Salaries again

I thought I’d add a little to my post about salaries. First, Chief Bladel declined a Katrina mission merit bonus. Also Finance Director Guard had an amount matching a bonus given to HR Director Dolan be taken out of his vacation balance. I salute these people for truely being true public servants.

Now for Mr. Malin.
$138,018.73- regular salary
$7,282.12- Vacation (98 hours)
$9,567.76- Holiday pay (128 hours)
$5,856.00- Car allowance
$450.00- Cell phone allowance
$30,908.65- Vacation hours payout
$16,600.00- Supplimental pension contributions in contract agreement
$12,893.77- Deferred compensation contr made by the City
$778.40- Value of life insurance premiums
$222,356.43 Total wages and benifits

Merit bonuses paid to Directors and Managers-
$1,316.00- Charles Leabhart, Hurrican Katrina, 12-31-05
$1,974.00- Lavern Cole, Hurrican Katrina, 12-31-05
$1,316.00- Joshua Howard, Hurrican Katrina, 12-31-05
$1,316.00- Redmond Jones, Hurricane Katrina, 12-31-05
$1,316.00- Mark Frese, Hurricane Katrina, 12-31-05
$5,000.00- Clayton Lloyd, Exceptional performance, 3-10-07
$2,500.00- Elizabeth Tallman, Exceptional performance, 3-10-07
$4,819.00- Alan Guard, Exceptional performance, 4-7-07
$2,500.00- Jeff Dolan, exceptional performance, 4-21-07
$22,057.00- Total of bonuses provided

Chief Bladel is going to retire, and I wish him well. If you want more information on his retirement, go to snarky’s blog, or the SoLo blog. Comments are welcome on whatever’s stuck in your craw today.

Some salaries to compare to ours

 Sometimes I get e-mails that get me thinking.  I recieved one about wages of different city employees that was one of those. Some were about where I thought they’d be, but others just made me shake my head. I thought I’d share a few with you. These are  City Directors of various departments.

 Director of Finance, Allan Guard as of 7-1-06   $97,406

 Asst. City Aministrator, Dee Bruemer as of 7-1-06  $113,826

 Human Res., Jeff Dolan as of 7-1-06  $84,161

 Chief Info Off., Rob Henry as of 7-1-06  $100,984

 Corporation Councel, Mary Thee, as of 7-1-06  $101,263

 Library, Lawanda Roudebush,  as of 7-1-06  $94,087

 Parks & Rec, Dan Sherman, as of 7-1-06  $91,114

 Police, Mike Bladel, as of 7-1-06  $109,780

Fire, Mark Frese, as of 7-1-06  $109,780

Civil Rights, Judy Morrell, as of 7-1-06  $87,982

 C & ED, Clayon Lloyd as of 7-1-06  $100,435

 City Administrator, Craig Malin as of 4-21-07  $138,019.73 base, but

after all his perks, it comes to $222,356.43. These people are all making pretty good money. I’d be interested to see what these same jobs pay somewhere like Cedar Rapids, or Des Moines. As always, your comments are welcome.

—————-Addendum———————————–

 Now that Chief Bladel is going to resign in February; I wonder who’s going to take his place.?

Something to think about

A car company can move it’s factories to Mexico and claim it’s a free market.
 A toy company can out source to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it’s a free market.
 A shoe company can produce its shoes in Southeast Asia and claim it’s a free market
 A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it’s a free market.
 We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico . We can buy shirts made in Bangladesh . We can purchase almost anything we want from 20 different countries.
 BUT, heaven help the senior citizens who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian or Mexican pharmacy. That’s called un-American and illegal and our politicians want to stop it!

 I have a deck to build so consider this an open thread. Your comments are welcome.

Memorial Day post

“I’m Tired”
BY:   Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army
        101st Airborne Division

Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I’ll return to Iraq to finish my tour.

I left Baghdad, and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it’s because I’ll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I’m tired:

I’m tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who lack the courage, fortitude and character to see these difficult tasks through.

I’m tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough.

I’m tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they ‘Support the Troops’ by wanting them to ‘Cut and Run’ before victory is achieved.

I’m tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the battlefield.

I’m tired that so many Americans think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a democracy overnight.

I’m tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go to the voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanent Parliament.

I’m tired of the so called ‘Elite Left’ that prolongs this war by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War.

I’m tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers, a family whose loved ones gave their life in a just and noble cause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardly protesters is beyond shameful.

I’m tired that my generation, the Baby Boom — Vietnam generation, who have such a weak backbone that they can’t stomach seeing the difficult tasks through to victory.

I’m tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captives than they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies.

I’m tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by the press, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front-page news.

Mostly, I’m tired that the people of this great nation didn’t learn from history that there is no substitute for victory.

Sincerely,
       
Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army
101st Airborne Division
Verified @ snopes.com

I hope on this day of remembrance that we all know; Freedom isn’t free, but it’s worth fighting for. Please take a moment and think of our men and women in harms way.
Comments are welcome.

Another loss

 We in the car culture lost another of our friends on Friday, May 25. Harold Matherly died of complications from Leukemia. We thought for a while he beat it as he seemed like his old self, but as is with life, nobody can win the final battle. I feel priviledged to have called him friend while he was with us. Even at 78, he seemed young at heart. The car club has lost a member, Elaine has lost a husband, and the rest of his family has lost a true gem. I know he’s looking down on us. Our heartfelt condolences to the family, and if you need anything call.

Short update

A little update on the brawl at Boozies. It would seem there are some inaccuraces in Barb Ickes’ column. While not her fault, nobody was getting any information on it. It seems everyone at the scene was interviewed the night it happened. Two victims were interviewed at the hospital, and injuries photographed within an hour of the incident. The victim that the police hadn’t interviewed, was at his request. The victim wanted to wait until Monday, which is a holiday, so the police agreed to talk to him Tuesday instead. Also the Police claim they have some suspects they’re looking at.

 Another interesting subject is the Freight House. How can it open if nothing’s being done? There are no signs of remodeling, or even working on the exterior of the building. Will it be ready in time? Or will people just have to settle for the playset outside?

 It also appears Aaron Howard is going to walk away from his problems. He’s not going to be charged with assault; and possession of a drug pipe is not a serious offense. The damage control worked, it never happened, and Chief Bladel gets to lower the count on Aggravated Assaults in town. If this keeps up, we’ll have a negative crime rate in no time. That’s my take, as you know, your comments are welcome.

Things going down in our town

A few things have been sticking in my craw lately, but I waited until today to say much because yesterday was probably the last birthday my mom will ever celebrate. One of the big things was an e-mail I recieved about the city cemetary. It was both strange and unbelievable at the same time. It started out innocent enough about a drunk driver ruining over some headstones and the city possibly getting some restitution from the person. The unbelievable part involved laying a new water main on the section of Division Street that runs from Rockingham Road to River Drive. The claim is that Iowa-American Water crews were running into coffins under the road next to the cemetary. Some say part of the cemetary must have been closed and paved over for the street! It’s more what the e-mail doesn’t say about this that bothers me. How many caskets did they ‘run into’? Why didn’t they stop when they run into the first one? Who was in charge to say keep digging? That’s just too strange for me, even for this city.

Then this morning I open the paper, and the Barb Ickes column made me spit out my coffee again. For the story go to beating.txt. Gangs of drunken thugs going around beating people half to death is unacceptable. When found these gutless wonders should be charged with attempted murder. And what do you pro-development people have to say? I keep hearing ‘development chases away crime’. Where this happened is right smack in the middle of millions of dollars worth of development and it sure didn’t help this kid. It was even a well-lit alley next to a bank and a library.

Rumors have been flying also about troubles on the skybridge. This time with gangs of maurading juveniles. What is it with these banger wanna-bes who have to hassle people out trying to enjoy themselves? I know this is minor compared to the first two, but it still bugs me. These punks always pick on the easy targets. The elderly, the disabled, women, and people smaller than they are. And always in groups, never 1 on 1. There has to be a way of stopping this sort of behavior.

And lastly, I’ve noticed that the homeless, or drunk, or maybe lazy people like to sleep downtown in odd places. We have seen them in alleys, on benches, under semi trailers, and finally last night snuggled up to a parking meter. While they may not have a home to go to, there are enough shelters in our city. The guy we seen last night looked like a raging alcoholic who just got tired and decided to sleep where he was. But I don’t believe 3rd. Street is that place. That’s my rant for the weekend. I’m going to keep the shiny side up, and you do the same. Feel free to comment.

———————–Addendum—————————————

 I’m adding the website for Dr. Jim Davis’s mayoral run to the blogroll. He is just getting the website up, but it looks pretty good. If you want to change the Mayor in the next election, give his site a peek. It’s at Doc for Mayor.

Horses and grafitti

 Here’s something else Alderman Meyer has asked me to post. With a not to Alderman Meyer, and a reminder to the reader that these  e-mails are best read from the bottom up. Here’s the post-

 ———- Forwarded Message ———-

CITY ORDINANCE LAYS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CLEANING AFTER A HORSE ON THE PERSON IN ATTENDANCE OF THE HORSE, MOST OF THE HORSE DETRITUS WAS CLEANED-UP SATURDAY  SOON AFTER THE GRAND OPENING. I WILL BE SPEAKING WITH THE LOCAL SADDLE CLUBS TO REINFORCE THIS MESSAGE. GRAFFITI WILL BE REMOVED ASAP AT THE PARK IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR GENERAL PARK POLICY.

BY THE WAY, I AM SETTING A MEETING FOR 4:00 TUESDAY AT THE SKATEPARK TO DISCUSS THE GRAFFITI ISSUE, YOU’LL BE RECEIVING A NOTICE.

——————————————————————————–

From: Keith Meyer 1012 Marquette 326-0469 [mailto:shabonee@netzero.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 9:32 AM
To: Sherman, Dan
Cc: Malin, Craig T.
Subject: Fw: New Columbia Dog Park

 Cheaper than a lawyer. And the City has five. (5) Must be a progressive place.

 Also I have been asked who is responsible for picking up the horseshit at Southwest Park. Also what is our plan for how to deal with graffiti there?

———- Forwarded Message ———-

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2007/05/22/doggy-hot-spot/

Seth Meyer PhD

Research Assistant Professor

FAPRI, Agricultural Economics

University of Missouri-Columbia

101 Park DeVille Dr.

Columbia, MO 65203

Phone: 573-884-7326

Fax: 573-884-4688

Iowa poll open thread

I just recieved my AARP Iowa Update bulletin in the mail, and it had some intereting figures in it. I thought I’d share them with you.

        On Health Care-
 12% of Iowans ages 19-64 do not have health insurance.
 Health care expenditures in Iowa have grown an average of 7.6% per year since 1980.
 One in five Iowa residents receives Social Security. Two-thirds of beneficiaries are retirees.
 More than half of Iowans age 65+ would be living in poverty if they were not receiving Social Security.

  Here’s what Iowa registered voters over 18 had to say in an AARP survey-

 94% believe they have a right to receive basic health care when they need it.
 90% want affordable long-term health care.
 85% believe one way to reduce health care costs is to provide better preventive care management to patients with chronic conditions.
 89% agree that schools should teach financial literacy.
 82% think tax incentives should be simplified and increased to promote financial responsibility.
 77% support enrolling every worker in a savings plan like a 401(k).
 Iowans are in overwhelming agreement that lifetime financial security is at the core of the American dream.

 Does everyone believe these figures? How about Iowa’s AARP priority this year; the cigarette tax. Do you really believe it will raise as much money as projected? And if this tax was supported by 70% of Iowans, and only 20% smoke; who made up the other 10% opposing this tax? Inquiring minds want to know. Consider this an open thread. This time of year our weekends are busier than the rest of the week. As always your comments are welcome.

Clean sweeps?

 Alderman Meyer asked me if I would post this and I said I would. As with some e-mails, it only makes sense if you read from the bottom up. Here’s the post-

Would you be so kind to post this? I am having computer problems.

Thanks much,

Keith

———- Forwarded Message ———-
Keith,

Not to anger you but who is NEO? Is it housing inspectors in Fire and environmental inspectors in solid waste and a towing officer in police?  With this decentralization came a loss of the ability to do sweeps in the near future. Right now I have two environmental inspectors of which one has been in the job 13 days and the other eight. We are still teaching them how to get the letters out and do the basic job. I have offered the idea of a sweep concept to Fire and Police and have asked Tom Bylund to work to that end. But I don’t see that happening for a month to six weeks because we are putting all our effort on getting the two new people to speed on the day job. I know I sound a little frustrated but this has been a very difficult program to start up when you have employees for a couple of months and in a week they are gone to new jobs and we start over again.  There has been untold administrative hours that have gone into this rebuilding that are not recognized as lost opportunity to improve other services and save money.  

Dee F. Bruemmer

Assistant City Administrator/Public Works Director

City of Davenport, Iowa

563-326-7734
——————————————————————————–

From: Keith Meyer 1012 Marquette 326-0469 [mailto:shabonee@netzero.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 9:24 AM
To: Bruemmer, Dee
Subject: RE: Spring sweep-Fall sweep

No, sweeps were done by the NEO.

– “Bruemmer, Dee” <dfb@ci.davenport.ia.us> wrote:

Keith,

Do you mean the effort done by the neighborhoods with United neighbors and the Solid waste commission. That already has occurred.

Dee F. Bruemmer

Assistant City Administrator/Public Works Director

City of Davenport, Iowa

563-326-7734
——————————————————————————–

From: Keith Meyer 1012 Marquette 326-0469 [mailto:shabonee@netzero.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:26 PM
To: Bruemmer, Dee; Ryan, Michael J.
Subject: Spring sweep-Fall sweep

Some time back I asked if we were planning a Spring Sweep. I never heard back.

Thanks

Keith