No Overrides for Overpaid City Workers
From Kara Grady Boudreau
Dear Fellow Newton Taxpayers,
Before you decide which way to vote on the Mayorʼs tax override request on March 12, I urge you to consider how well the Mayor and his team have allocated the tax dollars you have already given them. As many of you read in the Boston Globe article dated 2/17/13, Newtonʼs payroll is simply out-of-control and completely out of sync with other towns of similar economic stature to ours. The total 2012 payroll for the city, not including exorbitant pension and healthcare benefits, was a whopping $191,000,000. These are just a FEW of the generous pay packages your tax dollars funded last year:
1. $9,000,000 in “other wages”. On the payroll this column does not say what “other” is so I have no idea, but it seems to be a bit more than an “office kitty for lunch”.
2. $1,285,000 in “longevity bonuses”. I thought a pension WAS a longevity bonus. Iʼm a little confused why these have to be offered to employees who are already guaranteed a pension after 10 years of service.
3. $90,000-$104,000 paid to 3 separate custodians. I had no idea this was the “going rate” for this type of work.
So, this override request is simply NOT about whether the town needs to fix our roads, build a new firehouse or remodel 2 schools. What it IS about is whether we the taxpayers choose to “throw good money after bad” and give the Mayor and his team more of our hard-earned money to misappropriate.
david9876
5:16 am on Saturday, March 2, 2013
Maybe the city should take out a 5% tax on employee paychecks, if they own leaf blowers, use plastic shopping bags and styrofoam cups; unless they agree not to use banks with first floor retail storefronts.
Steve Siegel
11:07 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2013
<i>Kara wrote: “As many of you read in the Boston Globe article dated 2/17/13, Newton’s payroll is simply out-of-control and completely out of sync with other towns of similar economic stature to ours.”</i>
The Globe neutrally reported salaries, rates of increase, and various commentaries. “Out of control” and “out of sync” are not what the Globe reported. There is no mention of “other towns of similar economic stature to ours.” These are all fabrications of the writer.
<i>“$9,000,000 in other wages”.</i>
The writer has admitted to having no idea of what these are for. Rather than insinuating evil intent or sloppy bookkeeping, why doesn’t the writer just ask the administration for more detail? In my experience they usually provide it, eliminating for all of us the need to guess.
<i>“$1,285,000 in “longevity bonuses”. I thought a pension WAS a longevity bonus. I’m a little confused why these have to be offered to employees who are already guaranteed a pension after 10 years of service.”</i>
Again, just ask if you are confused. Longevity bonuses are small annual payments for long-serving teachers, still working, who are beyond the step charts.
I’m voting “Yes”, but I think there are defendable positions on both sides of this vote. There is no need to make things up or to insinuate things that are not there. Please, just state your case.
Janet Sterman
4:01 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
"...with other towns of similar economic stature to ours." Holy Outrageous TAX INCREASE, BATMAN! If we keep passing tax overrides we will continue to build Newton into a country-club community, where people who were raised here and lived here their entire lives because the influx of wealthy have economically cleansed them out of town!
Really?
5:49 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
The phrase “other towns of similar economic stature to ours" came from Ms. Boudreau, not from Steve Siegel or from the Globe, so apparently she is the one concerned with Newton's "economic stature".
Moving Newton Forward
8:49 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2013
Steve, we found out that Kara did precisely that.
Brandon
9:46 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
What do you do for work Kara?
Moving Newton Forward
8:37 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Brandon, this is Joshua responding on behalf of Kara.
Kara has asked us to keep her place of employment as well as what she does for a living private even though this letter was written by Kara in her capacity as a private citizen.
Janet Sterman
11:18 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Here comes that dude so willing to speak out and so unwilling to put his name out there. It's so easy to be bold when one isn't willing to put their face on their comments...
Really?
1:35 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
Why not just respond to the message instead of attacking the messenger?