My post yesterday was about the Miami Herald report that Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez gave staff members backdated raises. Also, the timing for raises was off especially because of the budget gap. However, did he earn the wrath he is getting on the Miami Herald website? There are 406 responses there and boy are they angry. I personally don't think he deserves the snipes he is getting. Yes, I am disappointed but you never get 100% in this town and overall, I don't think Mayor Alvarez has done much harm (all I ask) except for that looney baseball deal. I consider most of the County Commissioners far and away much worse. So Mr. Mayor, I don't think you have earned the wrath of readers.
Here is his reaction to the Miami Herald article (Mr. Mayor, I don't like your response, the salaries are too high for Government and you can't squirm out of that fact by puffing up their experience and dedication):
Executives at Work -- Setting the Record Straight
So much is being said about the County Executive Office staff in Miami-Dade County government and misinformation is rampant. It's time to set the record straight. Miami-Dade County is a big place -- over 2,000 square miles -- which is larger than some states. We provide services in all municipalities, but unincorporated Miami-Dade remains the biggest “city” in Florida.
It takes work to deliver programs and services across a very large area to a diverse population, and no organization is without an executive team. Our table of organization is not a secret. It's available for anyone to view.
Most executive staffers are content to do their jobs efficiently and without fanfare. These leaders are front and center at commission and committee meetings, understand and often use the services they oversee (they are taxpayers, too), and know that no service issue is too small to ignore. They manage the legislative process, fulfill directives from our Board of County Commissioners, review and evaluate departmental proposals, and vet contracts and agreements. The work is voluminous and complex.
Despite the fact that many executives have dedicated their lives to public service, received advanced degrees in Public Administration and worked their way to the top, they do not rest on their laurels. Everyone is expected to perform. Too often to outsiders, high-paid executives become just names with salaries next to them. That's unfair. You never truly know someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.
Like every other department in Miami-Dade County, there are cuts slated for the County Executive Office. As part of the proposed FY 2009-2010 budget, we have committed to a 10 percent reduction. Some of the positions have been identified. Others have not, but we will be determining further position adjustments prior to the start of the fiscal year. Everyone who remains is bracing for a five percent salary cut and no merit increases.
Our entire County Executive Office budget is a fraction of the $427 million budget shortfall Miami-Dade County is facing. Even so, we are scaling back and preparing our executives for increased workloads. Focusing on the County Executive Office exclusively won't solve our budget challenges. Everyone understands that programs and services don't work well unless there are competent and dedicated professionals behind them. Let's not let emotions overtake all sense of reason.
Sincerely,
Mayor Carlos Alvarez
22 comments:
The following link will take you to a database that reflects Washington state employee positions, departments and annual salaries as of January 2007. I can't find a 2008, but will keep looking for it. Is our local government (city and county) a get rich job at the expense of services?
http://wwwb.thenewstribune.com/databases/state_pay/
Genius,
If people can burn down County Hall they would.
It's just hypocritical to say everyone needs a 5% cut, and then give increases to your buddies. Sorry, but the salaries are inflated. A secretary making 6 figures? Someone getting paid almost $50k for updating FB status?
I think there are way too many positions in government that need be eliminated the same way it is being done in the private sector. Why should the taxpayers be liable for the excesses of government?
What Carlos is showing everyone is how disconnected the insiders at the county have become. The justify their salary levels by looking aroung at each other and comparing their compensation packages. They do a poor job of relating their status to the real world, especially the reality of salaries and compensation in Miami's private sector. We need to see some of the health care anger directed at the county.
We need legislation that mandates salaries and pay grades for all municipal employee's period. It should be voter approved. We, the voters, should decide if we want to pay these kinds of salaries with our tax dollars. The salaries and benefits for most south Florida municipal employees at executive levels is indefensible and flies in the face of common sense.
Not only executive salaries, firefighters and cops too. Some make as much and many make more than the Mayor. There is a total disconnect that has evolved over the last 20 years.
Genius, with all due respect, Alvarez does not deserve our good faith. As Strong Mayor, he should be running day to day operations at the County, rather than Burgess, yet, we continue paying the man $500,000.00 a year. They are playing deceitful games, making the pay increases retroactive to the previous fiscal year in a clear attempt to muddy the waters. They could say, with a straight face that there have been no increases this fiscal year.. What a bunch of bogus. The Marlins Stadium, executive perk packages, are as big a part of why we have an incompetent County Government as the actions of the bad players on the County Commission. He has a lot more power now than we give him credit for, mostly because he has decieded to keep the modus operandi at the County pretty much the same, even though he pushed so hard for a Strong Mayor initative. He is a joke. The Manager is worse. Both these clowns need to go, along with 8 members of the existing County Commission. We need a clean sweep for real change here!!!
I'll have the mid 6 figure salary with a side of 5 figure auto expenses and a cushy pension for desert, yum yum I want some.
Nobody and I mean Nobody in Miami dade County Government should make more than 180K per year. Allowances for autos should be based on howw much a personal car will be used on the job (not getting there and back). It is impossible to maintain a system where people retire in there early fifties and recieve 5 and 6 figure pensions for life.
The mayor iis a career beaurocrat he doesn't have a clue, he is wrongly defending the only system he knows at the expense of all of us out here in the real world.
G & G,
Let me ask you: (These are totally arbitrary numbers, but you'll get the message(
If last year there were 100 employees on the 29th floor and the budget was $10 million, and this year there are 80 employees and the total budget is $9 million, wouldn't the taxpayers be saving money?
Although the "average" salary went up, there are less people doing the same amount of work (if not more).
To focus on individual salaries and increases reeks of senationalism and voyeur journalism. It was meant to create outrage, despite the fact that Mayor may have been reducing his office's total budget for the 3rd year in a row (coincidentaly since becomming strong mayor).
m
Carlos Alvarez wanted to be the Strong Mayor. Then after that goal was accomplished he let Burgess stay on at $500,000 per year (and whatever he can steal) and old Carlos can just sleep walk thtough his days while he makes $300,000+ per year. What was the point of the Strong Mayor if a County Manager still runs things?
And Carlos's staff? Are they the idiots who agreed to giving one private company $4 bil of the taxpayers dollars? Twits.
That last commenter sounds like Vicki Mallette working hard to justify that 54 percent raise increase she got in the last year.
M sensationalism or not, secretaries making 6 figures at taxpayer expense? Come on! Does M stand for Mallette or Morales?
It is not just the $500,000 that is being paid to Burgess to do Alvarez's job, it is also the $3.4 million that is being paid to assistant county managers--see prior postings regarding Souto's complaints about no assistant county managers coming to his district.
Genious with due respect talk to the folks loosing their jobs and see what they think. The outrage is not because his staff got raises, lets say they merit a raise. The outrage is due to the size of the raises 10%, 14% 54%....
At a time when everyone need to tighten their belt is unbelievable. Not too mention it takes an act of God for anyone else to get over 5%.
And then he says his staff is commited to cutting 10% big deal after he has already giving them at least that much in a raise.
His chief of staff makes more than Obama's chief of staff lets get real here.
Bueno Mr. Mayor, Se jodió la bicicleta!
http://www.transitmiami.com/2009/08/23/bueno-mr-mayor-se-jodio-la-bicicleta/
M,
It is not reducing your budget when you move personnel costs to other departments and then still have them report to you. The action of moving personnel pisses off the department directors big time...but, they will not utter a word...too afraid. So, they fire 2 other worker bees in the department to make room for one of the mayors people's salary. Great service to the electorate; you get rid of the folks who work for the community to keep the mayor's fat cats collecting dough.
This is the very thing which I believe Commissioner Seijas called the Mayor on in 2007. IT didn't stop him then and it doesn't stop him now.
To be honest, print a list of ALL mayor and manager staff and the origin of their salary. What division of the county pays for what staff. Don't snooker folks.
Who foots the bill for the coffee lady? She was a contract employee and suddenly she becomes a county employee for the tune of 24K (rumor has it). She managed to live for years working as a contract employee making coffee for the 29th floor. She was hired while the mayor was in a similar budget crunch and now qualifies for a county salary and pension ... Pluzzeeee... can't the high paid staff make their own coffee or trot to the 18th floor and buy their cafe con leche? All this lady does is wander about the floor chatting and carrying coffee. wow.
Look, you all must have figured it out by now: My bar for acceptable behavior is set VERY LOW. I have seen enough crap to be happy with "no harm" by a lawmaker. The best politician in Miami-Dade is one who never shows up to vote in my book. Give me a high absentee rating any day. Dorrin Rolle -- one of the worst -- has one of the best attendance records. Geniusofdespair...on the road
there are now 511 comments on the Herald site....
There are close to 600 comments on the new article the Herald posted today about this! Time to put pressure. The Manager has to go, with more than half of his staff, and half of the Mayor's staff.. Why are we duplicating responsiblities with this structure? Mayor Alvarez, you wanted control, so, why don't you take it already?????
Wow, up to 700 comments on the herald webpage!!
Really? The number of comments on the herald crapola comment section is supposed to motivate the Mayor?
There's plenty of crazy here on this blog, but the good kind. Crazy but lucid is one thing, bat#@$ nutty is another.
The comment section of the Herald makes me want to cancel my print subscription just so I'm not associated with the commenters as a fellow reader.
So many crooks...
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