Do you really think we could find City Manager for lees than $109.000 a year, wages benefits and retirement package included.? We have Department Heads currently that cost us more .. What do you think an assistant City Clerk who makes $48,000 costs the city adding on required benefits.

I Don't Think So. What do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If pro is the opposite of con? would CONgress be the oppositeof PROgress?

  Submit to Quotes         

What is the city Managers job?
Is his salary comprable to other cities in the area?
Should a special election be held to give city employees a raise?
What are the salaries for department heads, and is thisa public record?
If the city is operating at a deficit shouldn't the highest salaries in the city take a pay cut to help keep the city out of receivership?
Do we need to check the city lots for a red navigator?

I know some of my questions seem childish, but these are questions that need to be answered to give the proper answers on the value of a city employees and their salaries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trust is hard to earn , but easily lost

  Submit to Quotes         

I would much rather have a full time mayor. I think the person who runs this city should have to live here and exist with the discisions that he/she help to shape for the rest of us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sick and tired of hearing things from uptight, short sighted, narrow minded hypocrites. All I want is the truth, Just gimme some truth"

- John Lennon

  Submit to Quotes         

Veritas Scriptor (08-23-05)

We are not supplying Duchane with benefits, are we? I don't believe that was part of the deal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arctic Cat Thundercat Test Pilot

  Submit to Quotes         

Duchane's benefits are being paid by the friendly folks in Sterling Heights.

  Submit to Quotes         

That's what I thought. We are not paying for it, but my relatives are, they live at 15 Mile and Mound in Sterling Heights.

  Submit to Quotes         

Here are the results of the survey that I completed :


I will look for the updated info on the above as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sometimes we must serve in order to lead"
by Unknown

  Submit to Quotes         

Veritas Scriptor (08-23-05), MINDVTR (08-23-05)

Doesn't look like alot of cities were too giving of information.

  Submit to Quotes         

Cash either.

  Submit to Quotes         

It doesn't matter, Duchane will be gone someday soon and be replaced with a LP resident.

  Submit to Quotes         

yeah like replaced by Mayor Brown

  Submit to Quotes         

I have heard that rumor too.. It seems to be widespread

My take on that is he would have to be appointed to that position and that means that council president cannot vote because it's a conflict as they would become the next Mayor and the Mayor can't vote on it ...so that leaves 5 council members.....I don't think that Brown would have the three votes on this.

Just my two cents.

  Submit to Quotes         

You're correct. But one thing I noticed during the meeting when the council voted to give him a $27,000 increase in annual compensation: One of the reasons given was that since we don't have to pay for his benefits, that's a cost savings to the city of Lincoln Park.

However my argument has always been, "What kind of cost savings is it when we pay him in cash the amount of money that we would have paid in benefits?"

Look at it this way: Let's say his benefits add up to about $20,000 per year. The LP council was looking it at like "Well that's $20,000 that we're saving...money that we ordinarily would have had to spend anyway...so let's give it to Duchane in the form of a pay raise."

But in reality, this is a flawed manner of thinking. Because Sterling Heights is footing the bill for his benefits...so if you add this figure to his overall compensation...he is grossly over compensated.

There are other cities in Downriver who don't pay their CM's nearly as much as Duchane recieves...and they have many more years on the job, never been fired for lying about their credentials, haven't cost their cities $31 million in lawsuits, nor proven guilty of plagereuism.

Add it all up:

• $102,500 a year salary
• $7,500 a year to his 403(b) retirement savings plan (paid by city tax dollars, not from his own earned income like most others)...putting his annual compensation at $110,000.
• Recieves full benefits from the kind folks in Sterling Heights...the ones who fired him for lying...the ones who are paying for his $31 million error.

When Duchane was CM for Sterling Heights, he was compensated $113,000 per year. Now he's being compensated $110,000 per year. Poor Duchane, right? He took a $3,000 pay decrease to bless us with his presence, right?

Wrong. Sterling Heights has four times as many residents as Lincoln Park. If you were to pro-rate his pay...that would mean he should only be recieving about $28,000 per year. Which is funny, because that figure represents the approzimate sum of the raise we gave him after 9 short months on the job.

This whole subject makes me angry. With all the talk about the council trying to save money...with forcing ordinary city employees into taking 0% raise concessions over the next few years (because we're sooo broke)...with buying out 69 public employees with the ERI (because we couldn't afford to pay them anymore)...we turn around and give him a 33.33% increase in pay.

Yet, that doesn't seem to be an issue...does it? No...the real issue is how Val Brady racked up $1,900 in legitmate cell phone charges (doing the job she was elected to do) over an 8 month period.

No...it's not an issue that we told city employees they couldn't have raises for a few years. It's not an issue that we bought out 69 public employees. It's not an issue that after doing this, we gave a tarnished CM (who was fired from his last job for lying and costing his city $31 million) a 33% increase in pay with only 9 months on the job.

Guess who didn't vote for that pay increase? Tom Murphy and Valerie Brady. Remember that when you guys vote November 8th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Submit to Quotes         

My 2 cents Duchane should be at 101,000 currently. $ 75,000 if he wanted benefits. Brown isn't qualified to be a City Manager. They weren't hiring a city manager . They required somebody who could restructure a cities method of operation. To function within the parameters designated by a legislative branch of Government.

I don't think there were more than Disanto and 1 or 2 others even understood what they were voting for when they chose to hire a CM. One thing for sure they all had a scapegoat to blame everything on if there was no fund balance left for the 2005-2006 budget. Not one person on the current council knew what to do after the $1.5 mil state revenue cuts . They were in panic mode bouncing off walls .
THANK YOU MARIO for ignoring the attacks on you and your family and completing new projects that are now paying additional taxes. THANK YOU MIKE for pointing out the positive and moving us forward. THANK YOU MARK for the hard work before you were first elected and after . No more crack houses. My home is worth more. Thanks all 3 for maling the right decisions.

  Submit to Quotes