[Vision2020] Moscow city pay raises

[Jim Baillargeon]

True, i doubt changing council members will matter much, but not because
i've given up on democracy. As you say, an entrenched bureaucracy. Ice Cream
is ice cream, chocolate or vanilla, at the heart of it , the same.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill London" <london@moscow.com>
To: "Jim Baillargeon" <jjbaillargeon@moscow.com>; "Vision2020"
<vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Moscow city pay raises


> I assume that you doubt that changing membership of the Moscow City
Council will
> make little difference because you have (like so many others in this
country)
> stopped believing in democracy.
> Perhaps I am terminally naive, but I still think that even here in Moscow,
with
> an entrenched self-serving city bureaucracy and a servile Council, that
> replacing the Council members with people who value the long-term good of
this
> city will make a real difference.
> BL
>
> Jim Baillargeon wrote:
>
> > Exellent points, BL,....Why do i doubt that electing "public minded"
council
> > members is going to change a bloody thing??
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bill London" <london@moscow.com>
> > To: "letter to editor" <letters@dnews.com>
> > Cc: "Vision2020" <vision2020@moscow.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 10:38 AM
> > Subject: [Vision2020] Moscow city pay raises
> >
> > >     When it was time for the Moscow City Council to give out raises
last
> > > year, they made sure that it was Moscow's city administrators who got
> > > most of the money.  These administrators' salaries were boosted by as
> > > much as $11,000 annually.
> > >     The rank and file workers (the ones who actually clean the streets
> > > and weed the parks) were not so privileged.  Most got a one-percent
> > > raise.
> > >     The Council chose to use our tax money to give more to the already
> > > well-paid, and a token to those who could really use it.
> > >     And now, the Council is covering up the results of that
impropriety
> > > by refusing to tell the public how much of our tax money those
> > > administrators actually receive from the city.
> > >     As was reported by Ted McDonough (Daily News, August 30) City
> > > Attorney Randy Fife refuses to give out the total salary the
> > > administrators (like himself) receive.  Council members should be
> > > disgusted by this effort to hide legitimate salary questions regarding
> > > public officials.  They are called public officials since the public
> > > pays their salary--and the public has every right to know how much
they
> > > are paying.
> > >     This city government is in need of an enema.
> > >     I am ready for the election of some public-minded Council members
in
> > > November.
> > > BL
> > >
> > >
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