Just say no to pay grab
To the editor:
On June 12 the Breeze published an interesting editorial, “Ballot Clutter.”
The most astute observations contained therein concerned City Council asking you via referendum in November to approve their 45+ percent raise and an annual Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase. The theory behind this was 1) they earned it. Councilmember Nesta said, “I think the citizens need to step up and pay their council members.” and that the current council is the most active the city has ever seen; and 2) a 45 percent + COLA raise will attract a better class of candidates.
Let’s look at these assertions. 1) This is the most active council ever. This is a surprising comment from someone who is mostly sphinx-like on the dais. He usually gives deference to the aphorism that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to . However, on one level he is right. After all they have given us a 7 percent Public Service Tax on our electric bill (added to the 3 percent franchise fee we are already paying to the city). They gave us a fire services assessment which will increase and take more of your money year after year. They have taken away your rebate for recycling, they have spent more money on travel than any other Council and they have presided over increasing the head count on the city’s payroll to over the 2,200 mark. The city is now the second largest employer in Cape Coral, behind only the school system. Council is also planning to spend approximately $73,000 of your money on new carpeting and furnishings for their City Hall offices. So, I guess, at least, in the realm of taxing and spending Mr. Nesta is correct. It is too bad that the result of all that activity is to take more of your money away from you. As you read this, the City’s army of well paid consultants is hard at work on preparing new taxes and higher fees to pay for your government’s extravagancies. 2) A 45 percent + COLA raise will attract a better class of candidates. I agree with The Breeze’s conclusion on this, “Ahem.” While it is true that in the recent past council has had less-than-stellar members – two were arrested for felonies, one lost his day job with the school system amid allegations of sexual harassment and other improprieties, and one successfully violated the City Charter with impunity by moving out of his district to live with his paramour. Not a great record is it? But, will more of your money solve it? One only need look at the incompetence, dishonesty, corruption, lying and illegal activities committed at the federal level where the pay is substantially higher to draw conclusions.
Being a council member is a unique job. In effect, for four years you have no boss, no one to answer to, no one to supervise you and no performance objectives or quotas to meet. The only requirement is that you attend council meetings and vote. There are no set work hours. Some – a small minority – work from 9 5 and some – a small minority – show up just in time to make the meetings. Some are inspired mostly by the opportunity for public service, some run to serve special interests, some to achieve reforms; some are motivated by ego and some to advance personal political aspirations.
A better solution to the proposed 45 percent + pay raise plus COLA is to double the salary and reduce the number of Councilmembers to four. After all, the Lee Board of County Commissioners run the entire county with five members, do we really need eight derrieres to warm chairs on the dais? This solution would cost you nothing; by doubling the salary and halving the members the payroll would remain flat. In fact, you would even save money as each Councilmember also receives $7,668 in benefits with the option to take the $7,668 in cash toward an annuity as Councilmember Erbrick (currently running unopposed) does. In fact, this proposal would actually save you $30,672 per year or $122,688 over a four-year term in tax money. We could actually see if more money provides better candidates while at the same time saving money. Too bad council did not see fit to offer you this alternative.
What is the solution? Come November vote NO on the pay grab and vote OUT all incumbents.
Ok, now it is time for you “dark siders” to blog your anonymous, vituperative, inane ad hominem attacks.
Bill Deile
Cape Coral