Dear Editor, It’s amazing! Once again City Manager Jay Baksa,
without informing City Council because it’s his alone
”
administrative responsibility
”
, wheels and deals community money to enrich retired (Dec. 2006)
Police Chief Gregg Guisiana and retired (Jan. 2007)
City Manager’s Shadowy Deals Aided and Abetted by an Indifferent Mayor
Dear Editor,
It’s amazing! Once again City Manager Jay Baksa, without informing City Council because it’s his alone “administrative responsibility”, wheels and deals community money to enrich retired (Dec. 2006) Police Chief Gregg Guisiana and retired (Jan. 2007) Assistant Chief Lanny Brown. How? They stay in their jobs but become hourly employees. The result, reporter Emily Alpert summarized: “Both now collect more than $100,000 in state pensions, and if they work the full year, more than $100,000 each in wages. If both chiefs work a full year, Guisiana will earn $277,772, and Brown will earn $247,426…”
What is the hourly salary that puts both so high over their pension-only income? Says Alpert: “… under California law, all employment contracts are public information.” But “human resources director LeeAnn Phillips refused to release copies of Guisiana and Brown’s contracts, and referred the Dispatch to the city attorney, who did not return calls.” What are these two, Baska’s storm troopers in stonewalling and secrecy?
It’s time City Council remind Mr. Baksa he’s a city employee answerable to council for his decisions – decisions which should be approved before committing city funds and/or people toward his secretive plans and projects.
Beyond Baksa’s seamy strategies, who comes out really sounding bad? Gilroy’s mayor, the indifferent Al Pinhiero. Alpert reports his views on the latest ‘shadow government’ spending plan as: “Jay’s doing his job. I don’t see what the big hoopla is.” and “… as long as Guisiana and Brown are at work, the mayor said, he’s satisfied. The pension is irrelevant.”
It isn’t your money, Mr. Pinheiro, so indeed – what’s the big hoopla? You were voted into office to oversee city actions/commitments an assure those best served the city’s citizens. Gilroy doesn’t need a ‘shadow government taking independent action behind council’s back. It doesn’t need a mayor indifferent to where taxpayers’ money goes … nor to whom.
James Brescoll, Gilroy
$1 Trillion Down the Drain and We’re Worried About $100,000 in Local Money
Dear Editor,
The McClatchy Newspaper Group analyzed the 2005 U.S. Census, and the following issues were noted:
– severe poverty in the U.S. increased by 26 percent since George Bush has been in office
– while wages and income have stagnated, corporate profits have never been higher
– Americans are working longer hours, for less pay, and the median-household income has dropped each year since 2001
– the severely poor segment has grown from 8 million to 16 million in the past five years
– the medically uninsured has grown from 39 million to 47 million since the Bush administration has ruled
Now this is progress! While the U.S. is mired in a Middle Eastern civil war quagmire, our international coalition partners are fleeing like rats in a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.
So what has Bush Jr. done for the country since his ascendancy to power? If one questions corporate executive boards, they couldn’t be happier. If one questions the middle class, things couldn’t be worse. If one questions the poor, well, no one questions the poor because what they say doesn’t’ really matter anyway.
Where do we go from here? Studies of the impacts of the Iraqi debacle predict that it will cost us taxpayers at least $1 trillion in direct budget expenditures. Additionally, it will take another $1 trillion to care for the Iraqi wounded over the next 40 to 60 years as well as paying for the cost of oil price increases (gas was $1.45 per gallon when Bush came into office and is now pushing $3), and other microeconomic factors.
And we’re focused on our city manager attempting to save a $100,000 of our local funds.
Paleeeese!
Dale Morejón, Gilroy
