I should have seen it coming. Last November, when the county budget with its tax increase was passed by a 9-8 vote, the deciding vote was cast by a Republican. I can say this because during most of the Spano years, the Republicans constantly voted against those budgeted tax increases and bragged in campaign literature about it. We were told that all of those no votes, even in economic boon times, were wrong for the taxpayers. Yet, in a bona-fide recession, they vote for a tax increase.
What was the difference? A Republican administration was coming Jan. 1, and this would give this administration more money to spend. It is the only logical conclusion I can come up with for the change of heart.
So, Jan. 1 came and, with it, hopefully the change voters wanted. We got some new faces in the executive branch; those close aides the county executive would rely on for advice and information. What doesn’t change, for the most part, are the various commissioners. Most from the previous administration were held over; certainly no positions were consolidated or cut. Again, I can only conclude this was done because the Legislature was still overwhelmingly in Democrats’ hands, and this was a show of reaching across the isle. The problem lies in that history has taught us that when a Republican compromises with a Democrat, it is the Republican who compromises his position.
Then the county executive makes a couple of proposals to show he is going to rein in government spending. One is to have nonunion workers, elected officials and their aides pay 15 percent towards their health costs. We were told in speeches, press releases and op-eds how it was not fair that private sector workers have to pay a portion of their health care and county employees do not. This simple, uncomplicated idea subsequently was buried in various committees in the Legislature where Democrats hoped it will never see the light of day. The other proposal was the curtailing of the ability of county employees from selling back their unused sick and vacation time. This, too, has been buried, while being studied to death.
The action that has been approved by a 9-6 vote was pay increases for various aides to the county executive and leaders in the Legislature. The aides to the county executive, who have been on the job for only two months, had salary bumps of $18,000. How many county residents who have not yet fled to less taxing states and counties, have received raises of $18,000 in the last year with only two months on the job? The deciding votes were Republican, joining with the liberal Democrats in the Legislature. Had the Republicans voted “no,” which they would have had Spano made this proposal, this would not have passed. So, in essence, we are being told Democratic pay raises bad: Republican pay raises good. This, by the way, happened after a report was made public that county sales tax collection was down 10 percent.
So, we can see that the faces of the ruling class may have changed, but the ruling class mentality still is intact. We are still the servant public. Can buyers’ remorse be far behind? It also proves I was right about one thing: party label does not seem to matter, both parties think of the public as their private ATMs.
This is my opinion, you may beg to differ.
You can read more Bazzo on politics on NCNLocal.com “Bazzo at Work.”
