Bill Spears is Right On

Councilman Bill Spears, in citing a constituents email to him suggesting elected officials eliminate Department heads from the city budget said, "They (the emailer) have at least come up with an alternate of keeping $1 million." Spears made his comments while Public Works Director David Barber was at the podium. "Maybe we should look at that instead." (Been paying attention to the sorry condition of so many city streets or are you so worried about the economy and a job or your job that he bumps are just another series of bad bounces for us in these times of Obama's 'Change'?)

Evidently the Sharp of the JS, did not completely cover the City Council meeting as Sharp said "he didn't return a phone call for comment".

Union workers need not worry about their jobs, if they are competent, as the private sector has to use union or at least prevailing wages on all public works. They might have to work a little harder, more efficient and a little quicker in the for-profit private sector.

After serving most of my life in the private sector and then moving into the slow and OPM public sector, I say Bill is right on. We could do the same in the County and never miss a beat. After all, Peoria County offered voluntary early retirement with other incentives to County employees and 73 accepted. As far as I have heard, the public continued to be served. (that's what we are supposed to be there to do)

How can that be? Did we have more employees than we needed? Do we have more elected officials and department heads then we need. Probably so. Is our job as elected officials to hire and guarantee public jobs no matter what indignities the private sector is suffering? If not, explain how we are still functioning without myself as an elected County Board Member never receiving a complaint? Sorry, we did. Bobby Spears indicated he was short but we rewarded his department combined with others $6+ million of more in new software, etc.

Anyway the WSJ ran an article today about how cities are turning to the privatize some of their activities. All I can say, is way to go and that may even come to pass in heavily unionized Peoria.