Dewey's Decimal System

[sgrizzle]

While I thought the term "new math" was forgotten. Our Mayor and Chief of staff keep inventing new ones.

About 5 years ago, the mayor's office had a roughly $1M budget and paid for Lafortune and staff.

Kathy Taylor took office and refused her salary. The office kept the same roughly $1M budget and used the unused salary money to hire some higher salary staffers. When the economy was tanking she cut back on her staff so the FY09/10 budget wouldn't go over.

Dewey Bartlett took over and hired some of the best paid staff in the history of the city as well as took his own salary. Now we are near the end of the year and to no-one's surprise, his office is broke. He says he needs $120,000 and that is "because this mayor is taking a salary"

Lie #1 - The $120,000 is needed to pay Dewey:
            Dewey's salary started in the middle of the fiscal year, and he took an 80% pay cut which means his salary only accounts for about $65,000

Lie #2 - The budget should be increased because the Mayor is taking a salary:
            The budget was not DECREASED when KT refused the salary so there is no justification to increase it.

Lie #3 - He has to pay his staffers the large salaries to get them to work there:
            His highest paid staffer is earning double what his last job paid and his second-highest paid is earning 20% more than he was paid at the last job he was fired from.

Lie #4 - The City Council cannot refuse the request due to the city charter:
            The city charter requires the Mayor's office to be funded, but it still has a budget. There is no "pay people as much as you want" clause.

Lie #5 - The City Council has no choice, they can't just work people unpaid:
            the Mayor's office has known they were burning money too fast for months and tried to get an increase months ago to cover for it. The Council's hand is not forced due to a man-made crisis. Waiting until the last minute like this is a bad poker move and the last poker move they tried (with the FOP and the federal grant money) didn't turn out well either.

Lie #6 - The Mayor's office still has open spots, which means they have cut back:
             The Mayor can hire up to 16 people and has a $1.1M budget for salaries. It's like a 3yr/36,000mile warranty, your limit is whichever number you hit first.

[tulsa_fan]

Thanks Scott, that's just the type of factual info I expected someone from here to share, it's the truth and I'm glad the council voted NO toinght.  The reality is EVERY department was underfunded this year, and EVERY department did what they had to do to meet budget, paycuts or layoffs, it was across the board.  I'm so sick of the lies . . . .

[sgrizzle]

Story on the rejection:
http://krmg.com/localnews/2010/05/tulsa-city-council-rejects-may.html

Quote of the day:
A clarification was also given by Councilor Bill Christiansen about calling Bird and two other members of the mayor's staff "Sidewinders."  Christiansen says he was referring to left handed baseball pitchers and not the snake.

[custosnox]

Really wish I could have made it for this one

[T-town girl]

What is really sad about this situation is that we are only in month five of a four year term! I am tired of this mayor trying to throw Mayor Kathy Taylor under the bus every chance he gets - she kept a balanced budget - Mayor Bill LaFortune kept a balanced budget! And have you noticed that every time a city issue comes up - this guy is out of town. How many trips has he taken since he has come into office? I think he has taken a trip once a week since December. How can I find out??

[Conan71]

Could Mark Perkins honestly have done a worse job?  Is anyone else finally convinced that Bartlet (sic) was a proxy for Terry Simonson and that he's a part-time mayor?  Anyone else pissed off at the size of the salaries the GOP cronies are getting out of this?

We didn't want Simonson as mayor, that's why he FAILED in two mayoral campaigns.

[cynical]

Could Mark Perkins honestly have done a worse job?  Is anyone else finally convinced that Bartlet (sic) was a proxy for Terry Simonson and that he's a part-time mayor?  Anyone else pissed off at the size of the salaries the GOP cronies are getting out of this?

We didn't want Simonson as mayor, that's why he FAILED in two mayoral campaigns.

Bingo!  I met Simonson when he was assistant to Dick Crawford back in the mid-1980s.  It was a similar situation.  Some of you will remember that Crawford was never very sure about what city he lived in.  He was kind of a good-natured bumbler.  Simonson ran the place but never accomplished anything.   Perhaps I expect too much. 

Since I'm sure he is not the only reliable party member available, I've always wondered why Republican office-holders keep him around.  It is obviously not for his legal expertise.  Can anyone closer to the Republican establishment shed some light on this?

[SXSW]

It's a shame Tom Adelson wasn't elected.  Hope he runs again as well as Mark Perkins. 

[Rico]

No one is looking at the "big picture"..

The little "Bird child" needs some new shoes. With the absence of the $120K they will have to go barefoot and their Daddy will have to continue working in the Brownfields.

Have a little mercy for "Skeet" won't you?

[rwarn17588]

Could Mark Perkins honestly have done a worse job?  Is anyone else finally convinced that Bartlet (sic) was a proxy for Terry Simonson and that he's a part-time mayor?  Anyone else pissed off at the size of the salaries the GOP cronies are getting out of this?

We didn't want Simonson as mayor, that's why he FAILED in two mayoral campaigns.

Frankly, none of this surprises me.

Bartlett is another in a long line of so-called conservatives who do conservative things ... except when it actually has to apply to him.

[Conan71]

It's a shame Tom Adelson wasn't elected.  Hope he runs again as well as Mark Perkins. 

I was a supporter of Adelson when he announced.  I also voted for him in his Senatorial campaigns.  His mayoral campaign rapidly became a train wreck when he got sucked into the mud-slinging.  I think he proved he did not have the temperament to be mayor.  As well, there are now sound bites with him claiming to be a proud liberal Democrat.  Tulsa has no problem voting for Democrats when it comes to city and state level office, but Democrats in this state would be Republicans in most any other.  Tulsa voters will never elect someone who is so openly liberal, by their own account.  I was incredibly disappointed how his campaign turned out.

I've not heard anything out of Perkins, whom I voted for, since right after the election.  They sent out an email saying he wasn't done by a long shot and to expect to hear more from him.

[tulsa_fan]

KT tired of taking the blame . .

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0510/738309.html

[custosnox]

Out of curiosity I wanted to look up the procedures for recalling the mayor, if the public was so inclined, and I can't find anything in the charter for this.  DId someone forget to include this when the charter was written or am I just not looking in the right area?

[tulsa_fan]

Article VII, Section 1.2, City Charter:

GROUNDS FOR RECALL.
Any elected officer may be recalled as provided in this article for any of the following reasons:
A. Willful failure or neglect to diligently and faithfully perform any duty enjoined upon such officer by law;
B. Intoxication in any public place within the city produced by any substance or combination of substances voluntarily taken;
C. Commission of any act constituting a violation of any penal statute involving moral turpitude. Such an act has been committed, within the meaning of this Section, when the officer involved has been convicted thereof by a court of record;
D. Habitual or willful neglect of duty;
E. Gross partiality in office;
F. Oppression in office;
G. Corruption in office;
H. Extortion or willful overcharge of fees in office;
I. Willful maladministration;
J. Habitual drunkenness; or
K. Failure to produce and account for all public funds and property in his hands, at any settlement or inspection authorized or required by law.

SECTION 2.1 PROCEDURE FOR RECALL. If the officer sought to be recalled was elected from the city at large, a preliminary petition for recall of the elected officer must contain the signatures of qualified electors residing in the city equal in number to five percent (5%) of all those voting for the affected office in the last preceding general election.

[tulsa_fan]

I have a petition that is already being circulated.  Now that the citizens can see if this isn't just about "greedy police" maybe its time to close the deal and get the recall going.  If nothing else, I hope it would send a message to DB.  Of course, I'm naive enough to believe he wants to be a good mayor, each day that passes, I'm proven wrong.  PM me, I'd be happy to mail you a copy for you to sign and others if interested.  One of these days I'll be collecting signatures at the driller's game.  Wish I'd had it at Bedlam, the mayor was just a few rows behind me, how funny would that have been to be collecting signatures and come upon him.   I feel sorry for him, but I can't let that stop me for pursuing change before its too late.