The pay of city government

I was laughing at the pay scale for the City Manager in Bell, California at 850,000.00 not including bennies which brought him up to 1.5 mill. Of course he and all his cohorts are now wearing Hermes handcuffs but they just had a piece on 6000 coops in NJ making over 100K as journalists have decided to look into what people get paid. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/nj_police_salaries_rank_highes.html City council members in Belfast get about 73.00 per month. I’m not sure what it’s for but I think on a per hour basis it is about .42 cents. The Mayor gets a few bucks more in recognition of the added need for dry cleaning and travel. I used to spend my entire monthly salary as Mayor on dry cleaning. No one in the City makes more than 85 K +/- and that puts Belfast in the low range of city managers for cities like Belfast. The pay scales for all our positions in the city are carefully researched against competing or comparable towns and we are at or below the low average. If we went any lower we’d spend all our time looking for someone to take a job that they could get paid more for elsewhere. Back when MBNA raised the bar for all employee wages throughout our area we lost many employees from highway, offices, library, police, etc. before we stabilized the pay scale. The old days when you accepted bad pay in return for a decent retirement and health care are no more. Now we must compete fairly.

Roger Lee has my endorsement and my support for a term on the council

Roger Lee is running for the City Council election this November. His opponent is Rita Horsey a person I have met in brief passing. All I know about her is she is co-founder of the Belfast area Tea Party and she recently moved here from Massachusetts. On the other hand I know a lot about Roger Lee and why he is an outstanding representative for the people of Belfast and should be elected to another term.

Before I go any further allow me to say that Roger occasionally infuriates me. We don’t agree on a few things and that’s probably a good restraining bungee cord on my forward momentum. I say this to make clear we do not walk in lock step. I have worked with him when I was Mayor, as a civilian out of office who knew him as a friend and volunteer on GreenStreets! the Belfast tree planting and care group, and I have now served with him for one year as a fellow council member.

Roger has served Belfast well these last two years enduring quietly as his wife and he struggled with her health which ultimately lead to Gail’s passing away while he was serving. His steadiness and fortitude was remarkable.

If he has been known by one thing it is his unshakable mandatory “hold the line” approach on taxes. My inclination are more tax and spend. Sorry. I believe that investing in Belfast’s future is important in a faster deeper way than others. Roger is far more careful and scrutinizing than I am line by line. In large part Belfast taxpayers can thank Roger Lee for first lowering and then keeping Belfast taxes lower over the last three years.

During the last year he helped support the funding for a foundation building of economic development by funding an economic development director, the Main Street program for Our Town Belfast, and the chamber of commerce. That support is critical to our future.

While I am somewhat famous for having reversed my original position on opposing big boxes in Belfast it was former big box opponent Roger Lee who lead and supported the rezoning of Route Three property to make a big box possible. Roger supports the process that will allow a large store to come to Belfast

I can go on a long time about Roger. I know him to be a hard working, honest, straight forward, progressive yet fiscally conservative, alert, detailed oriented, and sincere. He has been an outstanding city councilor. He is among the best of Belfast and I hope you will join me in supporting him for another term on the Belfast City Council.

what old people say

I’m 59 closing in on 60. That makes me old. I saw Louis CK on TV and he had a young girlfriend demanding that he say “old people things” as it made her hot. It made me think of some old people things I can say:

1. I sat in front of a tv clicking it because there were no remote controls
2. I carried out garbage in a brown paper nag
3. I remember seeing my first airplane and it had propellers
4. I remember when phones had dials
5. I remember party lines where all your neighbors could pick up and listen to you talking.
6. I remember when cars would not start in winter
7. We smoked on airplanes, in banks, in supermarkets: everywhere.
8. no internet, faxes, cell phone, ipods or pads, dvd, cd, vhs, vcrs etc. etc.
9. we won all our wars
10. the milkman delivered milk in the morning to a special pass through box so you did not have to go outside.

What do you old timers remember?

letter to the editor for mid June re: econ development

Last Fall I ran for the Belfast City Council with my primary platform (after legalizing home chickens!) centered on “economic development.” The sitting Belfast City Council had begun addressing our challenges but I was impatient and wanted to see the implementation faster and more extensively. Those who know me will agree that my impatience can at time be a virtue as well as a vice. Sometimes I want to go too fast and sometimes it’s just right. Whatever the speed we moved I want to acknowledge progress. As we near the end of our budget for 2010 I want to report on some tangible successes that bode well for Belfast’s economic future.

This week marks the start date for our first ever and new Economic Development director Thomas Kittredge and we are excited at the possibilities and strengths he brings to Belfast. As we finish our budget process the council voted to fully fund the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is truly beginning to shine for our area. A new program this year is the matching funding for Our Town Belfast, a Main Street Network program that will breathe added life into the small business community. The Council also chose to fund an assortment of Belfast events that generate public participation and support small business. Many of our efforts such as purchasing the railroad right of way and master planning the waterfront will also add new energy to Belfast.

Speaking for myself, I compliment the members of the Belfast City Council on their actively supporting the health of our local economy. We need to strengthen our local businesses and this City Council and the administration has taken giant steps this year to do just that. There is still much to do and working together we can truly change Belfast and our area for the better. I spent a fair amount of time before being elected offering “helpful” suggestions and friendly criticism to the city. Eight months later I can tell you I may not be happy with our current economic situation but I know that the city government is actively helping, doing what it can, and working to improve how people earn a living in Belfast.

Michael D. Hurley
Belfast City Council
93 Main Street
Belfast, Maine 04915
207-338-1975 PH
207-338-2951 FX
207-323-0881 CELL
mike@pilut.com
http://cityofbelfast.org/index.shtm city web site
http://belfastmike.wordpress.com/ personal blog

Eight months in

I have a failing. (wags might opine here “oh really? Do tell. We’d never imagined.”) When I am running for office I write like crazy and communicate up the yin-yang, or wazoo as you might prefer, until I become white noise. After the election it is harder, far more difficult, to keep it up. I am sorry. I know that people cannot have any idea what is going on by the newspapers and for the very hearty with cable access by watching the city council on TV.

This week has been very productive. The budget hearings just passed support for the Main Street program, our economic development guy Thomas Kitteredge starts, we funded the Chamber of Commerce, we began to leagize home chickens, and we signed a contract to buy the railroad right of way to create a rail and bike/walking trail. A busy busy week that has been worked on for many months and years. Coming together.

Anyway: I’m determined to make a better effort at filling people in on what I am doing with the council. Thanks for reading. What should I be working on? Or what should I not be working on?

Belfast Free Range Music Festival kicks off April 24

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=791982832&ref=name#!/pages/Belfast-ME/BELFAST-FREE-RANGE-MUSIC-FESTIVAL/310452388989?ref=ts

http://freerangemusicfestival.com/

25 acts, 6 venues: Legion Hall, Colonial Theatre, Belfast Library, Aarhus Gallery, Roots and Tendrils, and Waterfall Arts, one day and night.

From “yes or no?” to “which?”

Regarding a Civic Center: I’ve had people say to me: don’t spend the surplus, don’t bond this, it’s a bad idea, it won’t work, not in the downtown, there’s no parking, no one will come, the City shouldn’t be doing this, etc. etc. And then…. as soon as they heard Crosby High School might be considered they do a 180 degrees and they’re all for it. I take away from this the following: I cannot believe people support buying Crosby for a bad idea. So I understand these folks now think the Civic Center is a good idea. But…..Only in Crosby I guess. But it is clear that many opponents now think the Civic Center is now an idea worth supporting. I think we’re getting somewhere.

Why there will not be a referendum if I have a say

There’s a persistent request for a referendum on a Belfast Civic Center. Here’s why I will not support a referendum. Towns like Waldo and Camden have a “town government” form of governemnt. The entire town votes on everything. In Belfast and at the State of Maine legislature and at the United States Congress we have a representative form of government. .

The key phrase being: Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people.The representatives form an independent ruling body (for an election period) charged with the responsibility of acting in the people’s interest, but not as their proxy representatives; that is, not necessarily always according to their wishes, but with enough authority to exercise swift and resolute initiative in the face of changing circumstances.

I’ve been at this in beautiful Belfast for more than thirty years. I believe that we’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to the idea of referendums…. but it’s a bad idea for a lot of reasons. Here’s a few reasons they do not serve us well and items the city has handled without the added drama of referendums:

1. I know more about lots of things than you do. That’s why I got elected. If you wanted someone who doesn’t know anything there’s always an opportunity at the next election. I ran and serve because I am informed, I’ve worked on these issues for decades and I have ideas. I live and breathe this stuff and I am fully capable of making good decisions.

2. there’s been 3 referendums in modern Belfast history. A)The people of Belfast voted NO to big boxes. A few years later the City Council overruled them and changed the law to allow big boxes. B) the People of Belfast voted YES to big boxes on the East Side. The Belfast City Council overruled them and changed the laws to forbid big boxes on the East Side. C) the people of Belfast voted to rebuild the walking bridge and the council respected their wishes. One out of three referendums were enacted by the City Council.

3. We have not had referendums on many important topics:

*over the last years we’ve given nearly 2 million dollars to the YMCA to build and operate the new YMCA
*a few months ago we spent 300,000.00 to buy a small piece of land to add to Belfast Common (and took it off the tax rolls)
* a few months ago we spent 2.6 million to rebuild sewers in Belfast
* we built the Belfast Business Park and the transfer station
* we accepted nearly 4 million dollars (and took them off the tax rolls) of private property from MBNA at Belfast Commons, the Boathouse and Steamboat Landing.
* we rebuilt Belfast City Hall for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
* we bought and renovated Fleet Bank (taking it off the tax rolls) into the Police Station and office building
* we donated 150,000.00 to U. Maine to assist in the Hutchinson Center expansion
* We spent millions to tear down the old Abbot Room and rebuild the Belfast Free Library
* we accepted the gift of the ball fields at Rt. 52 & 1 from Bank of America (and took it off the tax rolls)
* we evicted the Belfast Moosehead Lake Railroad from the waterfront
* we moved the Belfast Fire Department out of City Hall to the present location
* we purchased the land for Heritage Park (took it off the tax rolls) and spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars tearing down the 100′ tall grain mill, building a park, tearing up the old sidewalks, building all new sidewalks, burying wires, etc.
* we sold Crosby High School (NTWH) for 200K
* and lots of other things you may or may not (and I may or may not) disagree with.

The reason I am absolutely in favor of a Belfast Civic Center is that I believe it is a critical piece (one of many) required to strengthen our economic situation. I do not undertake to consider this important undertaking lightly. I view our economic situation as demanding that we start to build our local economy on something other than a real estate bubble and a reliance on a few major employers. To effect this change will require a series of initiatives and the civic center is but one. Hiring an economic developer for the City is another (and one we did not put out to referendum).

I am open to debating “will it work?” I believe it will, but listening to talk of referendums is not something I will take the slightest bit seriously. If you want to convince me of a different direcvtion focus your debate on “will it work?”

blah-blah-blah open to the public

23 people spoke about the civic center. It’s like getting a back massage from one and a kick in the stomach from another. one thing all of the pontificators have in common is that they can say anything, make up any number: 5 million, no ten million!, lie at will if you feel like it, it is open season for verbal brain dumping of imaginary fears: and no one gets to call them on it. I do not have that luxury.

Rockland Named One of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010

As the city of Belfast and the Belfast Civic Center works to bring a large event center to Belfast I have spoken with people who say “We go to Rockland or Camden for events. What’s the matter with that?” I guess nothing if your goal is to see Belfast become more like Bayside in the winter. My goal is that I am for working to make Belfast qualify to be named a top 12 “distinctive destination” and my boosterism is aimed at and reserved for Belfast. http://www.freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=4988 We have been left behind and it is harming the social and economic fabric of Belfast.