What Was The Council Thinking When They Passed The Pay Raises?

Dear Editor, Your
”
Our View
”
columns in last week’s Dispatch and Ben Anderson’s recent
column, as well as letters to the editor about the city pay raises
were excellent.
What Was The Council Thinking When They Passed The Pay Raises?

Dear Editor,

Your “Our View” columns in last week’s Dispatch and Ben Anderson’s recent column, as well as letters to the editor about the city pay raises were excellent. It is difficult for us to understand why Jay Baksa would ever present an issue such as this to the City Council, but even harder for us to understand is that all our councilmen as well as the mayor voted for it with the exception of one abstention and the resounding “No” by Craig Gartman, apparently the only one to do his homework.

Our city is having problems funding sidewalk repair, parks, etc. Now, what’s it going to be like when this new policy takes effect? A recent Dispatch story announced the county will experience budget cuts, which sadly would hurt the nonprofit organizations. Were Jay Baksa, the mayor and the councilmen even thinking about the city’s future when they passed this?

Bob and Pat Lesko, Gilroy

City Council Should Reconsider Its Vote on City Pay Raise Issue

Dear Editor,

After sitting through the “consent calendar” portion of the April 16 Council meeting, I have been wondering ever since why our Mayor Pinhiero allowed Mr. Baksa to put such an important item on a consent calendar, since it would have been approved with no debate or discussion by any of the council members? I am glad one councilman, Mr. Gartman, had the guts to buck Mayor Pinhiero and Mr. Baksa and call for discussion on this very important issue. Shame on Councilman Valiquette and Councilman Bracco for not sticking with their original feelings on this pay plan. They should both reconsider and call for another vote on this at the next council meeting.

Wayne Castro, Gilroy

Now we Know Who’s Running the City, and it’s Not the Council

Dear Editor,

I voted for Al Pinheiro to become mayor, but I sure wont do it again. I could not believe he was for that pay schedule that Jay “gee-I-like-to-do-things-on-the-Q.T.” Baksa slid onto the consent calendar for the council to accept without discussion.

Private industry does not give such pay hikes as at least three city employees will immediately get. And tying managers’ pay to a schedule that always has to be 10 percent more than comparable cities is just plain dumb. I don’t think Baksa ever mentioned exactly which comparable cities would be used. As Gartman pointed out, it is a pyramid scheme with Baksa getting more at the top every time. Now we know just who is running everything at City Hall … and it sure isn’t the City Council.

Richard Janisch, Gilroy