With the mayor refusing to cough up city cash for a $20 volume of accounting rules sought by at least two city councilors, the city’s firefighters are stepping into the breach.
“We’ll pay for them,” said Tom Bentivengo, who heads the fire union.
Bentivengo said the union is willing to purchase a half dozen copies of the Government Accounting Standard Board’s 200-page book detailing the need for municipalities to detail the costs of any post-employment benefits that employees are slated to receive.
Mayor Art Ward, who refused to authorize buying the books with city money, said he appreciates the union’s willingness to buy them.
But, he said, “they’d be better off donating the money to Haiti
Read the rest in The Bristol Press, link to follow.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
36 comments:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How true!
Art martha didn't listen in Mass.Look what happend there.Labor look out this adm.is coming after you .
too bad Tom wasn't as concerned about our contract negotiations, we wouldn't be in arbitration getting our pay cut to shreds. needs to pay more attention to us than political skirts.
Of course they will. Then there union boy McCauley will vote no and keep screwing the taxpayers again.
how come McCauley doesnt want to work light duty at the firestation but is ok to work as a councilman. Just because he's not seen at City Hall doesnt mean he's not doing Council work. If he can talk on the phone and email as council, then he can talk on the phone and do paperwork at the station.
Sound a bit fishy to me. Maybe Personel Director will do her job for once and address this issue.
Ward, why don't you donate your vacation money to Haiti?
Or at least your monthly expense account?
Or back to the city?
Bentivengo:
Pay for your health insurance and retirement plan instead.
January 20, 2010 7:12 PM:
Good point. The answer is (unfortunately) he doesn't have to.
How long has the contract been in negotiation?
Bentivengo has gotta go...he is a cancer on our firefighters. This guy thinks with the wrong orefice and is pig headed. He wants things from people and has no respect for them.
Laid this guy off. The firefighters will be much more happy and probably not all bogged down in silly union socialist contract bable.
Great picture of Mr.Klocko: real professional looking!
Is he related to Rosenthal?
Ward is wasting money and he can't even see it!
9;44
If he admitted that he saw it, he would have to do something about it.
Case closed.
11:29 - oh he knows about it - he just isn't doing anything about it.
7:12 -
The difference is McCauley can do City Council email and paperwork FROM HIS BED. To the best of my knowledge he can't perform light firefighter duty from his bed. Idiot.
6:28 the fire fighters elected Tom, just like Ward was electd.
Go figure!
12:08
I hope many others realize that too!
But then, neither is the Council.
He thinks because he itaiian hes a tough guy to much TV.
bentivengo only listens to feminine voices.
the real issue here is that the mayor is relying on Klocko who has screwed up on this pension thing since the beginning and Ward hates the firemen 'cuz they didn't support him and he is weak and relies on people like Klocko and ferguson.
sounds like former fireman Elliot nelson, now better known as the mayor's personal proctologist, is all over this blog trying to convince people the firemen don't support the union prez or the negotiating team's position. Not true.
bentivengo has set the welfare of the fire department back years and years by his ego-driven attempts to mix politics with the benefits of the firefighters who he is supposed to be representing.
sooner or later, the membership will wake up and elect someone who isn't out for themself.
Light duty work at the fire house seems like a reasonanable approach for an injury like McCauleys. He should know that it will save the City alot of money in wcomp and will have a speedy effect on his recovery.
Where is the personell director on this? Lost in her world as usual.
But...can you imagine the Chief and McCauley in the same office for 4 hours a day! Hmmm!
The personal director stays close to the dept heads so they could guide her. Butshe is a player and makes good money for doing very little for the tax payers and anything for dept heads. Go to a council meeting and watch her actions.
Some of the people that post here are completely ignorant to simple facts. What short memories we have! Before the last contract, the firefighters union brought the idea of GASB45 to the city as a proposal....it wasn't even looked at!
Last year, when Mr. Klocko brought his summary to the Mayor and council, it was conveniently omitting important information....like the specific accounting rules and how it needs to be negotiated with those people that have a vested interest.
For the Mayor to say that the voting members of the council shouldn't do any research is either completely arrogant or completely ignorant! He should be bending over backwards to justify his position on issues if he really believes in the rhetoric he spouts.
I have watched Mr. Ward for 10+ years as a coucilman and the last two as mayor...nothing is changed. He is in way over his head, and just bluffs his way through everything. And we buy into it! He was re-elected. OMG.
What is his slogan...MOVING FOR-WARD! He is one person that is very much stuck in the past.
Before we blame the unions for the downfall of society, lets educate ourselves and look to see where the real waste is....spending 20 dollars on books to inform decision makers, or relying on the word of political hobbyists (mayor) and department heads to lead us where they personally want us to go? Lemmings have a short lifespan....
At least Elliot is doing something.
Where is the Republican leadershiop?
9:14 - suck it up.
10:12 - life is but a dream and I guess yours has turned into a nightmare - poor baby, maybe mommie will buy you a new puppy so you can possibly have a FRIEND.
Ward won't pay $40 for books but pays an appointed person $7,000 a year to vacation for 6mos out of state? Gee Ward why do you let happen? $7,000 is taxpayer money!!
silly rabbit sounds more like a horrible hare.
Maybe Stortz wasn't so bad after all.
NO more stortz.
Bring Stortz back!
Forty dollars for a two million dollar decision? Do the MATH!!! I can't beleive that this is even an issue...the mayor is a MORON!!!
WWSHD????
7:23 - 7 x $20.00 = $140.00, hope that your future doesn't depend on math as a part of your job - probably not if you are a fireman, any way,as sleeping on duty doesn't take much thought.
sounds like a union officer.
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