The city was getting rich until state lawmakers stepped in and voted to take a big chunk of what the city makes.Look, this system has been bankrupt from the start. It was installed for revenue, runs on a principle of guilty until proven innocent, and makes the accused rely on the veracity of the state's evidence.
City leaders say the state is taking so much that it now has to use its own money to keep the program going.
The state capped fines at $75 and is taking a huge cut, so big that Albuquerque is now losing money.
More importantly, we were fed a constant diet of, well... aromatic platitudes the smelliest of which was that the system was for public safety. We never bought it and now Councilor Harris is simply admitting what we knew all along.
Harris says the problem is that the city no longer gets enough money to even pay for the program.
Officials say in 2009, the city will pay about $1.5[MILLION] out of its own pocket.
Ask yourself, when's the last time APD turned a profit? Even if APD could turn a profit would you want them to? Adding a profit motive to law enforcement leads inevitably to corruption.
"It's like a tax on the city from the state or confiscation from money from the program. I think it goes one step too far," says City Councilor Don Harris.
Funny how Councilor Harris compared the state's raid on scam-era money to a tax on the city. The scam-eras are a tax on the drivers of Albuquerque - levied for the sole purpose of filling city coffers. Now that the program is costing the city money we no longer hear about safety, just revenue - which is what it was all about in the first place. Let the scam-eras drown in their red ink.
29 comments:
Well ..... let's see .... If there are about 1000 APD officers, and they all had a city bought vehicles at approximately $20,000 each, and they made approximately $30,000 per year income, and petroleum was about $1.69 per gal, and they were on "random patrols" a lot, and the city was not supporting every business (in fact closing some down) It would make sense to get the money out of it's citizens any way it could!
how can it possibly cost more that $75 to process the ticket?
How much does redflex make on each?
Here we go with the cameras again.
Serves that little tyrant Marty right!
ABQ needs change at the top! Vote in a new mayor!
And the city has no judicial authority to enforce the "notices." Shred 'em if you got 'em. It's a scam, you got no one to blame but yourself if you feel so guilty that you pay up and go along with it.
"Here we go with the cameras again." -you'll get used to it.
APD doesn't make a cent for the City... Just like the Fire Dept, APD is a public service provided by the city to keep us safe from dangerous situations. In the case of a police officer giving you a ticket and you having to pay it, that money never makes back to the police department, it goes to a general fund. If the fire department charged anyone for the free EMS service it provides, that money would also go into a general fund. That keeps the people writing the tickets and providing the service honest and unbiased when distrubuting the tickets or services, and that is precisely what makes the scamera's so unethical. A private company is taking our picture for their own profit, and SMarty has been the biggest benefactor until the state kinda shut him down. If Marty wanted to put up cameras and have them work identically to a police officer and go through a real court, with the money going to the same place as if the cop pulled you over, there wouldn't be a problem. Thank you, Eye, for staying dilligent to this problem and not forgeting that Marty is still trying to sodomize albuquerque for his own benefit.
Awwww, itty boo! The mean ol' State (with the Guv's concurrence) is taking away Herr Marty's slush fund (in order to help pay for the Guv's twoo-twoo twain).
So why doesn't Herr Marty grow some 'nads and follow through with his threat to shut the RLC's down as he said he woulfd if the State took away too much money? Simple. When two Democrats start fighting over your money, it's not a question as to whether they take it, it's just what the split will be. Marty knows that if he keeps the damn RLC's in place, he will eventually be able to jawbone the Guv into either letting the city keep the fines in toto or, raise them once again to the confiscatory level they once were and offer to maintain the current percentage split with the State.
That way, the miniMayor gets his slush fund AND the Guv gets to subsidize his choo-choos.
Considering the budget problems of both, I'm guessing it will be the latter solution with a Scottsdale-esque fine structure ($500+).
And to think there are people who would still vote for either of these scumbags!!!
Gawd....I shudder to think about it.
So, now that everyone involved with the scamera’s got their kickbacks all of a sudden it isn’t profitable! Wasn’t it supposed to be about “safety” anyway? And, APD does turn profits on allot of things I.e.: Chief’s overtime, auto repo auctions, criminal evidence money and the list goes on.
Sounds like Smarty is trying to figure a way to get rid of them now and look like the good guy since he’s going to be announcing his run for Mayor (again & again & again) here soon.
Its an election year, Chavez will take down the cameras just like he did when he announced he was running Office and got vetoed and look like a total idiot. Sound familiar, he will do it again.
Well, next time maybe Marty Chavez won't call the Obama camp and rat Gov Richardson out reference the fedral investigation. It cost the Gov his job in Washington. I am sure Bill was not to happy about what Marty did to him...
Marty knows what he did and so does Bill.......
Remember Smarty, when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
That does suck that you not only cold cocked the Governor, but also tried to go after the job he lost in Washington. You"re ruthless dude!
The actual legislation on the Red Light Fines, Senate Bill 442 reads; "the municipilaty shall retain from the gross total amount of penalties, fines, fee's and costs assessed and collected that month or period an amount subject to audit that is equal to the setup, maintenance, support and processing fees charged for that month or period pursuant to contractual terms, by a vendor providing systems and services that assist the municipality in imposing penalties or fines and costs or fees as provided in this subsection."
I seem to remember that when the State reined-in the Mighty One, the deal that was touted was that the City would get just enough to cover the "expenses" and the remainder would go to the State. Since the Mighty One's claim was that these were all about safety, not profit, he grudgingly agreed.
Now it would appear, that the City didn't show the State the right set of "books" and not enough filthy lucre remains in our fair City to pay the blood-suckers from Scottsdale (isn't that where the Chief originally hailed from? Who says that there is no profit motive in APD???) their contract fees.
With all this now in the open, any future runs for office by the Mighty One shold be considered an IQ test. If you vote for him, you're a moron!!!!
How can you stick up for a Gov. who is under investigation and look at all the news media is reporting. Sickkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
No one here posting is sticking up for the Gov. What are you reading?
I have no doubt that Smarty sold Beardsly out. Then he was probably getting a hardon all the way to Washington when Obama invited him and a bunch of other Mayors to a meeting. Probably thinking he was goanna get Fat Bills place.
I loved what Obama said about trying to find a dog for his kids. He said it's been very difficult finding the right dog, just like trying to find a Commerce Secretary. And that was after Smarty's visit.
LOL We knew red light cameras were a scam from the start. If it was really about safety, they would put cameras through out the city on every roadway and not just at intersections. It would seem that if you look at the map of the current locations, the RLC's are set up in the highest traffic flow areas for people heading to work.(seeing how working stiffs are the only ones that pay for it.)
Not to mention all the illegal tickets issued by the speedvans who were breaking the law at the time they issued the citations. No parking on the sidewalk and no parking on the freeway...... Marty wont be Mayor much longer, and I am sure he will be stopped for speeding when he is en route to bail out his daughter for shop lifting or on his way to beat up the ex-wife..... Karma can be a real bitch sometimes.... :)
When running for Mayor a candidate needs only 41% of the vote to win that’s pathetic, should be at least 51%, a majority. That’s the problem with our non-partician voting procedures. (sidebar) A bit like Mexico, our real terrorist threat., but since the Gov grew up there and had to walk through bad neighborhoods to get to his upscale private school (he was so ascared) we shouldn’t have to worry about our daily bank robberies or drive by’s. By the way Gov was a professional baseball player, has the card to prove it, sort of like an “Olin Mills” back drop. I suppose I could be a pro porn star also, with the right lighting! GO VIAGRA!
OK, back to the little one. I thought (I might be wrong) now that he’s gone to the Supreme Court and got term limits thrown out, there has to be a run off between the 2 highest winners!. So if the 2 top winners have 41% of the vote; although it should be 51%, a majority, there will be a run off. In a perfect world, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL!.
I think we need to throw out Mayor Chavez with the trash! I am however, glad that the Mayor threw the Gov Richardson under the bus and then backed the bus up over him again. It's no secret that the Mayor can't stand the Gov!
Richardson knows about this blogg and knows exactly what Marty Chavez has done.
Where's Barbara Richardson been lately?
Darren or someone with no big council ties for mayor, please. One guy that leaps to mind is BRegman, he could do the job with one hand behind his back, and he would be really good for public safety.
All of you that are so quick to point the finger at Gov Richardson need to look at all the pay to play that Marty has done over the years! Take a look at the Blue Spruce, while low rent mexican bars were being condemned as nuisance properties, the City along with help from Bakas purchased that valueable piece of property for four times its value and for what??? Transfer of money--follow it! Why was it not condemned???
Heard a tidbit on Bob Clarks show today (19th). 'Twould seem that some alterations in the Redflex contact may have occurred that extended it until 2014. Apparently this was news to at least one counsellor (Cadigan) who is also eyeing the Mayors office.
So Eye, I ask you...what do your "eyes" have to say on that score?
Bregman makes too much money SUING the city, why in hell would he come WORK FOR the city? dude ur stoned to throw his name in the mix.
The Greeks have given Marty hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years,,,,that's why they get special treatment. Why do you think Nick Bakas was never fired although he is an absolute idiot. Marty just put him in a closet with plenty of pay!
Chris Bakas will be the next Bakas the Greeks try to take care of through Marty. They will try and buy his promotion. If Marty wants their money for the next mayor's election, he will have to play their game. Just watch and see!!!
Nick Bakas was waist deep in that APD Evidence Room caper and should have been fired like Chief Gallegos.
Why do you think all the Greek eating establishments in ABQ don't have to comply with the same rules as others, including fire codes.
god bless the greeks! i saw 300 and they did a fine job in that movie!
1. Bregman is exactly who we need, for instance - it would be nice to get someone already rich so they dont have to figure ways to skim from the public dole.
2. He loves politics and will eventually run for something again, why not something that will help us?
3. as to the Greeks, I concur, the 300 was fine cinema, but they weren't just "Greeks" they were Spartans.
God Bless the SPARTANS!!!
Post a Comment