Op-Ed: Jersey City must stop the politics of patronage

By The Jersey Journal
May 27, 2010, 7:30AM

By STEVEN FULOP
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

The politics of patronage simply won't work any longer in Jersey City. We face serious challenges and the accepted practice of taking care of the politically connected few, at the expense of the rest of us, can no longer be tolerated.

Yet, when given the opportunity to demonstrate fiscal responsibility with regard to this week's Fire Department promotions, the Healy administration showed once again that old habits die hard.

The promotion of five new Battalion Chiefs will only worsen the Jersey City Fire Department's status as one of the most top-heavy organizations of its kind in the country. We currently have one supervisor for every 2.4 firefighters. The mayor says the promotions will spare the city additional overtime. However, two simple changes could have solved the overtime issue without spending the money that will be required to pay for future raises for the new battalion chiefs.

First, the JCFD has a position of "Safety Officer." As a result of these promotions, it will be filled by the rank of battalion chief -- however there is no rank requirement for filling this position. The JCFD has a surplus of Captains. If the city used captains to staff the Safety Officer position instead of Battalion Chiefs we would better utilize our limited resources and save valuable dollars without resorting to promotions in a tough economy.

Second, in the 1980s, the Fire Department reduced the number of companies while maintaining the same number of department battalions at the time. Fewer companies within the same number of department battalions created more management and smaller units. Last year, the Healy administration opted to take another four fire companies offline.

Wouldn't it have made sense to explore reducing the number of battalions given the further elimination of companies? A reduction in battalions could have triggered additional restructuring in the department, with the potential for even greater savings than the foregone promotions would have provided.

As a city councilman, I have always supported the Jersey City Fire Department. I was the first advocate in Jersey City for the JCFD high-rise fire fighting unit and an early proponent of the water vessel to protect our residents in case of a disaster.

However, supporting the JCFD does not preclude me from speaking out against unnecessary and wasteful promotions within the department. These promotions do nothing to improve our safety; they were made to benefit political friends and supporters in the Fire Department at the expense of the taxpayer.

While many of us work to move the city onto more solid financial footing, the administration continues to dig us further into the hole by siphoning tax dollars into the pockets of its allies. How many people will forced to forego raises or even lose their jobs in future layoffs to fund the promotion of these privileged few?

STEVEN FULOP is a Jersey City councilman. He is in his second term in office.

An audit implies that the data is then used. Both the Schools and the MUA were audited, and the results showing vast amounts of waste, sweetheart deals, and unaccounted expenses were tossed in the trash.

I wonder how much of the odd "no Lieutenants" structure of the FD is to deliberately make line by line comparisons unduly difficult. But as we've discussed in other threads, and as Fulop said, the JCFD was already obscenely top heavy.

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Really? Firefighters can't be hired between the ages of 18 and 21? Because if they can, where I went to school we'd add 25 to those numbers and get 43 to 46. We'd call that early to mid 40s.

Look - based on the preponderance of your pro-firefighter posts, you either are one or are close to one/some. That's fine and I am not anti-firefighter. It is an important job and firefighters should be treated fairly. But the pension game is breaking the state. There is no way around it. Outrageously high amounts of accumulated sick and vacation pay aren't helping either.

These promotions are based on nothing more than taking care of the guy who was number five on the promotion list - it's always the last guy on the list who is being taken care of, isn't it - and building pension. The argument about all the saved overtime is asinine. How come when an empty suit like Brennan bellows about "all the overtime we are saving" (as he did last night at the council meeting) no one ever says "is all that overtime legitimate?" it's taken at face value - which is insane.

The mayor and his people have done nothing to demonstrate even a passing acquaintance with the truth - why take them at their word here? It would be great to see some sort of audit of the fire department to understand how overtime is being used and what is appropriate. Sorry, but I don't think the fire department, at their sole discretion, should be making that call.

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Yeah, maybe.

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Maybe it has been their life long dream to become a chief. Maybe it's that. Maybe it has been the hard work over the years or the countless nights studying for the Battalion Chief Exam. These aren't 5 non deserving captains who are getting promoted. The City has 5 battalion chiefs on duty per shift and due to the recent retirements; they had to maintain the level of chiefs. Do we ever think about the safety of the firefighters?

So we are supposed to believe that these guys are giving up $6k a month each in overtime in addition to foregoing raises for a year? Then why are their smiles so big?

Read the article I linked in the thread below and tell me you're confident this never happens here.

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=243699#forumpost243699

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A valid option though. Would you want someone over 55 years of age fighting fires. That is why there is an age limit when being hired. So what if they get another job there-after fighting fires is a risky job, one I am glad they opted for as an employment choice.

I was there yesterday in the council meeting; it was a DRAMA hosted by interested parties; we need facts like who are these five FIRE Department people who got promoted? How is it nepotism or croynism? we need to find the links.. I dint see this kind of discussion, rather all I heard was, ?you and I know it is going to hurt the city in a long run?? blah blah?. There is a strong argument presented, it saves city $30k per month in over time; these promoted people are not getting salary increase till June 2011!!! Assuming these arguments are correct, the discussion must have been challenging these facts; We, the public, dont have data to challenge. We need numbers to refute these or accept these based on NUMBERs. I believe, we have enough expertise, howcome people are not coming forward with FACTS to the council? Dont they care ? rather, all we see is drama, which is not going to help the City!!!

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Being since firefighters do not get hired between the ages of 15-20; that is not an option for them either.

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Point is still valid, no? Retiring in your early to mid 40s is not an option for people in most professions.

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They retire after 25 years. Not 20

The system is being gamed. They are beefing up their pensions before they retire at 20yrs and start a second career.

If 5 firefighters are generating $30,000/month in overtime costs, there are clearly structural issues in the system.

Did anybody read the comments in the article about the promotions? Does anybody else find it difficult to believe that promotions will save taxpayer money in overtime?

They are promotions. That means some firemen are going up the ladder and getting more tax money.

Where is said savings?

Duh.

Councilman Fulop calls for restructuring after 5 firefighters promoted
By The Jersey Journal
May 26, 2010, 10:08AM

Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, released a statement Monday saying the fire department should consider restructuring instead of promotions.

"The City Council cannot afford to fund this next slate of promotions," Fulop said.

Five Jersey City Fire Department captains became battalion chiefs on Tuesday. Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said the promotions would reduce overtime costs.

"Jersey City Fire Department is the best in the country," Healy said during a ceremony in City Hall Monday.

"These promotions are necessary," Healy added. "All five of these men have demonstrated skill, knowledge, integrity, bravery and are well able to fill these positions which are much needed."

The members of the Healy clan should be up for promotion as well ! By the way, what's the best way to scratch a back?

Jersey City promoting five firefighters to battalion chief

By Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal
May 24, 2010, 12:30PM

Five members of the Jersey City Fire Department will be promoted to the rank of battalion chief during a swearing in ceremony this afternoon.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy announced the promotions in a press release this morning saying the promotions would save about $30,000 a month in overtime costs.

?We made these promotions to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and firefighters, and to save the taxpayers from the cost of paying overtime to meet minimum staffing requirements,? Healy said in a statement.

He added that the officers would not receive salary increases until July 1, 2011.

?During this difficult economic time, it was great to see this collaborative approach to address escalating overtime costs by the fire officers, the union officials and city administrators,? Healy said.

The fire department has seen about 50 members leave since the beginning of the year, walking away with a combined $5 million in unused accrued time.

Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, who has openly been campaign to take on Healy in the next election, came out against the promotions.

?The Jersey City Fire Department has some of the hardest working people in the county. It also has a higher percentage of management than almost any other department in the country,? Fulop said in a statement. ?The City Council cannot afford to fund this next slate of promotions.?

The city laid off nearly 280 seasonal and provisional employees in the wake of a fiscal crisis and officials have said more layoffs are to come.

Fulop noted that Healy cut back the fire department?s arson squad and eliminating companies as part of the budget cuts.

?Promotions without exploring larger structural changes to the department is foolish, there are solutions that can save money without promotions,? he said in statement. ?Even if the salary increase was not this year, it is a bait and switch since the taxpayers will eventually pay for both salary and pension increases for these promotions. It is wrong.?

The swearing in will be at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall