I just got back from the City Council meeting and my head is still spinning. I can only say that Masachusetts politics always finds a way to suprise me.
First of all, the police department has been like a morgue for the past few weeks, everyone was holding our collective breath for tonights meeting. All affected workers made damned sure we got their early in order to get seats. When you looked at the city council chambers all you saw was a sea of fire fighters, cops, and dpw workers all standing as one. It was an impressive sight.
The council (which I might add has 2 members that have a personal vendetta against the police department)
This "unbiased" councilor had proposed a budget that targeted the police department with cuts that would have decimated our ranks, equipment and vehicles. Some of the cuts included,letting go of "some" patrol officers, less police cruisers because we should really have more walking beats (yeah I could imagine the response times to calls if we had to walk to the scene) another idea of hers was getting rid of laptop computers because we all know that cops really dont need to run plates in order to find out if were stopping joe sixpack or public enemy number one. Non essential personel which basically would be calltakers and 911 operators.
I was waiting for one of these nitwits to propose that we turn in our kevlar vests because they could garner a lot of money to balance the budget if we sold them on Ebay to the gangbangers and how many times do we actually get shot at anyways? And while were at it maybe throw in a few rounds of ammunition because we really never actually shoot "all" our bullets.
I sat back and listened to this self important wenchbag attempt to decimate our department as she decimated the English language during her "supposedly own written statement" (Note to councillor, proofread your copy before going live in order to ensure you can pronounce all those big words) I was getting angrier and angrier.
By the time the Mayor got up to speak I was fuming, I listened as he chastised the council for their attempts to cut funding to police, fire and dpw. I figgured he would make his case, get his shots in and then there'd be debate and a vote that would in effect cripple the city. But then the knuckleball was thrown. There was a loophole, due to the fact that the mayor had proposed a budget (and sent the balanced budget forward to the department of revenue), it was voted down by the council (thus meaning that they had seen it and acted on it) they (the council) had 45 days to come up with a better plan and have it submitted or else the original balanced budget could be approved or rejected by the department of revenue.
The department of revenue faxed over their approval letter 5 minutes before the meeting got under way. The end of the mayors speech basically informed the council that their feet dragging and grandstanding had in effect rendered them impotent and that "This meeting can now be adjourned, the budget has been accepted by the DOR and now all I can say is that all the good men and women standing behind me in this chamber need to go now to make ready to go back to work.
So yes my head is spinning in a good way. It feels like a weight has been lifted and the clouds have parted. Yes my taxes will go up a little, but the city will stay safe and good men and women will not lose their jobs over pollitical posturing, grandstanding and vote whoring.
POSTSCRIPT:
THIS COMMENT WAS TAKEN FROM A LOCAL NEWSPAPER, AND IF IT IS AN ACCURATE STATEMENT (AND I HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEV THAT IT IS NOT TRUE) SHOWS THE CHILDISH MINDSET OF OUR CITY COUNCIL
Councilor: We're Going to Make
the mayor Suffer for Backing the police chief
A city councilor, (whose name is being
withheld at this point said of the recent budget battle:
"We are going to make him suffer, if he wants to
back the chief and let him do whatever
he wants on the police department we are
going to shut down the city. The chief is corrupt
and as long as the mayor defends him we are
not going to pass his budget, Period."
After hearing this comment I cannot begin to describe how good it felt to see these councillors seething when they found out they fucked up. They got to beat their chests, blow their own horns, and in the end they screwed themselves by trying to screw us and the public.
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