[gatorbob]

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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Notey</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/69066/my-city-is-more-corrupt-than-your-city#post_1925840"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a><br><p><br>
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I said they can't because they stepped down.  Obviously they knew the jig was up.<br>
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If I correctly remember what I heard, they stepped down now becuase if they didn't step down now, the town could have had time to change the contracts or what-not.  By stepping down now, they are eligible for their lofty pensions for the rest of their lives and there's nothing anyone can do about it.  So basically, they'll get paid more for stepping down than they would if they stayed to fight for their jobs. <br>
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[gatorbob]

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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>ym</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/69066/my-city-is-more-corrupt-than-your-city#post_1925788"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>I had no idea you could make such good money working for cities.  As they are all complaining about going broke and having trouble balancing budgets, these people are making pretty hefty salaries on the public dime. </p>
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<p>I really am shocked.  How is it that these public employees can make so much more than the President?  People are incensed at what top executives make, but their salaries are approved by boards and are supposedly tied to profits.  Lets leave the financial industry out of this discussion for now since they obviously operate in the same vacuum as city employees.  But city employees?  While the cities and counties and states are going broke, how does one even begin to justify those salaries?</p>
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<p>In the private sector, you have boards and stockholders and tons of other people who keep their eyes on how much the executives make.  Their salaries are public knowledge to anybody who cares, and there are plenty of people who care.  If the company isn't doing well, those executives get booted out.</p>
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<p>But in the public sector, there aren't as many people who care.  Your average Joe Schmo isn't paying attention to how much the police chief or school superintendent makes.  Certainly not to the degree that a stockholder pays attention to the CEO.  So the city officials are able to quietly give themselves hefty raises without anybody knowing about it.  Basically, everybody who does know about it is in on the take. </p>
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<p>Thank goodness the L.A. Times did this research and exposed this scam.  I'm sure there are hundreds of other towns around the country that do the same thing.  Hopefully other people will take notice of what happened in Bell, and will start to scrutinize the pay of high-ranking city officials, just like stockholders do for executives of private companies.  Maybe trimming a bit of this fat can help the U.S. out of the recession and out of the fiscal insanity that is so prevalent now...</p>

 

[gatorbob]

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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>muzicgrl</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/69066/my-city-is-more-corrupt-than-your-city#post_1927598"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p><br><br>
I completely disagree with this. Public sector employees pay is 100% transparent and published and publishing them (sometimes linked to names) is a tactic often used by unions and others. You wont find a private company willing to publish salary info.</p>
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<p>In the case of Bell nobody cared...they could have found the info quite easily if someone looked. They had an election where only 300 people voted, for petes sake.</p>
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<p>I never said the information wasn't available.  I was specifically saying that the average citizen doesn't care to take the time to look it up.  Heck, I don't know what the police chief or superintendent in my town makes.  I suppose I should look it up.  I hope it's not $800,000.</p>
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<p>I'm saying that since the info <strong>is</strong> available, <strong>somebody</strong> in every town in America should now take the time to make sure that the pay is reasonable.  Shame on us that we haven't all already done that...</p>
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<p>My entire point is that it's pretty sh!tty for a town to pay certain employees exorbitant salaries and then whine that they don't have enough money to meet the budget...<br><br>
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