New Haven Independent

Posted by: Tim | September 19, 2008 11:15 AM

This is why unions are bad, layoffs suck thats no question but they are also happening everywhere so why should government workers not be part of that? New Haven has too many workers to begin with, this should only be a start when it comes to layoffs, but I am sure the union will flex their political muscle to make sure what is logical doesnt happen

Posted by: anon | September 19, 2008 11:34 AM

In the long term, the state needs to support its cities more, otherwise, the regional economy is going to collapse. Maybe CT's cities should band together and refuse to cooperate with any surrounding towns until PILOT is fully funded via state charter reform.

It's too bad the Unions aren't lobbying for this and are instead taking potshots at the city administration, which has no choice but to cut jobs. If you think the current cuts are bad, wait a few months, when we'll be looking at 30% layoffs across the board, like Hartford. Of course, the Unions don't care because most of their leadership members live in the suburbs. But if they don't do something, don't expect them to be around for much longer.

There are a few things we can do to avert crisis. New Haven can start by quadrupling the cost of downtown parking so that a typical space goes for $400 per month, not $100. Parking spaces are 95% occupied. If any extra spaces are available, sell them off for development. People are going to come to the city no matter what given spiraling energy prices. It's time to put the 40% of urban land currently used for parking & driving to work generating money. Raising parking fees will also significantly reduce SOV traffic into our city, translating into a boost in our neighborhood health and downtown quality of life, thereby supporting new development.

Without the sickening levels of traffic, people will flock back in to neighborhoods like Dixwell and Dwight.

Most of all, the city must implement a policy of not using taxpayer money to build any new parking spaces, as it is currently doing, and it must completely eliminate the "parking requirement" for all new development, which essentially kills the viability of private development in this city by raising cost (who is going to build a new building if they have to pay to build 30 parking spaces?).

Also, the city should immediately stop paving certain roads in order to save a few million dollars per year. Although it's nice that a few roads get repaved, i.e., the ones in front of the Aldermen's homes, in the long term it is a totally unsustainable practice given the price of asphalt. Go back to gravel roads, and people will drive slower on them, raising land values. Just pave a tiny strip on the side, with a protective barrier, for a two-way bike lane. Save the pavement for high-speed dedicated bus lanes and stop wasting all that money on paving roads that we'll never be able to maintain (just look at all the potholes today and imagine a situation 100 times worse).

Finally, there should be an elimination of the building permit "fee" (actually a massive tax on new development), and the city charter should be rewritten so that fees can not be higher than the actual cost of issuing a permit. Nobody, including Yale, is going to put up new buildings or invest in the city with such ridiculously high permitting fees/taxes.

Posted by: Webblog 1 | September 19, 2008 12:16 PM

"The layoffs are estimated to save $900,000. DeStefano also announced $2.7 million worth of cuts to unfilled positions throughout the city and schools, and the delay of a police class into next fiscal year estimated to save $400,000 this year".

2.7 million worth of cuts to unfilled positions through-out the city. Are you kidding me!! What Mayor would propose and what BOA would approve $2.7 Million in unfilled positions. Where the heck is the BOA oversight.

Carl Goldfield said this would be a pro active Board of Aldermen, Bull...

Talk about a blotted budget, incredible

Posted by: Exiled Italian Shill | September 19, 2008 12:20 PM

Wow! Sacred cows on the block?

So it looks as if the cuts were a sincere attempt to reduce redundant work and eliminate unneeded positions.

Difficult choices that were made no doubt.

I blame the state and federal government. They really need to fully fund the PILOT program or figure out other ways to give municipalities new forms of revenue outside of property tax having to pay for all the costs.

Posted by: Peter | September 19, 2008 12:28 PM

why should the city continually ask for PILOT money when it takes it's prime land and gives it to a magnet school and Gateway Community College. They would be better off just RFP ing to a huge development and build taxable buildings with good jobs. Those employees would shop and dine in New Haven creating more tax dollars...Gateway and the magnet school will be the biggest mistake New Haven has made since putting low income housing across from the train station and the Malley's Macy's Mall fiasco. I am suprised that the administration has no foresite....

Raising parking is not the answer. Get rid of the Parking authority and bid out all the city parking lot.

Posted by: Brian | September 19, 2008 12:35 PM

Only 34 names on that list.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 19, 2008 1:07 PM

Brian

I can think of one name that should fill that blank....anyone have a suggestion??

Park and Public works.....hmmmm

Posted by: bigwyrm | September 19, 2008 2:03 PM

Yes, the bloated city work force of garbagemen, librarians, caretakers, and lawnmowers- what a difference this will make. Could this be the start of a new age for New Haven? Wake up "exiled shill" these aren't sacred cows but the runts of the herd. The city has been effectively laying off its workers since 2000 by systematically eliminating vacated postions. The library (which accounts for about 1.5% of the city budget) has lost 75% of its pre 2000 staff this way, never to be replaced. Until there is someone at the helm who can make the really tough decisions- e.g taking on the cop & teacher & fire unions, New Haven will continue its slow, inevitable crash & burn. But don't blame our ...mayor, the fault rests solely with the fools reelecting him term after term after term. Enjoy!

Posted by: taxed2death | September 19, 2008 2:05 PM

This is a good first step but the stranglehold that the unions have on our city has to be stopped. Read this article for an education of how other cities are addressing this issue;

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/main/article.php?article_id=144

It drives me crazy to watch 6 street sweeping machines sitting, engines running with drivers out in the street chatting from 7:15 until 8:00 on street sweeping days. Apparently, they are not supposed to start sweeping until 8:00.

Let's do some math. Six guys times 45 minutes is 4 hours times how many street sweeping days times how many other places this goes on elsewhere in the city...and that's before we figure in the wasted fuel costs.

I won't even go into the board of education, but if you are curious, download the budget and count the number of salaries over $100K. Even with all of your fingers and toes, you won't get to the end. Unbelieveable!

We need to put a stop to this. Can we hire Sarah Palin?

Posted by: st.pt.IA | September 19, 2008 2:16 PM

Yo Shill re your "reduce redundant work and eliminate unneeded positions" comment...

ummm... that's not the story at the library - they just lost their ONE dedicated librarian who works with teens for the city. 1 person for all the teens in the city! Unneeded? Redundant?

She is fantastic, and started lots of programs for teens including a gaming night and a fabulous book club not to mention she was bringing in a wealth of knowledge to do with blogs, vlogs, and all things 21st century.

It's simply last hired first fired. And in this case it's New Haven's loss and another town's gain.

Posted by: Fact | September 19, 2008 3:08 PM

On the day Mayor DeStefano laid off 35 working stiffs to close a $5 million budget gap, Treasury Secretary Paulson announced a hundreds of billion dollar bail out of the financial system, saving the jobs and money of America's wealthiest.

Posted by: Disgruntled Democrat | September 19, 2008 5:24 PM

Fact,

The bailout affected all of us, not just those employed in the bailouts. As a matter of fact, many of the senior people at AIG will be working for their jobs from now on. The bailout was to prevent the market crashing and our 401ks reduced to nothing. I'm not a fan of the bailout, as none of us should expect someone or something to bail us out of the problems we create, but this time I appreciate the fact that I might get to retire one day.

As far as the layoffs, this is just the first round. We have a 5 year phase in of property taxes, compounded by a 9.2% increase above that this year. Do you think next year JDS will have us under budget? He's got to go and anyone, dem, rep or independent who can propose and make change happen, should be elected. We won't be seeing extra money from the state to bail out his poor planning and the city is close to bankrupt. Even if Obama gets the national ecomony fixed, our local economy is shot for the forseeable future.

Posted by: JMS | September 19, 2008 5:49 PM

Fact,

"On the day Mayor DeStefano laid off 35 working stiffs to close a $5 million budget gap, Treasury Secretary Paulson announced a hundreds of billion dollar bail out of the financial system, saving the jobs and money of America's wealthiest."

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

JMS

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 19, 2008 5:52 PM

What happen to upper mangement?See the american people better wake up and see the light,And I mean the so call middle class,A old time activist told me years ago that the middle class better start becoming activist,But They became laid back
with there big homes and suvs and said to themselves that this would not happen to me.I spoke to him the other day and he told me that the american people better follow what Dr.king
try to do and that is get the poor peoples campaign in motion or we will sink!!!!

Posted by: anon | September 19, 2008 6:11 PM

The middle class is doing fine because the poor indirectly subsidize their lavish lifestyles, SUVs, big TVs and overinflated homes.

One way we allow the poor to subsidize the rich is by allowing the state to build huge highways through our cities and neighborhoods, while demanding nothing in return. So the rich get to drive through for free, and have their highway construction and exurban home-construction-real-estate companies propped up by billions of dollars worth of federal and state tax dollars, while the rest of us are left holding the bag (and the asthma, trash, hundreds of acres of prime urban developable land used for on-ramps, etc.).

Posted by: Sins of New Haven | September 19, 2008 8:02 PM

glad to see the contractors didn't get touched, after all it would be a real hardship for those folks having their $75.00 and hour taken away.

Shame on the City. Some of these folks make 30K.

The real truth is that the union that supposedly did not want to concede anything had no choice since locals 530 Police, 933 Teachers and 825 Fire gave the Mayor the middle finger when asked for concessions since day one. Their non participation forced a very select small amount to bear the entire burden. Shame on them too.

Glad to see Johnnie's executive management cronies keep their big pay.

SINNERS ALL OF THEM

Posted by: jo | September 19, 2008 8:28 PM

Sad day for the youth of New Haven to loose their only Young Adult Librarian.

Posted by: Fact | September 19, 2008 8:54 PM

To Disgruntled Democrat

I think you are right. Even if Obama gets elected there will be little he can do. The bank bail out, the Wars, and Republican spend and spend policies will mean ther will be no federal help for New Haven. On property taxes going up its not inevitable other than inflation. By that I mean if the inflation index goes up 5% we must expect our tax to go up 5%.

You assume that the revaluation means property tax goes up above inflation. Property tax payments are the assessed value multiplied by the mil rate. Assessed values have gone up and are being fazed in by the city. Even if the mil rate stays the same the city gets much more money intop of inflation. They can blame this on Jodi Rell as she introduced the revaluations. If the assessed value goes up 9% and inflatin is 5% the city gets 4% more. Jodi Rell gets blamed.

If the city was efficient and had a mayor who could run it for its citizens and not his supporters he could reduce the mil rate next year. This would mean taxes would stay at the inflation level of a 5% increase. Will someone smarter than me please blog in and tell us all how much taxes have really gone up in recent years without including inflation.

The President can serve a maximum of 8 years. Our founding fathers were very smart on this. After this much time in power it encourages an extra terrestial sized ego and encourages corruption and all those other faults we humans share. It also guards against burn out. Look at FDR, the only 3 term President who died in office in WW2 saving the world.

Unfortunately for all of us DeStefano has been in office for 14 or 15 years and is burnt out and not in touch with reality. I will say that I thought he was a great Mayor earlier on, but he has just gone on and on and life has got worst and worst. He has now got the edifice complex and is building more and more grandiose schools so future generations will remember him. What as,
I ask.

To JMS

Since first posting I have had second thoughts. The Mayor is as bad as the Bush administration. He poses as a Democrat but is acting as a Republican to keep his grip on Power. By laying off the little guys at City Hall he is pandering to the wealthy in Westville, Beaver Hills, Morris Cove and the Yale area. He is allowing the rich to pay less than there fare share of taxses. Its easy to see they get more than they pay for. Just walk around Morris Cove and Compare it to Newhallville.

Just like Bush will go soon, can DeStefano go soon. Can he be impeached. Can he be sued for his follies so he does not profit from them.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 19, 2008 9:38 PM

Anon
There is no more middle class,Rember the middle class use the finace of credit IE:credit cards and loans,By the way your next subprime mess will be credit cards,Already young collage students are in credit card debt,Also i was reading more of the middle class are using pawn shops and payday
loans.So that same middle class is now on the same
level as the poor that they would talk down to or call them welfare queens. Bottom line is still the middle class must become more active or sink.Also ask your self how many vote for King John?

Posted by: walt bradley | September 20, 2008 2:00 AM

I don't know if it's something that can be verified, but I'd be curious to see how many of the affected (former) city employees did or didn't show up at polling stations for king John's last run at mayor?

Two other issues I have.
- Why the hell hasn'tlocal 3144 been able to put together an army of union workers to march on city hall with torches and pitchforks and torches? I'm not feeling any outrage or urgency, perhaps it's me.

- About ten years ago I became a statistic in a corporate merger and my position was "downsized". I too was given the option of signing a "general release" or taking about a third of the settlement if i didn't sign. I signed the agreement, and have regretted it ever since. The agreement i signed waived all my legal rights against a company i wasn't allowed to mention (the company was TOSCO refining of seattle, there i said it) was very concerned the public would find out how it had shrunk it's workforce. Is it possible to for the NHI to show a copy of this "general release" online, so we can see for ourselves the conditions being issued in our collective names?
I would very much like to know the terms these workers have been given.
Thanks.

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | September 20, 2008 6:25 AM

Any political patronage jobs affected? Brian McGrath and the rest of John"s double dipping cronies? I think not.

How about looking at the made up titles and uber redundant positions in our so called school system? With over $300 million of taxpayer money per year, you could certainly find fat to trim!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 20, 2008 8:46 AM

Sins, You sumed it perfectly!

Fact, I agree as well..who got cut?? I do not see one person that should of been on that list!

Shill PLEASE!!! work for the city I bet! Watch out you may be next!

3/5's holy cow, I agree!

Dear John,

I remember when we first put you in office. I remember when you where a mayor of the people. What have you become? I remember when you made this a city a place were people e like your mom and dad where able to have an affordable place to live and raise their family's. What have you become? You replace the words "affordable housing" with "section 8 housing" these are not the same thing Johnny and you know it!!! You have been consistently throwing the blue collar people (like your dad) off a bus and have been embarrassing the metro class! SHAME ON YOU! I am saddened that you have lost the ideals that your parents once bestowed upon you! You seemed to have twisted the dreams of the live time residents. And are slowly pushing them out, all for the sake of making a name for yourself. SHAME ON YOU! I is time for you to come off your high horse and come back down to the people. It is time for to save the people that originally got you in office! Do the right thing Johnny, you know what it is! You can be a hero and not just a name in history!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 20, 2008 8:50 AM

ohh and one more question johnny why do you work so hard to impress a group of people that will not even be here it 5 years?? Just don't get it.

Posted by: Edward_H | September 20, 2008 12:16 PM

"FACT"

The President can serve a maximum of 8 years. Our founding fathers were very smart on this.

The founding fathers had nothing to do with this. The 2 term limit was enacted with an amendment to the Constitution after FDR's death.

Look at FDR, the only 3 term President who died in office in WW2 saving the world

FDR was elected to 4 terms in office. He died at the start of his fourth term.

Posted by: Edward_H | September 20, 2008 2:45 PM

Cedarhill

ohh and one more question johnny why do you work so hard to impress a group of people that will not even be here it 5 years?? Just don't get it.

Because alot of the people who are only here for a short time vote more often than people who have lived in New Haven their whole lives.

Posted by: Disgruntled Democrat | September 20, 2008 3:16 PM

Fact,

I agree with your statements, but you are only partially correct. If inflation goes up, we will pay the corresponding amounts, that is true. But health insurance, union contractual raises, and other mitigating factors are not tied to ordinary inflation. Therefore, if health care costs rise 11% (as they have historically) and there is a union wage increase of 4%, etc... JSD's next tax hike will not be solely at the inflation rate, just as it was not this year. And again, that was on top of the five year phase in that was supposedly only going to raise the tax on single family homes 72%. When this is all said and done, four years from now, it will be twice that amount.

Whether it is an assessment caused by Rell or a tax increase from King John, all I know is that I am out the money. And more of the blame rests with our incompetent mayor than it does in Hartford. Selling property for $1 does not balance a budget, no matter how many mirrors and smoke you use to try and sell it. Thats why he wanted to be governor so badly, so he could walk away from the mess he has created.

Besides our under-funded budget, remember, the New Haven municipal pension is about $500 million under funded. I guess that's Rell's fault too. Where is that money going to come from?

Posted by: JMS | September 20, 2008 10:56 PM

Fact,

I hear you.

(I should disclose that I'm a Westville resident but I promise that's not the motivation for the following response.)

I think it's short sighted to blame one neighborhood or demographic for the suffering of another. All major cities have pockets of wealth, poverty and everything in between. But even these internal differences are tiny when you compare a city like New Haven as a whole to other more wealthy communities. When you cite the lack of balance within the city limits I think you fail to acknowledge the much greater imbalance between all of New Haven and some of it's more wealthy surrounding communities. This is what I thought you were alluding to in your previous comment about the Wall Street bail out, etc. I see such large scale/big picture dollar figures getting thrown around so casually in the press and I cringe knowing that so much of those dollars are spent and lost for the benefit of those who don't really feel the pain of tighter budgets, higher gas prices, property taxes, cuts in services, schools, etc. I don't know about you but I laughed when I read about all the stressed out investors who suffered blows to their stock portfolios recenty. I felt safe and secure knowing that my virtually non-existant portfolio would suffer all the less by virtue of it's puny size and value.

Cry me a river.

In my opinion the ever growing imbalance of wealth in this state and country between cities like New Haven and wealthy suburbs trumps any petty inter-city differences. As New Haven residents we are ALL feeling the effects of the short end of the stick when it comes to this imbalance in one way or another. We all have a stake in this problem. What is the solution? I'm not the guy to answer that question. But I know it would involve a major restructuring of the tax code and distribution of funds in this state. It would be unpopular and would certainly make a lot of people unhappy. That's why no sane politican will step up and propose such a thing. No sane politician who wants to get elected anyway. Reality = political suicide.

JMS

Posted by: former city employee | September 21, 2008 5:39 AM

the city has enough money to spend on servicing illegal immigrants in New Haven, but not enough to keep legal New Haven residents employed -

Shame on you John Destefano. I hope you know your plans to be Governor of this state went down the drain long ago.

Posted by: JMS | September 21, 2008 6:22 AM

Fact,

Stuff like this...

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/20/news/economy/bailout_proposal/index.htm?postversion=2008092009

...makes me wonder why we are all bickering over what amounts to table scraps.

JMS

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | September 21, 2008 12:14 PM

JMS

There is a simple solution to the city's fiscal problem. Stop encouraging and growing a dependant underclass, and stop taking properties off the city tax role for pet projects like education. No city in the world can survive those factors for any amount of time.

Posted by: JMS | September 21, 2008 7:58 PM

"No city in the world can survive those factors for any amount of time."

Probably true.

JMS

Posted by: Sins of New Haven | September 21, 2008 10:19 PM

contractors rule the roost inside City Hall. Just take a look at the list of "contractors" which are paid as vendors out of the Accounts Payable office. You'll see some shocking numbers I bet.

So instead of laying off $30000 people the City should stop doing business with 100K a year contractors.

Plus dont think for a second there is not going to an enormous wave of litigation against the City that will soon arise out of this fiasco.

Bottom line, the Destefano Admin all act in a personal, arrogant and disrespectful manner - they act as if City Hall is their own personal company - they have no clue how to manage public interests.

And it won't stop unless we vote someone else in, which of course is already in the making. ...

Posted by: The Real Fact | September 24, 2008 11:55 AM

Hey Fact -

Interesting turn around from your first post. Suggesting that destefano is as bad as bush makes little to no sense and actually weakens your argument.

Gets your facts straight. Destefano cannot be held accountable for "life getting worse" for you. I am sure there are many factors that weigh into that conclusion, but blaming a mayor for all the ills of society is crazy. Almost as crazy as comparing destefano to bush.