Comments on: City Council Review

By: charlie C

charlie C — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:53:47 +0000

Here’s a real confidence builder for ya!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKd1pE4FYeg

By: bbox231

bbox231 — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:47:00 +0000

“Now, if they can restrain themselves and conduct business without pandering, posturing and pointless questions that have already been answered in staff reports . . . ”

“Once they demonstrate maturity in this role, it can lead to a serious discussion …..”

“Watching council chamber antics is often disappointing and cannot engender constituent confidence . . . ”

http://www.tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2011-08-16&file=Editorial++Turkey+in+the+straw.txt

By: Perry Masonary

Perry Masonary — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:45:11 +0000

Roy, re: #2 “no higher office like Mayor that they can run for”. FYI, Councilmember Wieckowski went from the City Council to the State Assembly, so their sights are apparently set higher than a local mayor’s job.

Charlie, I’m sure FCN will be delighted to hear that their power ranking is up there with major foreign nations. Or perhaps that was a humorous comment?

By: charlie C

charlie C — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:48:23 +0000

Read it and weep. China, India and the FCN have already taken over Fremont…only professional baseball can save us!

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:58:38 +0000

Aren’t you the same Chinmoy whose views were rejected by the voters of Fremont for school board candidate?
http://www.smartvoter.org/2002/11/05/ca/alm/race/167/

By: Chinmoy Roy

Chinmoy Roy — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:37:39 +0000

My response (#2) was to West when he raised the issue of “public service.” But Bbox231, I presume you are talking about teachers and teachers unions and their contribution to society. It beats me why this country fails to give proper recognition to the teaching profession. Why is it OK for police and fire to have their unions and also huge retirement benefits. But the standards are different for teachers. I agree that teachers also have some work to do. But so do the police and firefighters.

All you need to do is see the education model in China, India and Japan and you will soon see why they are considered by the US CIA as the countries that will overtake the US by 2023. It is education.

By: bbox231

bbox231 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:08:37 +0000

It’s an aside and since nothing from nothing begets nothing, the decision by Fremont’s Board is (largely) inconsequential except to those who choose to slug through the live meetings or recordings thereof. But as I read this article I was reminded of the frequently used tactic of reducing the volume of output but keeping compensation the same.

Time and again we see this kind of deal offered as evidence that there is some attempt on the part of employees to “negotiate in earnest” or something like that.

The employees laugh all the way to the bank.

The cities that get REALLY tricky move TWO shells at the same time and reduce the work output by a percentage which is greater than the corresponding percentage by which comp is reduced, thereby elevating the effective per-unit-of-production comp with city managers, again, selling constituency on the “concessions” made.

It’s all a shell game which delivers progressively less to the taxpayer – when what is actually needed is an INCREASE in productivity.

It goes without saying that teachers’ standards of living should (for many) improve.

The pace at which *that* change will occur will, IMHO, be determined by their willingness to let go of some now defunct tenets and, more importantly, their willingness to distance themselves from other public unions which *are* quite unrealistic in their expectations of future comp packages.

Municipal BK will hasten some of the requisite changes.

By: Chinmoy Roy

Chinmoy Roy — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:50:40 +0000

West, you seriously believe they are in public service? I can vouch for the School Board folks who are truly giving up a lot of their time for public service. No developers, no higher office like Mayor that they can run for. And all their kids go to the schools that they serve. Now that is what I call public service. And you would not find a School Board member living in Livermore and serving on the School Board.

By: West

West — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:12:48 +0000

Perhaps they can cut it down to one council meeting per month.
What is the councils pay based on, Meetings per month.
Lets reduce there pay by one meeting a month.

Admittedly There pay is low, but that is where Public Service comes in!

Fremont Politics, you have to love it.