You see, despite the fact humungous raises have been given to CAO Rob Perry, the chief of police position, the fire department chief position, and all department director positions, nothing but crumbs have been given to the main workforce of the city. And while like them, we know, we don't have a problem making sacrifices so long as department leaders do as well. In the city of Albuquerque that's the exact opposite. While they preach fiscal conservatism, what they're really saying is "we want you to be conservative while we milk the public."
Well, take a look at the chart below. This was taken by the recently released 5-Year Forecast. As you can see, there are deficit gaps in the city's budget as early as the next fiscal year which starts this July 1st. Just like before, Berry will balance these gaps on the backs of the rank and file workers and on the citizens by reducing services.
During the campaign, Berry said "we have turned the corner and see the light at the end of the tunnel." You lied RJ, just like you always have done.
36 comments:
The five year forecast chart of revenue and expenditures doe NOT take into full account the final impact the repeal of the "hold harmless" provision will have on the City and the loss of at least $40,000,000 a year in gross receipt tax revenue to run City Government and pay for essential services. City Government is run on gross receipt tax collected by the State. The State got rid of gross receipts tax on food years ago but enacted a "hold harmless" provision agreeing to reimburse the City the amount lost from taxing food. Last year the Legislature reduced the corporate income tax rate and to pay for it repealed the hold "harmless provision" leaving Cities with the burden to increase taxes on their own to make up the difference in lost revenue. RJ Berry went along with getting rid of the "hold harmless" provision that will now cost Albuquerque at least $40,000,000 A YEAR once the repeal is fully fazed in. Berry went out of his way to congratulate Senator John Author Smith about the repeal even though Berry knew the negative impact it would have on Albuquerque's tax revenue flow. Berry's large corporate business owners and supporters will NOW save millions in corporate taxes at the expense of City Government revenues, giving Berry a big buck contributors list when he runs for Senate or Governor. Other Cities in New Mexico have already increased their gross receipt taxes to make up the difference. Berry on the other hand will just make further cuts in services, reduce the size of police and fire departments, cut employees pay and privatize as much as he can to reduce the size of City Government all the while making sure his Department heads are paid well to destroy City government services.
THE EYE REALLY NEEDS TO REPORT THE SALARIES BERRY IS NOW PAYING TO HIS DEPARTMENT HEADS AND DEPUTY DEPARTMENT HEADS COMPARED TO 5 YEARS AGO.
Gordon Eden is going to need additional HMO when he fins out Sandy has been giggilioed (sp) in Federal Court and now he may in all likelihood be appearing in Federal Court in a civil rights claim. I'm brining pop corn for this show.
KRQE has a quote of Castro saying he has no question of their ethics about Sandy and the other fired State Police including Sandy that we hired.
Of course you dont. You see nothing wrong with taking guys off the streets for weeks to give their time to a yearly NRA competition. It costs taxpayers tens of thousands. Why isnt the NRA having to pay for Chiefs Overtime? If I want just one cop I have to pay thru the nose. I need that cop because you dont even patrol anymore you have so many calls but you can take dozens to go show how cool you are at shooting targets!
Thanks to The Berry Administration the light at the tunnel has been turned off ! MR.Berry you took care of your top people and have allowed one deal after the other, and one lawsuit after another to bankrupt this city. Meanwhile your friends fill their pockets and the people that make this city run get less than crumbs. Now the people that run this city will face layoffs hurting them and the family that depends on them. services will be slashed and all will suffer for your and your administrations greed . You all should be proud of yourselves. Now you are installing time clocks at work stations to have employees punch in and out to stop time sheet fraud as your administration says. I suggest you install time clocks on the golf course and at restaurants and in the homes of your top overpaid administration. Let me give you a lesson in leadership, unlike you I trust our city employees all they want is to receive a decent wage and have respect for the work they do, none of them, well unless they are your top people expect to be rich. Now for the lesson a leader takes care of themselves and their top people LAST!
Same Castro that sat in Chief's selection and approved many questionable hires?
Same Castro that used to have selective memory on who he did and did not approve of in those same meetings.
The same Castro that when questioned about his judgment would tell the training staff that it was their job to train them.
The same Castro that prompted Recruiting staff to begin tracking how the members of Chief's selection voted? Based on his selective memory.
Castro did nothing to help the goal of hiring the best. He did do a lot to help many of the questionable get through.
Just ask anyone who was in those meetings or deal with him then.
On April 1, Berry and Perry will be submitting the City's annual budget to the city Council for review and approval. Each individual Department will be submitting their budgets, including the Mayor's Office. The City Council will have 10 weeks to hold public hearings on the budget. Each Department will make presentations at public hearings to get their budgets approved. The City Council can amend the department budgets, make cuts or add to them it and must enact the entire city budget. The Mayor must sign or veto the budget before it becomes effective July 1.
The City Council has total authority over all the general fund appropriations, including appropriations for salaries and personnel. Now that the Democrats have the majority on the Council, will they finally show some backbone? The Council could significantly cut the Mayor's budget, especially salaries, and not fund all those outrageous raises given by Berry. Make Rob Perry actually justify his $35,000 raise as well as the other raises given to Department heads. The Council could also not fund any of Berry's "ALB the Plan" projects and divert all the millions back to essential services where it came from in the first place. Also, the Council could stop the 4 year practice of funding 1,100 police officers when there are only 850 with Berry using the unused funds to finance other projects when the money could have been used for raises. Another area to explore in public is all the money that is being asked for to settle cases. Force Toureck to justify the poor settlements.
The public hearings on the budget are the few times the Council can be influence and shamed into doing the right thing by the public with their testimony.
Just waiting to see if gentleman City Council President Ken "I'm Running for Mayor This Time" Sanchez will finally grow a pair and show some real leadership on the city budget. Odds are he will continue to cooperate and do press conferences with Republicans "block head" Brad Winter and greasy looking Don Harris to look "non-partisan" thinking they will help him run for Mayor. Guess again Ken: they will play you again like a fool as they have for the past 4 years. Sanchez is the same guy who praised Allen Banks as a good pick for Chief, voted for Darren White for Chief Public Safety Officer and made pithy remarks to oppose COPS coming back to Albuquerque but doing nothing about an out of control, corrupt APD administration. Lets hope Issac Benton, Ray Gardunio and Clarissa Pena get aggressive and that Dianne Gibson wakes up and starts at least being more vocal.
Sandy, singlehanded, just blew holes in this chart....ABQ is going to bleed red and it won't be in blood....
Sandy is a jotobanger like Huffman. Hmmmm....ooops, another LBGA leak.
Ha, Ha, Ken Sanchez opposing the COPs TV show with Don Harris, Berry and paraphrasing the COPS theme song! How does this verse work for you: "Ken Sanchez, Ken Sanchez, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when the Repubs wont even vote for you?" Sanchez also made page one of the Journal saying he is open to changing the minimum wage increase law voted for by 66% of voters. And this guy is Council President?
Democrats won't vote for Sanchez, either. Even people in his own party know what a gutless tool he is. Let's be honest, NO ONE on the current Council will be or should ever be Mayor. Sauer's girls on Central spend less time on their knees than this band of political prostitutes.
Ken Shanchez blows with the wind like a hoisted flag, ZERO BACKBONE.....
Just watch as he and that drunk, did you see him hungover like wet dishrag at the last CC meeting, Harris won't say one word about the unnecessary OIS last Sunday.
Simply too much $$$$$ riding on the litigation sure to come...wimps.
Eye,
You should add Mike Castro to the liar's list. KRQE showed an interview with him back in 2007 where he promised the NMSP 34s who were fired from state police and hired by APD would never carry a gun or badge. Castro said they would just be civilian evidence techs. So much for that.
I wonder just how much money these NMSP laterals have cost us? Anyone care to research this? Castro and Schultz hired them and they have cost the taxpayer a lot of money.
Thank you for the nomination. We think you're correct. Shame on Mike Castro and his Phoenix address..
Mayor Berry. What is the difference between your innovation park you are now pitching with UNM and the UNM Science and Technology Park on University. NONE! Science and Technology park is failing! It is a public private partnership to provide a business incubator environment for startups. It is failing and yet you want to build a second one. The only difference is your "innovation" requires low paying low skilled construction jobs to retrofit the nearly abandon galleria. Once again your donors and croonies get to milk the tax payers for huge construction profits for things we dont need because we already have them. We just fail to realize how much we do have. Whats next? Another walmart on the westside?
To Officer Doyle,
I was at last night's meeting and heard what you said. I can't say enough how sorry many of us feel for what CERTAIN BOARD MEMBERS did to you and Officer Woolever. I also want to point out that many of us also DID NOT DO what we should've and that is something WE will have to live with. You have many 34s pulling for you but as you saw last night even in our union there is a constant threat of coercion and intimidation. And not all of it just comes from brass but from "non-members." I hope you know what I mean. Be safe and I will try to help in other ways if I can.
That was an execution in the foothills, period. We used to have the best k9 handlers in the world in the 90s. Now we have what you saw on the live at five firing squad.
The perfect word-execution. I do not understand why the taser guns aren't used for situations like this. The City purchased tasers for their officers. Is there a reason they are not used? I really don't understand. I hope someone clarify for me.
The only thing missing in the photo was a blind fold and a cigarette.
Why is Sandy, a ROP detective, working a SWAT callout?
Can anyone answer this?
That was an absolute murder in the foothills and most of you badge carrying thugs are just as bad,your(my former dept.)have no reason to hold your head high as an APD officer.Im embarrassed to admit to being a ret.34.Everyone of you deserve what you had as chief,,Schultz /banks,and deserve what you got,,Eaton.This city has gone to shit and APD officers are leading the way!
Instead of having "detectives" sleeping at their desks every day, why not have them pitch a tent next to the mentally ill subject in the foothills instead of calling SWAT and trigger happy ex-NMSP SID officers. SID is already referred to as the place for on-duty retired or incompetent SWAT officers, along with those afraid of working calls for service. The chain of command is just as despicable. Time to get rid of these prima donnas and all of the other specialized units that, in reality, are ineffective and a waste of resources.
The foothills execution. That's exactly what it looks like. The guy was complying when someone started the dance. Not looking good for the city of Albuquerque.
I am so sad about the chain of events in the foothills, look, I support officers but what I saw with my own eyes was a shocking, the guy was ambushed in plain sight. He was cooperating and the aggressive action taken against him was not necessary and was excessive. His mental illness no doubt contributed to this but in the end, he went for the only items he had to protect his own life (knives) after police used a flash bang to confuse and startle him and then let the dog lose on him before killing him. Police escalated the confrontation and then He pulled the knives in self defense. Unfortunately if he had been of clear mind, he might have logically concluded that he was out numbered, out gunned and dealing with a police force that would not stand down under any circumstances. This might be the first police shooting deemed by a grand jury to be excessive. Justification is going to be tough in the eyes of reasonable people who will review this. He was absolutely right to be fearful of police not keeping their word. This is not going to end well.
Current APD,
Based on video so far I sadly agree, but lets first wait until the investigation is completed before we jump to conclusions.
I do agree and still have concerns on how this was handled. No one was in immediate danger and we could have been out there for ten hours if necessary.....
This is a great example of how worthless SWAT is at APD. They are using their entire day to train to kill!
Put them back on the streets taking calls for service and maybe just maybe they will be reconnected with the public instead of having "executing them mentality".
They are far removed from the public they have no qualms shooting to kill the public they are supposed to protect.
BCSO and State Police do just fine having an "as needed" SWAT team and how many citizens do they execute?
Chief Eden do what no other chief has done and disband those elite murderers and put them into the regular mix of officers and use them "as needed". The streets could sure use the extra 20 officers from SWAT & K9.
BOOYA!!!
This is how desperate, sick and homeless humans are treated-- hunted, surrounded by armed trained men, baited and attacked with the flash explosion AFTER agreeing to surrender (not committing a crime to begin with except trying to survive), and brutally executed on camera. APD is a death squad akin to every evil repressive and out of control government we point fingers at. What message are they sending ? What the hell is the DOJ waiting for ? When are the citizens of Duke City going to yell " STOP!" ???????
One of the most consistant whines coming from APD personnel is that of not having enough officers on the street and taking calls for service. ("Sometimes we don't even get a lunch break!") Yet they can justify taking at least 12 officers off the streets, armed with rifles, shotgun, handguns, grenades and one poor dog who apparently had more smarts than all of them combined -to go assasinate a nut case armed with little cub-scout type knives for allegedly camping illegally. All based on a phone call from a moron who had nothing better to do than scan the foothills for "suspicious charactors" to report. Just before the "heros" surrounding the poor guy murdered him for illegal camping and making them piss their pants with a couple of knives from 30 yards away, the Urinal reports that witnesses had heard a female screaming something. I wonder if it could have been "Look! The sonuvabitch is throwing bags of donuts into his campfire!" Rip poor fruitcake - someone should have warned you about messing with "The Chickenshit Squad".
ABQ once had ERT-Emergency Response Teams, regular patrol officers trained to response to situations like the above-mentioned. But, once again elitist, overpaid, moronic commanders regulated them into being traffic control officers on a 'SWAT' call. Your tax dollars well spent on re-inventing the wheel. Wake up people and demand change from your mayor and council.
Hey Les Brown are you happy with Keith Sandy now? You stand behind his horrible investigation of Pat Murdoch and now we have this. Tell us Les how you are going to "justify" this one.
Here is the problem at APD. Commanders who don't have the balls to supervise their officers and tell them when they are wrong. Brown needs to retire, he is the problem.
I keep hearing that there are still "good" cops in APD and I'm sure that's true. Why can't APD and the city recognize, reward and promote these people instead of elevating IQ challenged, antagonistic, chickenshit wanna-be tough guys and heros into the headlines week after week? Even the military would have flushed these self-loving incompetent scum bags down the toilet long before this. How can APD expect to recruit intelligent honorable competent new candidates into the department when it is so obvious that they would end up working side by side with and depending for their safety on a bunch of delusioned self-impressed losers?
Gordon Eden's press conference was very embarrassing and outright disgusting. Eden cited "case law" incorrectly that covers fleeing suspects and argued the video showed things that it did not show. The video shows lethal shots were fired after the guy was face down but Eden said the guy was going after the canine officer when he was shot. It was as if Eden did not even look at the same video. The only thing the press conference did show was that Eden is a man totally in over his head and that he is a political hack that has no business being Chief. He was taking "q's" from some one in the audience during the questioning and read from a prepared text. Berry and Perry need to admit they made a very big mistake in appointing this guy, but no doubt Sherman McCorkle thinks otherwise.
At least Perry's comment was able to fend off the media and he has stated nothing on record that would either help or hurt the investigation but unfortunately that was not the case at the press release.
I bet the video will sure help Tesla make it's choice.
So could BOOYAH be considerd a chest bump?? Let's see what happens to that officer. I hope Doyle and Woolever are paying attention...
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