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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Watching City council on Comcast 17 and what a meeting. Neeley has repeatedly requested information on how many employees have been hired in DCED since Wendy Johnson, when there are no general fund dollars available for such employees. He stated he has information that about 5 to 6 employees have been hired. He observed that Eason had previously told Sarginson there were no new hires and 2 individuals were on the job within 48 hours.
Neeley requested a supoena to force the administration to answer his request and he was angered when Kincaid told him he could get a FOIA. Bade refused to issue he supoena and council later voted that an individual council could rquest a supoena, Neeley quoted an interview Walling gave to MSNBC where he allegedly discussed laying off 10 more police officers. He stated police were critical to the well being of the city and pointed out the recent serial killer that targeted black men. |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:08 pm |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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Most transparent administration, EVER! |
_________________ I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:18 pm |
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ConcernedCitizen
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Dave Starr schreef:
Most transparent administration, EVER!
More like "Most transparent Administration, NEVER!"
I have an inside source that told me there may have been as many as 10 people hired in DCED. Supposedly one is a plant by Eason to check up on everybody and report back to him. This insider also told me that they were told that their pay was going to be covered by grants. When asked, they told me that they did not have the grants yet, but they were going to get them. This person also told me that they had no idea how to do the job and had never written a grant. I was told that many of the people hired were in the same boat.
If this is true, where is their pay coming from? Obviously they are getting paid and that money has to come from somewhere. And if the grants never materialize, where is the money coming from? Since when is it acceptable accounting practice to take money out of the general fund to pay for employees that are not budgeted, in the hope that money from grants might materialize?
As if this city weren't in enough financial trouble, Walling in all his infinite wisdom got rid of the staff that knew what they were doing and is replacing them with unqualified newbies.
I also thought that when council approved the budget amendment that Josh Freeman pushed (and Walling agreed to), certain positions were to be eliminated, one of them being Wendy Johnson's position. Why is she still there?
I'm to the point that I would like to see the State take over Flint. Maybe, just maybe, there would be less of the political sweetheart deals that permeate our local government. |
_________________ "When people fear their government, there is TYRANNY.
When the government fears the people, there is Liberty"
Thomas Jefferson |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:31 pm |
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ConcernedCitizen
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
Neeley requested a supoena to force the administration to answer his request and he was angered when Kincaid told him he could get a FOIA. Bade refused to issue he supoena and council later voted that an individual council could rquest a supoena,
From our City Charter:
Sec. 3-205 INVESTIGATION.
The City Council may make investigations into the affairs of the City and the conduct of any City agency
pursuant to Section 3-206 [of this Charter].
(Adopted by the electorate, 11-5-74)
Sec. 3-206 INVESTIGATIVE POWERS.
A.
The City Council may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require the production of evidence in any matter pending before it or any of its committees
.
B.
To enforce a subpoena or order for production of evidence or to impose any penalty prescribed for failure to obey a subpoena or order, the City Council shall apply to the appropriate court
.
(Adopted by the electorate, 11-5-74)
Now I am not an expert in law, but I see nowhere that it mentions having to go to the City Attorney to issue a subpoena. It clearly states that
"City Council may subpoena."
This is the "Rule Book" to which our City Council and City Administration is bound. Do they not even know what the charter says? And Kincaid has been in this Council long enough that he should have the Charter memorized.
So Mr. Neely, issue that subpoena and go after that information because a lot more people than just you want to know the answer to where the money is coming from. And if they refuse, go to the "appropriate court" to enforce that subpoena. |
_________________ "When people fear their government, there is TYRANNY.
When the government fears the people, there is Liberty"
Thomas Jefferson |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:54 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I have never known a grant to be retroactive. When they posted the jobs they were about $55k to over $70 k. These people are possibly the reason more police may have to be laid off. |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 5:33 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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Didn't Eason say these positions were NOT posted? There was a complaint from a resident at the city council meeting that some of these people hired were not even city residents. |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:48 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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About 3 positions were posted as RFPs or Request for proposals.. I am not sure if all of these positions were filled as Carpenter applied for one and Eason then decided to "fill it internally".
Most of these positions were not posted. DCED staff applied and were not considered. That is the basis of some of their unfair labor. There was no competive basis for most of the new hires. Normally new positions would be filled internally if at all possible before going outside,
It appears Eason filled these positions as new-hires and not as temporary grant positions. |
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Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:02 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Today on comcast it appears that DCED hired 6 new employees.
Council took general fund dollars out of the DCED budget, which was in error as HUD always disallows certain costs for the Director and other employees as well as certain fixed costs for the office. As a result the office now has a $73,000 deficit.
Eason told Neelley and council when Wendy Johnson was hired that she would be 100% grant funded and that was untrue as Eason apparently did not know what he was talking about. |
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Sun Aug 22, 2010 1:19 pm |
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DELETED
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:27 am |
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DELETED
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:20 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Some council people are being left out of the process. Before the August 9th meeting, Walling, Loyd, Lawler and Nolden had a quick meeting on the landing between the first floor and the basement.
Weighill is also experiencing difficulty in getting information.
Eason apparently told the North side group that all of the NSP2 money is "going north of the river". A deal has been made with HUD that the city will build up to 100 houses in Smith Village. About 300 homes will be demolished and many renovated at a cost of $70k to $80k each. This is in excess of what HUD normally allows for a rehab,so this should be interesting.
There will be an upscale senior citizen facility near Devils Lake, complete with a fitness center and other amenities. Court Street Village did a survey a number of years ago and realized there was a declining need for more senior housing and did not complete their plans for building additional senior housing unts, Blackberry Creek in Burton wanted upscale housing for seniors and others, They were recently foreclosed despite payments in lieu of taxes being given to them. |
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:42 pm |
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