Do not attempt to adjust your sets. The message about to be conveyed is not recommended for those with faint hearts. Please contain your bewilderment and muffle your screams. The Rotterdam Planning Commission did a nice job at their meeting tonight.
No, you haven't entered the Twilight Zone and I haven't lost my mind. It's a well-known fact that I am generally not a fan of the Planning Commission and have given them a fair share of criticism. However, I want to acknowledge good government too when I am fortunate to bear witness to it.
Tonight I accompanied some of our promising youth to the meeting. It was a full agenda with quite an array of projects in various stages of review. It was ideal, in fact, for the purpose of grasping the Planning Commission's function.
I thought I'd function as an interpreter of sorts. But Chairman DiLallo recognized the students' presence right away, acknowledged it, and proceeded to provide them with one of their detailed packets so they could better understand what was transpiring. He didn't stop there either. Throughout the meeting he explained some of the more technical aspects, such as SEQR, and their importance to the ultimate decision rendered. There was a concerted effort by all participants to make their comments understandable. I must say I was impressed.
Good job, tonight Planning Commission!
We now return to your regularly scheduled programming...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Last Word
The Rotterdam Town Board wanted a raise. I opposed it. It didn’t pass.
The Town Board decided to form a committee to study and recommend pay raises. I opposed it. It passed anyway.
It is inevitable that a pay raise for Town Board members will be passed in the next budget regardless of whatever suggestions might come out of the committee.
Part of the logic being used to advocate for the pay raise is based in a belief that greater pay will result in attracting better qualified candidates for office. Fortunately, there is a very prominent example for us to examine to determine if that belief is valid. Our own New York State Legislature is maneuvering to give themselves a pay raise too. Yes, the very same dysfunctional body responsible for perpetually late budgets and highest-in-the-nation tax levies. Their desires for a raise aside, let’s take a look at their existing gig.
The base pay for a state legislator is $79,500. That’s second only to Michigan and California and compares with an average salary in New York of about $45,820.
Each legislator also gets $8,800 for attending the January to June session plus per diem expenses. Special committee days draw $143 per day. More than half also get anywhere from a few thousand to more than $30,000 more in stipends for additional committee posts. Add it all up and most are making $100,000 or more.
Now I don’t mean to compare apples to oranges by comparing our Town Board members to State Legislators which of course, is what I’m doing isn’t it? My point is that we offer quite a nice premium package to our state officials for delivering late budgets and ever-increasing taxes. We’ve certainly attracted the best-of-the-best with higher compensation on that front, haven’t we?
The underlying default claim to a raise is how hard they work. I’ll grant them that claim. They work hard. We all do. If only that was enough for demanding more money. No one forces someone to run for elected office and assume the associated pitfalls of the personal sacrifices made in order to serve.
I hope this is my last word on this subject.
Facts and figures credited to Michael Gormley, The Associated Press
The Town Board decided to form a committee to study and recommend pay raises. I opposed it. It passed anyway.
It is inevitable that a pay raise for Town Board members will be passed in the next budget regardless of whatever suggestions might come out of the committee.
Part of the logic being used to advocate for the pay raise is based in a belief that greater pay will result in attracting better qualified candidates for office. Fortunately, there is a very prominent example for us to examine to determine if that belief is valid. Our own New York State Legislature is maneuvering to give themselves a pay raise too. Yes, the very same dysfunctional body responsible for perpetually late budgets and highest-in-the-nation tax levies. Their desires for a raise aside, let’s take a look at their existing gig.
The base pay for a state legislator is $79,500. That’s second only to Michigan and California and compares with an average salary in New York of about $45,820.
Each legislator also gets $8,800 for attending the January to June session plus per diem expenses. Special committee days draw $143 per day. More than half also get anywhere from a few thousand to more than $30,000 more in stipends for additional committee posts. Add it all up and most are making $100,000 or more.
Now I don’t mean to compare apples to oranges by comparing our Town Board members to State Legislators which of course, is what I’m doing isn’t it? My point is that we offer quite a nice premium package to our state officials for delivering late budgets and ever-increasing taxes. We’ve certainly attracted the best-of-the-best with higher compensation on that front, haven’t we?
The underlying default claim to a raise is how hard they work. I’ll grant them that claim. They work hard. We all do. If only that was enough for demanding more money. No one forces someone to run for elected office and assume the associated pitfalls of the personal sacrifices made in order to serve.
I hope this is my last word on this subject.
Facts and figures credited to Michael Gormley, The Associated Press
Monday, February 18, 2008
Molding Young Minds
I’ve always relished the opportunity to have an impact on a child’s development. As my children grew up, I was afforded opportunities to coach softball and soccer. It’s difficult to describe the reward from witnessing a child’s realization of mastery of a skill and knowing you helped them attain that realization.
So it was with great excitement that I trudged off to Rotterdam Town Hall the other night with my daughter in tow. We attended the town meeting together as part of a school assignment but she was genuinely interested in finding out what happens at one of these meetings. She’d heard my retellings numerous times but was looking forward to a first-hand view. The agenda that evening was mundane, however, with little public participation, but we were fortunate to hear Mr. Aaron Mair address the Board about aquifer concerns anyway.
The meeting turned out routine. Too bad because sometimes it’s better than watching TV. I think my daughter was secretly hoping to witness some fireworks. Plenty of time for that, I told her, if she stays involved. I warned her that attendance at these meetings could sometimes be painful. A few moments later, this turned out to never be truer when I accidentally slammed the car door on her finger! (Miraculously, she wasn't injured severely.)
We’ve got plans to attend some other upcoming governmental meetings soon. (Assuredly, they’ll turn out less painful.)
All of this is important because she’ll be of legal voting age for the general election. I’m proud to say she’s been paying attention, developing her own views as she determines what’s most important. It’s fun to have different political discussions with her and listen to what issues are most prevalent on young people’s minds. Our views are often different from each other as you’d expect them to be but I’ve been surprised that she’s as much of a teacher to me as I am to her.
So it was with great excitement that I trudged off to Rotterdam Town Hall the other night with my daughter in tow. We attended the town meeting together as part of a school assignment but she was genuinely interested in finding out what happens at one of these meetings. She’d heard my retellings numerous times but was looking forward to a first-hand view. The agenda that evening was mundane, however, with little public participation, but we were fortunate to hear Mr. Aaron Mair address the Board about aquifer concerns anyway.
The meeting turned out routine. Too bad because sometimes it’s better than watching TV. I think my daughter was secretly hoping to witness some fireworks. Plenty of time for that, I told her, if she stays involved. I warned her that attendance at these meetings could sometimes be painful. A few moments later, this turned out to never be truer when I accidentally slammed the car door on her finger! (Miraculously, she wasn't injured severely.)
We’ve got plans to attend some other upcoming governmental meetings soon. (Assuredly, they’ll turn out less painful.)
All of this is important because she’ll be of legal voting age for the general election. I’m proud to say she’s been paying attention, developing her own views as she determines what’s most important. It’s fun to have different political discussions with her and listen to what issues are most prevalent on young people’s minds. Our views are often different from each other as you’d expect them to be but I’ve been surprised that she’s as much of a teacher to me as I am to her.
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