Comments on: Anti-Wilson torrent pours into AD15

By: John W

John W — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:53:01 +0000

Re #6

$359k understates the matter. When pension is factored in, you can almost double that. Also, they note that health care is built into his salary. Well, guess what. That $20k spikes his annual pension calculation by roughly $15k. You don’t suppose he realized that whey they negotiated his contract, do you?

By: echofool

echofool — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 05:08:05 +0000

Fiscal conservative for thee, but not me! Are you people nuts or just hypocrites? $350K for a city manager of San Ramon, California?
Wilson (and some of his shills above) say that this paragon of cities on the hill which I live in has a 50% reserve and fully funded retirement benefits….but they lie…
• The City currently is deficit spending, dipping into reserves to balance the budget.
• The City is leaving positions unfilled and reducing services.
• The City is increasing fees for senior citizens.
• The City’s pension fund is underfunded by 30%. That’s why the City sold a $15,000,000 bond that will be repaid with interest by the taxpayers.
AND…while the City is doing this, it has built-in 10% annual salary increases for its top managers.
Do you have a built-in 10% salary increase at your job?
I just love how supposed fiscal conservatives bitch and moan about the fat in government when it has to do with others, but not when it comes to themselves. Cut government….but not social security, defense, medicare, or my city manager. Just a bunch of hypocrites…god help the republican party and the country.

By: John W

John W — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:35:29 +0000

The city manager salary issue won’t influence my AD 15 vote, but there is no way in hell that compensation is justified — roughly $40 per homeowner when retirement benefits are factored in. Yes, as a resident, I agree San Ramon is very well managed by the City Manager and City Council. But so is Danville. San Jose is a major city and has challenges small suburban communities don’t have. But it’s not because they have an underpaid, unqualified city manager.

Wilson is a pragmatic, “main street” conservative. But once he’s part of the Republican caucus in Sacramento, he’ll be just as bad as the rest on both sides of the aisle. He already sold his soul by signing the Grover Norquist pledge. I have many complaints about Buchanan, but I’m still undecided.

By: Joe Hackman

Joe Hackman — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:29:11 +0000

Yes, the City Manager is well compensated based on performance. When you talk about the cities 8-9 times larger what kind of fiscal condition are they in?

Playing the class warfare card is not going to work here, people will judge Abram Wilson on his track record not how much his city manager is paid.

The current government is not working, we need some fresh faces, ideas and people with real track records on economy and jobs. That sounds like Abram Wilson to me.

By: AK

AK — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:25:14 +0000

San Ramon is one of the best cities to live in the Bay Area and it is due to the guidance of Mayor Wilson.

He has helped our city gain a 50 percent reserve and a AAA bond rating.

To quote Sam Cooper:
“I’d say we are in pretty good hands with Mayor Wilson and we should elect him to help fix the mess in Sacramento.

I’d much rather have Mayor Wilson in the Assembly because I know he will show up and vote. Buchanan abstained on over 300 votes during her short time in the Assembly and decided to run for Tauscher’s seat less than 3 months after taking office. Is she truelly representing us or just looking out for herself?”

Folks, the choice is clear. HIgher taxes and a person who deserted their constituency or more jobs, lower taxes and fiscal Responsibility?

I strongly urge you to vote for Abram Wilson, the clear choice for AD-15.

By: Sam Cooper

Sam Cooper — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:17:52 +0000

San Ramon is one of the few cities in California that has completely funded their pension obligations, has a surplus to weather hard times and a AAA bond rating. It has been named one of the top 100 places to live in the US. Housing prices have held their own (even in this economy) because San Ramon is such a wonderful place to live. How many other cities and towns in California can say that?

I’d say we are in pretty good hands with Mayor Wilson and we should elect him to help fix the mess in Sacramento.

By: Anything Else?

Anything Else? — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 01:13:33 +0000

Yeah, our city manager is paid well. Anything else?

If the only attack she has is that Wilson pays his top executive well for doing a fantastic job (San Ramon IS a great city) then what does that say for the rest of his record as Mayor?

I have lived in San Ramon since before Abram Wilson was Mayor so I have watched as he and his “overpaid” manager have created one of the best and most fiscally sound cities in the country.

We need more people like Mayor Wilson in Sacramento.