As promised and with permission, the full text of Bob Anderson's letter to the editor from The Gazette 6/12 thru 6/18/14:
To the editor:
I'd like to thank Joel, Brian, and Virginia for their previous letters to the editor for highlighting the current scheme afoot in Croton.
I just checked the village website and it says the mayor is not a full-time position. Regardless, of what he feels he entitled to, he's not. The ACA is not meant for a part-time mayor. He is the president of CEG, a writer, and an editor, all positions that should that should earn him enough money to afford to pay his own health care costs. He already receives a stipend of $5,000 which he can use towards health care premiums and gas.
The village is approximately 11 square miles with a population of approximately 8,100. The village pays a village manager $170,000 per year, and assistant village manager 104,000 per year and a clerk $90,000 per year with benefits as full time employees. This is a lot of money and they are charged with running the village day to day. The mayor and trustees deal with policy issues.
I believe the mayor has forgotten some basic business rules. Principal among them them is to delegate, especially to this well paid staff. He should not be reading email for 7.5 hours per week, as he claims and no one knows for sure.
My boss used to tell me to work smart and work efficiently. That might be good advice for the mayor. We also don't know how he accounts for the 30 hours a week he claims with no oversight.
We as taxpayers should be furious at this attempt to fund his health care premiums to the tune of $20,000 taxpayer dollars per year. We don't need a full-time mayor. We need the village manager and his staff to earn their pay and benefits. If the mayor gets to keep the health benefits, perhaps he should return the $5,000 stipend, he shouldn't be able to double-dip. The next step might be that all the trustees start claiming full-time status. I'm willing to take the gamble that the village will survive just fine if the mayor works only 29 hours per week.
Things can be changed. Can a mayor be recalled? Something is terribly wrong here.
Check out Peter Lynch, in the YouTube clip of the movie Network and you get my drift.
Sincerely,
Bob Anderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGiX5tbLKiY
SEE ALSO http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/06/on-mayors-alleged-full-time-status.html
God help us.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible ! Our town is small 29 hours a week is plenty of time for the mayor to do his job. Medical benefits, come on ! More money for the Croton residents to pay.
ReplyDeleteAt the Summerfest parade this year, more than one person shouted out are you charging us for marching in the parade Mr. Mayor? The whole board got very little applause which is a shame because Kevin Davis should not get tarred and feathered for what the mayor has done.
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