Maybe instead of going after our citizens for asking legitimate questions, and members of council for reaching out, and exposing the issue, shouldnt we stop the secrets and solve the problem. From the first time I saw a televised council session I was turned off by some of their rude errogant behavior. The chuckling and laughing and mocking and rolling of the eyes by Guido Sarduchi's who think they know it all. I say out with it, more power to the people brave enough to make a difference, and ask questions. What are they hiding Charlie? Im sure your glad your outa there. I hope they find someone with brass balls to stand up to these bullies who think they run the show, and become a fearless leader(like me)not afraid of any of them. Out with the old, and in with the new. Havent you had enough of being railroaded into decisions that affect the city, and its people? We should feel confident and proud of our leaders, not suspicious of whats going on all the time.
Just my opinion

Karen,
What will you do to effect this change that you want so much?
You won't exercise the power of the vote. So, what exactly will you do to make a difference?

Lets see,,,create a brainstorming committee(sought out by the citizens) to come up with ideas to preserve and improve, Batavia. Keep the community informed Always. Make needed cutbacks to city employees, whether it be caps on wages, overtime, raises, pork projects,ect. If they didnt like it (oh well there is someone who needs a job out there, who will fill the position, Proudly and Happily).
I would create activities for youths, and teens, giving them all some direction,support, let them know we are here for them. They are the future of Batavia, and alot of them are bored, and unchallenged.
Refocus the citys money on projects that benefit the community, things that Need Our Attention NOW. Prioritize Projects, and Utilize our local workforce. Move them towards profitable businesses with reduced energy costs. Reduce city taxes.. I would ask that we research alternate sources of electricity, (and all that goes with it) Windmills, and hydroelectric generators installed, behind City Hall, in Tonowanda Creek, at the Falls. Potentially making money for the city, and utilizing Clean Energy.
I would revisit the water deal, let Rochester know that we are not happy with the prior deal, and make sure we dont get screwed again. Plan ahead for the benefit of Batavia, and its residents, and get them involved, Help Them.
Stop Begging for Grants that we dont need. Seek out grants, and programs, to improve the important things, not uneeded things like, new playing fields, extravigant city buildings, roundabouts. (Park benches, would be turned around on Main Street). There are so many other things, that we can spend money on,(like the city SIDE streets}.
Go through all the City Books with a fine tooth comb. Inform the city residents of our findings, chalk it up to experiance, and Start Fresh. Oh I would get rid of any stobborn wiseguys on city council, and seek out a handful of new(maybe 5 total) council seats. There would be No Head of Council, they would all be equals, problem solving together, working closely, and constantly with the city manager. Constant Dog Fights, over party lines, in council,and out, would Not be tolerated. The City Leaders would be United and Strong, with the power of the people behind them,in their decision making.
I dont know Bea, Im sure I missed alot of ideas....
Sorry Howard I think I edited like 20 times in this.
I got a little excited..(@:

Karen,

There are some good ideas in there. I think the plain truth is that a lot of us are sick and tired of these stupid political games.

How many times have we've seen deals get rushed through, only to have that, or another council, later say, it was a mistake. Enough is enough.

It is time that we get fresh faces on council. It's time we push the conversations that we are politically unsafe to the front and put it out for all to see. Why not?

Let's do it already.

Thanks Mr. Ricci, I have so many more ideas. I guess you dont have to be a voter to know whats going on and have the nuts to improve things that need attention NOW. The lack of communication has gone on long enough. We need to work together, not be seperated by greed, and narrowmindedness. I sure dont have the book smarts for the job, but the common goals of the community in mind. Thank You Again Sir.

Thank you Karen!

No you don't have to be a voter to see it, but I need your help to change it! Please register! You may not think it now, but your vote will matter if we can start pushing these policy changes.

Phil,
I asked you before, when on the School Board, what program or area did you suggest cuts? Did you ever ask to have the cell phone tax removed?

I want to know if you have a track record of at least trying to make a cut.

Karen,
Cutbacks with employees? Did you support doing away with the ambulance service? Did you support doing away with the Police Dispatch service? If so, good, then you are consistent.

Overtime is a favorite target, but would you rather pay one person overtime to patrol you street or hire more people, with all the retirement benefits that come with more employees?

Good point about overtime John. Cuts can be popular ideas, but efficiency should be the goal when it comes to government spending.

John,

I was not aware of the tax until after I was off the board. Like that or not, it was my first time in any type of elected position, so I was learning a lot. I did however make that comment at my first budget ambassador meeting. I don't agree with that tax at all. I don't like most taxes. It is also fair to note that I am near high three years the wiser and have seen a great deal since my brief tenure in the BOE.

As far as what I asked to be cut ,in public session, was that every position that left the district not be filled unless mandated or could be proven essential. That all software/hardware updates or licenses be revisited to ensure that full utilization was worth their cost and if not, remove. That we were not creating new programs for the sake of the few. That for what we were asking tax payers to pay for, the most of our youth would benefit. Most, I wanted to see the returns on our investments, so that when my daughters (my oldest just started Kindergarten) were getting there, they received it's benefits.

Hope that answers that.

I think it's two fold ,Chris/John. We have to be truly running on all cylinders to know where we stand realistically, but then you have to make choices to right size if your off.

I think that has been the problem the past few decades and is now starting to come to pass. I think we are off, in some cases way off. That has got to be our focus going forward. I think that has to be the conversation that is had on all levels.

Phil,
Thanks for the answers, and just two more.

Do you support the city going along with the School Board’s idea of turning the school property at the end of North Street into a sports complex?

Do you support consolidation of the Youth Services department with the County to cut costs?

Your new City Democrat Party Chairman, Pat Burk, led the fight against consolidation of youth services last time. Will you go against him?

John, in regards to Cutbacks with employees? I am speaking of the city workers, that maintain our city streets, and area. I would cut their wage to a reasonable rate of pay. This has nothing to do with the ambulance or police force. They are professionals. Those could have been managed better too, without nixing the whole force. In my opinion they make to much for the maintanance jobs they hold. I would cut back the number of employees that are on shift at one time. When it comes to snowplowing hours, I would be sure none of them would get overtime, as the city cannot afford to pay them. I would divy up the hours the drivers work, to only 40. The wages needs to fit the job titles, and dutys John. For instance, my husband is an engineer, the city maintanance crews, Im assuming make just as much as him. How is that logical?

What if 40 hours per week doesn't cover the staffing required to plow the streets Karen? Would you support hiring more City employees to cover the staffing shortfall? Keep in mind that you would have to pay the new employees as well as provide benefits.

Not all employee costs are rolled up in salary. The same holds true for private enterprise. When taking into account employee overhead, there is more to consider than just the paycheck. For example: Employer match of Federal income tax witholdings, Workers Comp insurance, Unemployment insurance, benefit and 401k costs, administrative (HR) costs, employee job and safety training, maintenance of employee records, the list goes on forever.

Those were all reasons that overtime in many cases is much more efficient and cost effective than hiring more employees to cover those hours.

Whoops, I forgot to add in healthcare benefits.

Mr Charvella, I would divy the hours up, to all the employees. Health Insurance, workmans comp, unemployment ins., job training, is a given, comes with any job. Needed wage modifications are what Im talking about. I believe we have plenty of city maintinance workers on the payroll. 401K 's should be the problem of the individual, not the city to pay into. I believe it is unneeded, and am just thinking of ways to save the city money.

I won't fault your opinion on 401k's Karen, but keep in mind that retirement plans are in essence a way for employers (both public and private) to attract the best job candidates.

The goal for any employer is to have the best people available working for you. Getting those people in the door for an interview (or to take the civil service exam) requires a tightrope walk between offering the right benefits and staying profitable from a workforce standpoint (or budget neutral as the case may be.)

The city shouldnt have to lay down a candy trail to get these guys to agree to employment. There are so many people out of work, that have the same qualifications, as most of them, and would be extatic to be hired on, and would give it their all. I think it has been the norm to accept business as usual, for far to long.

Again, I won't fault your opinion on the matter Karen, but (and I think our Libertarian and Objectivist community here would agree)a person expects to be compensated well for their hard work. The current job market is what it is and over the next few years I intend to do my part to improve it, but we can't only plan for times of lean employment opportunities. The goal always remains to attract the best job candidates for an agreeable price.

Karen i like the way you phrased that...Candy trail..

Thank You Mr Charvella. I understand, and respect your imput. I think you are an asset to Batavia and its people, and wish you Gods Blessings. You seem honest, and trustworthy. Thank You for posting on the Batavian. It is important that the community knows where you stand on issues of the city. You need to put up more signs around town, get your intentions, and fresh ideas out there Chris. Break a Leg(@:

Karen,
What do you think is a fair wage?

Thank You mark! They asked me, and I responded.

John, I would have to research the job duties, and going rates for the positions. Wage reform has been needed for a long time. While I respect and appreciate the jobs our city workers do, I think they are payed WAY to much for their dutys. this is nothing new, and has been thrown to the wayside far to long. Just do a little research, find out what the going rate is. Apply it to the job titles, and see what you come up with. If it were my job, thats what I would do. Everyone appreciates saving money, cutting taxes, cutting overhead. At least these days.

Thanks for the compliments and words of encouragement Karen, I really appreciate them. We got about 30 signs up this weekend and there are more going up tonight.

Genesee County and the City of Batavia have been good to me for many years and when I was getting out of the Air Force my wife and I didn't consider moving anywhere but here to start our family. I'm happy to have the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me.

Karen,
What if the wages are low compared to other governments or even to private contractor union wages? Are you then going to say give them a raise?

You have to remember, the "candy" you talk about is also becuase they are not allowed to strike like every other worker in NY has a right to do. Will you allow them that right?

I've never been a fan of unions. The very thought of them makes me defensive. Unions, in my opinion should be a thing of the past. They are to expensive, involved, unnessasary, and unfair to non union workers, who dont have the same job security and benefits. The general workforce, perhaps, is contributing financially to the unions. Can the general public afford to? There are to many gray areas, with todays economy, its just not needed anymore . Kinda like the 401K thing. My question is, what does being in a union do for you? What affects do unions have on us, the taypayer, the people, the general workforce? I would start there.

John,

You're welcome. To answer the last three questions:

1.) I know very little about the North Street Project except to say that it is in initial grant seeking phases and might possibly not even happen. That said, I am not in favor of adding additional expenses on the city right now. I will not say one way or the other on the matter until I fully know all the facts.

2.) I believe I have answered you on this in the past, but if not... I am not interested in consolidating the two programs until the county can show me that the service programs will not be eliminated. As it stands right now, as it has stood in past attempts to do this, their would be no measure in place to continue youth programs in the city if the two agencies merged. That would be like saying let's consolidate the police with the county and no longer have city patrols. It wouldn't make a bit of sense.

When we can talk about how Youth programs will continue, then I'll be, at that time, willing to hear both sides.

3.) Pat Burk and I have worked with each other in many different venues and I have never had a problem with disagreeing with him in the past! :-) I will do what I feel is the best thing for all of Batavia, not just the few. I will also be listening to what my neighbors say as I serve at their pleasure, not my own. That's why we are called Public Servants...An idea that I think has been forgotten too much by people interested more in political garbage.

For the record, Pat Burk is a good man that has always done his best to help people in this city. I have all the confidence in the world, that if I told him I couldn't support something, he would either work with me or let it be.


Hope that answers that.

Great debate Chris/Karen! You guys hit some sharp points on both sides!

Why Thank You Sir! This stuff excites, and drives me. I edit 100 times though(@;