anyone involved in this process (from the accused to the cleared to the city itself) could say they would have handled anything related to this situation the same way.

It will be interesting to see if the city is serious about tightening its personal work done on company time mantra. It seems like there was no enforcement when Firegate started and now the city is (selectively) overreaching.

The city has done something similar in its policy dealing with Central Business District Revolving Loans. The city had a couple of loans that went bad, loans which they didn't actively collect and waited years before taking action and now the city has changed the policy so it will not sit second chairs on such loans, it must be on equal footing with the banks, even though the city is not (in most cases) putting in the same amount of money as the banks. I've talked to a few local bankers who are not very excited in participating in this type of arrangement.

The CBDRL plan is something positive for small business. In writing about the plan, I have never said it was a bad plan as a majority of the loans have been repaid. I just wondered why a few of the borrowers were allowed to seemingly take the money and run (see original old Holiday Inn loan, Newcomb Hotel, Quincy Polymers).

This seems to be a pattern with city government: Make a mistake, don't necessarily admit that mistake, but overcompensate when people start noticing the mistake.

really?
Posts: 1

velodude
Reply #5 on : Tue November 18, 2008, 21:24:44

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Ditto! I could not have said it better. How can the Mayor say, "I would do it all again" knowing huge mistake were made? Unreal........ The counsil needs to be asking big questions, they/ we the tax payers deserve answers. If they don't ask, they are no better than the mayor. To turn a blind eye is not the answer.

velodude
Posts: 1

Being Disciplined
Reply #4 on : Tue November 18, 2008, 12:39:32

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I wonder whether the mayor is getting -- or seeking -- advice in these matters. As I read it, the contract clearly calls for progressive discipline. While there can be actions so onerous that discharge is the only option, remediation, not punishment, should always be the first aim of discipline.

Money could be better spent -- and the mayor better served -- if his personnel advisors get some industrial relations training. They would learn quickly to advise him not to call those whose who work for the city's taxpayers "my employees." They might also help the mayor understand that each job in its own is as important as his. Good teamwork could have saved a lot of money and morale.

Council members need, too, to meet their responsibilities. It's not enough to dismiss such costly errors in judgment. Unless they are willing to take the same heat the mayor is taking, they need to push the administration for answers to the reasonable question, "Why?" Again, the idea is not punishment but accountability and learning.

Publius

cuervo
Posts: 1

Would be interesting
Reply #3 on : Tue November 18, 2008, 09:39:57

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It would be interesting to see a comparison of how many FOIA requests were submitted by the local media pre-QuincyNews.org and how many were submitted this year. My hunch is that the number has gone up dramatically.

Lefty
Posts: 1

Nothing to see here....move along....
Reply #2 on : Mon November 17, 2008, 22:14:13

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This is just a continuation of the Scholz administration. Nothing more - nothing less.

Sorta like our new president-elect. Running on a platform of CHANGE. So, who's getting mentioned for potential cabinet posts? The Clintons and former Clinton appointees. Damn few women, almost no minorities. Oh yeah, "Hispanic" Bill Richardson. Hell, he's about as Hispanic as Britney Spears is stable.

GoSalukis
Posts: 1

Prediction
Reply #1 on : Mon November 17, 2008, 14:11:28

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To overcompensate for the pattern of city government, how long before Spring brings the closer out of the bullpen and has Chuck Schloz (The Quincy Messiah) appear in an ad?

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