Tags: 
Image via Canva
— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary.
Business as usual …
A Quincy Quarry News meme
As winter weather continues given that the arrival of spring weather continues to be delayed, local ways continue to remain steadfastly stuck in the local old ways inside of Quincy’s City Hall.
In particular, at last week’s Quincy city council meeting councilors approved setting up themselves and the mayor with automatic future raises on top of their recently approved 45% and 89% raises, respectively.
So what, apparently, for the fact that the underlying outsized raises upon which they voted to add further raise are now currently on hold given that they have been subjected to review by the Massachusetts Ethics Commission.
The apparent reason for the holds on the 45% and 89% raises?
“We’re into your money!”
A still image from an old Columbia Pictures image
The 45% and 89% raises approved last spring would clearly appear to have been approved in ways in violation of Massachusetts General Law.’
The raises were also approved in spite of Section 17A of the city charter calling for voter approval of any such raises.
Needless to say, such huge raises along with now-pending future raises pose pose a helluva dubious decision what with city employee union contracts expiring at fast approaching end of this fiscal year and thus new contract negotiations underway.
Back at the public trough
A Melissa K. Norris image
Further gobsmacking, the automatic raise protocol approved by the council for automatic future raises looks to reprise at least most of the problems that lead to the State Ethics Commission looking into the clear problems with last spring’s now at least “paused” raises given Ethic’s review.
In short, WTQ?
After all, one would think that why hurry setting a raise protocol when the Ethics Commission lurking about as well as a number of long before the raises might actually happen?
But what the hay, we’re talking Quincy during the era of the imperious Koch Maladministration and where adherence to the code is shall we say fluid, especially when pigging out at the public trough is in play.
In short, as well as yet again, “Only in Quincy …”
All the unions will want the same raise the mayor and council got. Fair is fair even if taxes are going to go way up to fund all of the raises. Let future residents worry about the pension liability.
What a flattering main picture you used for Mayor Koch!!!! Guess he’ll tell you, you got his bad side.
JIm,
Mayor Koch has no good side.
Oink, oink, oink! Snorfle, snorfle, snorfle.
City Council’s appetite for raises is insatiable. After approving 45% and 89% raises for themselves and the mayor—now under Ethics Commission review—they’re setting up automatic future raises. All this while city employee union contracts are expiring and new negotiations loom. It’s as if they’re dining at the public trough with no regard for the menu or the bill. Perhaps it’s time for voters to serve up some accountability.