Dear Editor:
Recently, the Healy Administration promoted (4) four Inspectors of the Jersey City Police Department to the position of Deputy Chief. Congratulations on your appointments. The citizens of Jersey City should be proud of your excellent expertise, and highly qualified dedicated caliber, which is associated with our proud Police force, especially in their leadership capacities.
This is in no way, shape, or form intended to demean the accomplishments or qualifications of these individuals, but was it necessary to promote them during a high anxiety period of an anticipated budget cuts and layoffs? Why was there no announcement made, until after the fact?
The Healy Administration notified us after these promotions were approved and appointed, of their desire to eliminate the rank of inspector. This request was already set in motion and petitioned to the State. We were also informed that these promotions will actually initiate a tremendous savings, to the City, because Deputy Chiefs receive no overtime and work more days. They were also required, to presently defer their pay increase and relinquish their uniform allowance.
This may have been a good financial move as stated, but what repercussions will this have on the Department’s morale, while they are waiting for the illogical decision of reducing manpower, which includes possible concessions? Was it necessary to compound the situation with more grief to the rank and file? This will only accelerate and increase pointless conflicts, while reducing faith, respect and confidences towards the negotiation process.
Your justification of reducing the deficit, Mr. Mayor, is quite admirable, but pardon my skepticism on your tactics and methods in reaching a successful conclusion. How many dual or triple job holders, together with needless irrelevant high level positions are presently collecting their exorbitant salaries in your Administration that continue to go unscathed? Obviously, what’s good for the Goose isn’t good for the Gander?
Why are the targeted individuals always lower level municipal employees, who are forced to make sacrifices by suffering through cuts, layoffs, givebacks and furloughs, with the higher political echelon minutely inconvenienced? Is this a fair and just calculation in your reduction process, which eliminates the backbone, to preserve nepotism and the undeserving “Political Hack”? Does your plan also include the never ending unconscionable tax increases that are unfairly forced upon each and every taxpayer, renter and citizen because of all your wasteful expenditures and mismanagement?
Yet you still find time, while crying poverty, to illogically increase management and administrators in certain Departments. No matter how you dice and slice it, and prove how feasible these selected choices are, it still proves to us all that it’s business as usual in Jersey City’s unscrupulous government.
William P. Frasca
Jersey City, N.J.