STEVE DUCHANE’S LEGACY

YEP AND THIS IS THE SAME ATTORNEY WHO STATED WE HAD A STRONG CASE IN WINNING THE $31 MILLION AS WELL. KEEP IN MIND, THE JUDGE HAS ALREADY STATED IN HER LEGAL OPINION THAT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL AT BEST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONLY A FRACTION OF THE $31 MILLION. GEE, I FEEL BETTER.

To the naysayer who says we are pessimistic. To some in the press who complain we are critical. This is our answer.

Below is an article on what Steve Duchane costs us in Sterling Heights, but not until after he made sure he walked away with over a $100,000 severance pay and Life Time Health Care Benefits paid for by the very people he stiffed for $31 Million dollars. Is it any wonder why people would be so critical of this man?

The biggest problem with giving Mr Ducane a raise, was the lack of consistency.

Mr Kandes made a grand speech about how broke the city was and how this was a problem that would be with us for the next couple of years. This was right after he voted to spend $20,000 in taxpayer money.

Mr Kandes voted to keep the City Manager from being reimbursed from petty cash when taking someone to lunch.

He votes to stop business lunches, but votes Yea on a $20,000 expenditure.

IN-CON-SIS-TAN-CY

The city is either broke or it is not. If it can't afford a business lunch, it cannot afford $20,000

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Councilman Mario DiSanto will put the Building Department back together

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My only concern (and hope) is that THERE IS SOME ACCOUNTABILITY over our city manager. LP cannot afford to "wait and see" if our city manager is working for the best of LP or not. (I don't want LP to go into receivership. I just hope someone is "really" watching over him, and that he has not been "pulling the wool" over anyone.")

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But where do you find the figures for what other city managers are making? Maybe you have a more updated version, but we have a copy of a 2004 Municipal Conference Survey that shows the average Base Pay of City Managers for cities our size around $90,000.00. And Duchane's Base Pay is 108,000 plus the one time contribution of 7500.00

That is 18000.00 higher than the figures we have found. (Not counting the 7500.00 b.c it's a one time thing)

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The range was from 60,000 in very small communities to around 130,000 (what Duchane was Making when he left Sterling Heights)

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We only had a city manager for 9 months. We have not yet seen the actual figures of what the ERI is going to save (or cost) in the long run. Everything that is factural has not been shared with the actual "bill payers" (the taxpayers).

In additon, LP is in a financial crisis. I have yet to see any justification for the $20,000 pay raise after only 9 months of service. (This is inconsistent with stating that LP is going broke.)

Now, if the true numbers were shared with all of us, maybe we would all agree that this was justified. (But, many still have a problem with only after 9 months.)

We all have a right to agree or disagree. Some of us need to be shown the facts. (Again, many of us do not want to see LP go into receivership. And, we need to see exactly what our city manager has positively done for LP.)

As for being the first-time city manager, this creates the need to show the citizens exactly how we are saving money. Words are words. Actions speak louder than mere words. All we are asking is for true, undisputed facts. Is this too much to ask for? Aren't we entitled to know what we are paying for?

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If the city is truely going broke, the raise should have been held up until the city was on a good financial seating.

Mr Kandes, Mr Vaslo and the others cannot claim to be heading for the poor house and spending $20,000 at the same time. CON-SIS-TAN-CY. The voters are not stupid.

If you are in financial straights, you don't spend all the money you save. It makes no sense.

CON-SIS-TAN-CY.

The council made a "rookie" type mistake. The inexperience was quite evident in this instance.

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I am singling out Mr Vaslo because he was the Mover on the resolution to give Mr Duchane a raise. Come election time, it will be viewed as his Resolution.

I am singling out Mr Kandes because he stood up that night and stated the city was going broke. Minutes after giving someone a $20,000 raise

CON-SIS-TAN-CY

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But, the last time anyone asked about the ERI program, they were told the actual figures were not in yet. (Although this is hard to believe, are they in yet?)

Again, he is only stating words. (In the NH, claiming credit for Meijers and The Fort Street Brewery--which we all are aware planned to come to LP long before we got a city manager.)

Why not willingly share the actual facts and figures? Why make citizens ask and file FOI requests--that may/may not have what we are asking for.

Anyone can report anything in monthly reports. But, show the facts--not just words. (If we honestly admit it, we all have "fudged" things that we have said by word-of-mouth. It's the actual facts and figures that tell the truth.)

Nanlynker - I guess this is where you and I will continue to disagree. (But, as I previously stated, we are entitled to our beliefs or disbeliefs.) Each of us are entitled to feel and believe what we do; and are entitled to chance our opinion based upon whatever information we have (or gain from this site).

I only hope that whatever our city manager (and even the mayor and council, as they have to approve what the city manager does) does not take LP down further--and into receivership. LP does not have the opportunity to "pick up the pieces" as other growing communities may have. We just have to be careful of the actions taken now.

Just my opinion...and, others are entitled to their opinions.

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I have to disagree with you about Murphy and Brady's votes being influenced by our site. Murphy says what he feels always, nomatter what, and Brady wanted to keep Duchane, but not give the raise just yet. Honestly, I think that those who opposed Val and Tom like to use that as a crutch against them. It really may be how they feel, but I don't agree.

I do think that Murphy and Brady take our discussions into consideration but they don't do things based on how we will react. I've been upset with Val and Tom before. But they don't ,and we don't cross our arms and stomp off at each other when that happens. The lines of communication are open, and being utilized, that is the extent of it.

In order to get detailed information on the ERI stuff, one would have to fill out a FOIA. I have a link to a site where you can print a copy in the Freedom of Speech / OMA / FOIA Forum. Edited to add that the names or other private information relating to specific individuals can be blacked out with permanent marker...names, etc. The file should be requested as the total net effect on the Pension and the total net effect on the general fund, if any.

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My browser is hanging up (or it may be my ISP), but, the best I recall was the article in the NH around the time Meijers opened. While he may not have "claimed" credit for this, the reporter gave the impression that he was responsible for it. (I will admit that one cannot always believe what is read/printed/said in the media. But, to others, it would appear that credit for these two new busineses arfe being given to S. Duchane.)

Anyone else able to pull up this article? (My Internet Explorer brower is hanging up.)

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I'll keep trying. But, hopefully, someone else will be more successful. (To even respond to your thread, I had to log back on--got dsconnrected,)

And, I do agree...we all have a right to agree or disagree. No one should be ridiculed or called names for it. After all, that is why we are all unique individuals. (No one should get "up in arms" and begin to insult anyone for taking an opposing view.)

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From the article

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One thing that is never mentioned is that when Mr Ducane leaves (and he will because Lincoln park is a small city and once he gets re-established he will want to be able to move forward and this opportunity is not available to him in our small community) there will be a precedent for an exorbitant amount of compensation available to the next city manager. I doubt that you will see the salary go down for the next person to fill the shoes of the current city manager.

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Why doesn't the City post this extraordinary savings information on their web site for all to see?

I do not feel that it is appropriate for you to ask me to come before city council to ask for this public information, it should be presented voluntarily to everyone. There is a great deal of interest in how our city will do in the future and the economic re-organization is something that should be forthcoming and not hidden from everyone.

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That is a good point Lupin. I had not considered that angle, but you are right.

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nanlynker, you appear to be a sensible, caring and curtious member. Your thoughts are resonable but misguided. Allow me to seperate the fact from fiction.

To begin with, you stated Mr. Duchane "saved the city a couple of million dollars", but that statement I assume is based on the managers report. To my knowledge, no written proof has been supplied. To date no one knows the total cost of the ERI buyout, how do you know the cost is not 4million, or 8 million etc. If so, it would far outway any savings stipulated by Mr. Duchane.

You ask others in this post to supply you with newspaper articles stipulating what has been said, yet it appears that you are willing to take what Mr. Duchane and others on council are willing to tell you at face value. Can you explain this?

You stated Mr. Duchane deserves a raise. Well, I would think the DPS, Fire and Police are just as deserving. So why are they required to freeze their pay with no raise while Mr. Duchane takes a 33% pay increase in only 9 months?

You state that according to JakeSnake and Sink hole city who claim that Mr. Duchane is a "unscrupulous person, a power-monger". I would like to direct your attention to some notable quotes from Federal Judge Nancy Edmonds below. As you can see, we are not the only ones that find Mr. Duchane "unscrupulous and a power monger".



“Duchane had taken similar retaliatory action against another entity, a night club, which Duchane harassed with unwarranted violations and investigations after the club had filed suit against the City”.



“In the meantime, however, apparently furious over having been sued, Defendant Duchane began a campaign of harassment and retaliation against Hillside which continues to the present day”



“Hillside was first obtaining building permits from the City Manager despite hisdissembling(MEANING HE LIED, WITH HELD)to the residents and the City Council”.



Nancy G. Edmunds U.S. District Judge



http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/_opinions/edmunds.htm




Aside from what I, Sink or Mr. Duchane say, certainly you would not consider the comments from a Federal Judge to be biased, would you?

Like you and others I have always said the the idea of a city manger was not only long overdue for the welfare of LP, but also mandated in your city charter. Where I part company, is in paying an amount the city can ill afford for a manager with a checkered past.

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