We take a look at the stories that are coming to the web and in
the paper. This week: the police chief takes aim at a staffing
report, we examine a possible conflict of interest for the mayor,
and high gas prices hit the city and school district.
1. Chief disagrees with staffing report
Police Chief Denise Turner told the council recently she does not really agree with the bulk of recommendations in a consultant’s report earlier this year. That report advocated many personnel changes to give officers more time to patrol the streets instead of responding to calls, but it relied on vague statistics kept by the department.
Officers now record more detailed statistics about their calls, and when the department analyzes these new statistics beginning at the end of the month, the results will differ from the consultant’s “faulty” conclusions, Turner said. Beyond this, budget cuts have put the kibosh on hiring, and two cops are eligible to retire this year, which could further hamper street presence.
2. A mayoral conflict of interest?
Mayor Al Pinheiro is the only council member to sit on a for-profit board of directors outside the city, but nobody seems to think it’s a big deal. His position on Pinnacle Bank is unpaid, but the city attorney for San Jose said he would strongly encourage council members up there to avoid taking similar positions.
In a small city where part-time politicians make ends meet with day jobs, though, past mayors and current council members say Gilroyans should not expect their elected officials to avoid certain roles in the private sphere. And if there were an actual conflict of interest regardless of any perceived conflict, the mayor would do the right thing, they said.
3. City, school district hit by high gas prices
With skyrocketing gas prices, nobody is immune. We take a look at how the city and school district’s transportation budgets and fuel expenditures stack up compared to last year’s numbers.
