Layoffs for Phoenix Police, Fire Dept
[Guest post by DRJ]
For the first time in its history, budget problems will force the City of Phoenix, Arizona, to lay off police and fire department employees:
“As Phoenix struggles with an unprecendented budget crisis, officials say police officers and firefighters will be laid off for the first time in city history.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon as the Phoenix city manager informed city departments how much funding they would lose this year. *** [E]arly estimates are that 350 sworn police officers will be fired and 144 firefighters let go.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, state and local budget problems will only get worse as the stimulus funds end but the mandates continue.
— DRJ
When you hear a story like this, nearly always it’s a case of local politicians trying to blackmail voters into voting for a tax increase.
When it comes to school funding, the equivalent ploy is to threaten to cut high school football.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/28/2010 @ 8:22 pmAgreed. They also like to close parks. Az is in trouble but the higher the profile of the project, the more likely they threaten its existence. All day Kindergarten is next. Watch the outcry…”the childrens, the childrens…”
For this we can thank Phil “irregardless” Gordon, and to a large extent, Jimmy Napolitano.
Gazzer (583345) — 1/28/2010 @ 8:43 pmsame BS trick they trot out here in the PRC….. never the drones, just the cops, fire, libraries, etc…. and the schmucks fall for it every time.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 1/28/2010 @ 8:49 pmSame in Philly. If there is a problem with the budget, the solution of choice is decrease police, fire, and libraries.
Is there a website or a “Municipal Management for Dummies” book that lays out this plan?
MD in Philly (d4668b) — 1/28/2010 @ 8:54 pmI guess maybe they had too many cops and firefighters. It’s conceivable. But if they needed these people, and they cut them when they didn’t cut most of the staff for the mayor, council, meter maids, etc, some enterprising politician is going to wipe the floor with them.
They shouldn’t have planned on the boom lasting forever. And I imagine as soon as we’re in the next boom, a lot of places will act like it’s going to last forever.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/28/2010 @ 8:55 pmNot only that, they are just completing the construction of a brand new police station and fire house less than a quarter mile apart on Cave Creek Road in North Phoenix. Both house will not be opened upon completion.
Gazzer (583345) — 1/28/2010 @ 9:16 pmThey likely insisted on building them with “free” gubmint recovery money, in the hope that in better times they will be able to staff them. In the meantime they are continuing to build the blocks that will enable them to continue to bloat their bureaucracy and administrations in the future.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul. All of this is “legit” the way we run this country of ours these days, but an eleven year old would tell you it makes no sense. They can’t get their snouts out of the trough. There is no such thing as fiscal responsibility or restraint anymore. We live in a “so long as I get mine” world. Disgraceful.
This is what happens when you take temporary Fed funds, and use them for long-term projects
AD - RtR/OS! (bb36fd) — 1/28/2010 @ 9:19 pm(more than one Governor commented on this, and why they weren’t going to take the money), without any long-term funding commitment.
The same thing happened during the Clinton years with his program to bolster police forces – the money stopped after 2-3 years, but those cops that were hired all wanted to work on their 20-year retirement, and the cities didn’t have the money to keep them on the payroll.
While I’m venting, do you remember Barry mentioned a Phoenix company was tripling its workforce because of the stimulus. Turns out the company received $100M and is expanding its workforce from 15 to 45. You do the math. I’m too disgusted…
PS. Guess which party the owner of said company donated heavily to…?
Gazzer (583345) — 1/28/2010 @ 9:36 pmThat’s Ecotality, Gazzer, and the Ecotality President sat with Michelle Obama at last night’s SOTU address. The company develops “charging stations for the Nissan Leaf, an electric car expected to be available to consumers later this year.” In the linked article, Ecotality’s CEO jokes that he hopes the company President has a chance to ask Obama for another $100M because “that would be very helpful.” I bet these Phoenix fire and police departments could use a little of that money.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 1/28/2010 @ 9:48 pmRead that our sheriff was losing 25% of his deputies and on the same page the sheriff was awarded a grant for patrol officers?
All of our fire departments are 100% volunteer and only receive minimum equipment funding from the county and the stupidvisors have already slashed that.
Gonna be a rough road ahead if O’Dumbo and congress don’t wake up. I doubt they will give up their quest to turn the country into a Marxist haven. Liberals don’t have a brain, conservatives don’t have any balls and a replica of the Tin Man is in the white house.
Scrapiron (4e0dda) — 1/28/2010 @ 11:44 pmGad! Lived there for the entire decade of the 90’s. So glad that i don’t live there anymore. Phil “gimme guvmint money” Gordon sure is doing a heckuva job protecting the 5th largest city in the nation; isn’t he?
Icy Texan (2dde99) — 1/29/2010 @ 4:03 amTo find answers I have only to look at my own broken home state and the near dearth of qualfied candidates who can think for themselves currently running for top instate offices, congress or senate in the upcoming primary. A few are outstanding to be sure but there is no assurance they have enough dough in the campaign fund to get their message out in a large and expensive media market. Unfortunately, while many others seem to be decent (rich) people with nice families and good intentions– an honest review of their background, history and credentials reveals a lack of practical business or municipal budgeting experience. It is easy to see how this type of person is a sitting duck for the very clever lobbyists, “economists” and power hungry party honchos both at home and in Wahington. How will this nation ever get back on track if we continue to send mediocre people to represent us? Thank goodness there are a few Mitch Daniels and Rick Perrys out there.
elissa (cac12f) — 1/29/2010 @ 5:17 amHmmmm.
Isn’t Phoenix the #2 kidnap capital of the world?
memomachine (a57694) — 1/29/2010 @ 6:00 amLiberals don’t have a brain, conservatives don’t have any balls and a replica of the Tin Man is in the white house.
Comment by Scrapiron — 1/28/2010 @ 11:44 pm
……….
I vote for the Scarecrow being resident at 1600 …
” If I only had a brain…”
tom
tomw (c9da6e) — 1/29/2010 @ 6:18 amHey, if the cops are cut far enough, maybe the mexican drug gangs will kidnap the city officials.
Phoenix citizens may then have a delima, Pay the Mexicans to keep said officials, or tell them all to go to Hell.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 1/29/2010 @ 6:52 amI live in Phoenix and my mother in law has worked for city hall for ~20 years. First she was in the bloated ‘Equal Opportunity Department’, with a whole floor of people who do absolutely nothing worth your tax penny, now she is in Economic Development where she swears the average city worker shows up a few hours a day. Burn it all down (metaphorically), I say.
oneisnotprime (e25cc0) — 1/29/2010 @ 7:36 amActually, the problem is also the wages and benefits for the public employees are also going to fall.m The unions tend to fight to avoid pay cuts -in mu area-even if it means lay offs. It should be interesting,especially in the state where public employee votes determine the dem primary
CORWIN (f26c2e) — 1/29/2010 @ 2:31 pmActually, the problem is also the wages and benefits for the public employees are going to fall.m The unions tend to fight to avoid pay cuts -in mu area-even if it means lay offs. It should be interesting,especially in the state where public employee votes determine the dem primary
CORWIN (f26c2e) — 1/29/2010 @ 2:37 pm