Healy was creating jobs for the 'boys' while Fulop is being cost effective, based on function and need.

PRECISELY.

Quote:

They are not combining the departments. They are combining political appointed positions into one office. The PD and FD will still function on their own.

I guess my first question would be "what do these directors do?" If they are having limited impact on the day-to-day activities of the PD and FD, then why DO we need 2??

Does anyone have this answer?

Quote:

He is against merging because they don't get along. What is this, high school? These two departments are sucking a combined city-teet worth how many millions of dollars?

I could not find an exact number but very curious as i'm sure it's in the 100's of millions. Can anyone provide exact budget numbers for JCPD and JCFD?

Merger of Jersey City police and fire departments takes step forward

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
July 31, 2013 at 8:37 PM

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop's drive to merge the police and fire departments received an expected boost tonight when the City Council introduced an ordinance to create the planned Department of Public Safety.

The council not only gave an initial nod to merging police and fire, but also introduced a series of other ordinances aimed at merging other city departments and services -- a move Fulop has said will "cut costs and streamline services within municipal government."

These votes will be up for adoption at the council's meeting on Aug. 28.

The mayor has tapped veteran New York police officer, James Shea, to lead the Public Safety department.

The ordinances passed without any debate tonight. Seven of the nine council members ran with Fulop in the May municipal elections.

At Monday's caucus, Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano, a former Jersey City police officer who ran independently, said he was against merging police and fire since the two departments don't get along. Boggiano did not attend tonight's meeting.

The ordinances would also create the Division of Sanitation under the Department of Public Works, to perform the services of demolitions, street sweeping, snow and ice removal, solid waste collection and recycling and graffiti removal.

Fulop?is initiatives would also rename the Mayor?s Action Bureau the Resident Resource Center, making it ?one-stop-shopping? for constituent services. The city Division of Cultural Affairs, Senior Affairs and Veteran?s Affairs will be moved from the city Department of Health and Human Services and incorporated into the RRC.

The administration also seeks to combine the Division of Architecture, and the Division of Engineering, Traffic and Transportation into a single division within the Department of Public Works.

Also tonight, the council introduced an ordinance stating that no board member of the Jersey City Incinerator Authority or the Municipal Utilities Authority shall receive ?medical healthcare or other benefits.? Under pressure from Fulop, former Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy pushed to have family members of board members stripped of health benefits. Fulop has long advocated that board members shouldn't receive the benefits either.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2013/07/merging_of_jersey.html

Does Fulop have massive hemorrhoids? Oh wait, that's just Terrance McDonald's feet - way to climb right up there buddy! You're supposed to be objective, but anything you write about our mayor seems like an op-ed. "...before city officials broke them up..." From cops on the street I know, the reason the practice was discontinued, was because it was more of a hinderance than a help. It's okay to have opinions. Just don't dress them up as objectivity.

Sure, Boggiano will vote no to anything that doesn't cut spending, ecept when it applies to his pals in blue. He has no loyalty to the people, only to the uniforms.

Personally I believe EVERY cityhall department and emergency services should act as the eyes and ears for Police. It should be mandatory that all departments report crime or suspicious activities while they are out and about in the city doing their thing.
School teachers are required to report suspected child abuse issues to the authorities, so should our city employees when it comes to crime and anti-social behavior.
I'd like to think that crooks would think twice if they saw any cityhall vehicle or employee before acting on a crime, thus their vehicles and uniform should be clearly marked ... just like when a cop car passes, we check our speed and seat-belt being on.

Note - To act as the EYES and EARS only - NOT to engage directly ... I'd even like all cityhall vehicles to be fitted with dash cams to pass on captured images and footage to police for traffic violations and any other issues.

City Council to combine fire, police departments in Jersey City

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
July 23, 2013 at 3:43 PM

UPDATE: The meeting has been canceled.

Jersey City is taking its first steps toward creating a public-safety department that will oversee both police and fire departments.

The City Council is meeting for a special meeting tomorrow to introduce two measures creating the new department and the post of public-safety director. Mayor Steve Fulop last week announced the he wants James Shea, a New York City deputy police chief, to lead the new division.

He would also oversee the city Office of Emergency Management.

Tomorrow?s measures will likely pass, with Fulop allies controlling seven of the council?s nine seats. But their passage will probably not be unanimous, with Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano, a retired police detective, on the record as opposing the creation of the new department.

At last week?s council meeting, which featured fire and police union officials blasting Fulop for combining their departments, Boggiano agreed.

?You are 100 percent right,? he said. ?The police department should have its own director, the fire department should have its own director.?

Fulop has said he believes combining the two departments ? which has been attempted at least twice before city officials broke them up again ? will cut costs.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ey_city.html#incart_river