More on this tomorrow, but a quick update. Carl Wasco, Bill Robertson, Joe Sosnowski and Frank Beach spent almost two hours with the Rockford Register Star Editorial Board this afternoon. They’d come straight to the News Tower from a meeting with Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey.
The Editorial Board did not start easily, due in some part to the fact that I’m not particularly tolerant of code-worded political speech, and we were getting a lot of carefully parsed answers from the four.
Then somewhere 30 or 40 minutes into it, they exchanged their ambiguous word choices for a passionate discussion of the tasks ahead for them and the city as they strive to do the right thing for the community.
No doubt in my mind that Wasco, Robertson and Beach understand the horror show of choices facing city council as it cuts more than $5 million from today’s budget. And, they clearly know the impossibility of balancing the budget with nips and tucks that spare people.
It’s the first time in my two decades of watching Rockford city council that I actually saw real, powerful, shared leadership potential among the aldermen. That is a very, very good thing.
Now is the time for the aldermen to step forward and say publicly what they said to the Editorial Board: Everyone has to come back to the table. The cuts we have to make will include police and fire and other kinds of outsourcing and restructuring. The damage can be mitigated by good faith negotiating — and by changing the players at the table.
(Changing the players was a bit of code for replacing the city’s negotiating team and the fire union team among others.)
It’s unfortunate that Julia Scott-Valdez became the rally cry for this newborn aldermanic leadership. She didn’t deserve to be used by the mayor and the alderman as the rope in their tug-of-war over who was going to run the city: the mayor or the council.
That is an embarrassing disservice to her and she deserves apologies from the aldermen and from the mayor.
If these four aldermen along with the others who signed the letter to the editor follow through with nurturing their new-found leadership, it’s likely to mean confrontations between the council and the mayor over who is in charge.
Mayor Morrissey has come a long way over the past couple years in managing his instinctive “my way or highway, and I don’t suffer fools well” approach to things. But he lets his frustrations at the slow political processes make him crazy and he’ll still say things that demean those who don’t move or think as fast or as smartly as he would like them to.
It won’t be an easy relationship, this new model of Rockford government in which the aldermen demand a controlling role. Not with a mayor as focused and headstrong as this one.
But, far from coming out of that Editorial Board wondering just how bad things can get, I came away thinking: Hey, this could be really good.
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Really come on! Until this Mayor that he is not the KING of Rockford, and he cannot just do as he pease , will anything actually get done in good faith.
Julia did have a choice. She didn’t have to accept the job, did she?
Ms Valdez did not have to accept the job, but she did and saved the city $90,000. We need more highly skilled people, like Ms Valdez, willing to take on significantly more work to reduce the bureacratic load on the city coffers.
As you are person who, by the very nature of your job, parses, fine-tunes, and prunes one’s words, I seem to find it it humorous that you would criticise four aldermen for collecting their thoughts and organizing their words before presenting them to your editorial board. Shouldn’t they have the same opportunity to carefully pick their words, as you do?
Get over the saving $90k rhetoric…if these are truly 2 full time positions as Mayor Morrissey indicates by trying to justify the increase, BOTH positions will need supporting staff added. Finding qualified people for much less than 40k seems unlikely so at best maybe the savings are 10k.
Realistically…it will probably end up costing us more.
OK, it has been said by the Editor. The Mayor does consider himself King. He has provided second chances to staff who have committed criminal acts, and has damaged or destroyed the careers of others who have tried to be the voice of reason. Will he now go after the Alderman for trying to be the voice of reason? The Alderman appear to be willing to stand up, will the Register Star?
It is sad to see the level of negativity in this city. Somehow a $90,000 savings is being spun as a cost increase; Wow! The HR department has supporting staff. Having a proven leader in that position will increase the efficiency of existing staff. Read the report from the independent community group on the effectiveness of varies city departments. The HR department was rated as very inefficient and in need for new leadership. Perhaps that is why the position became available. Bring in a proven leader and run the operation in a effective and streamlined fashion. This method is a classic private sector.approach. It is good to finally see the method used in city management.
Sometimes reality is not rosy. Proven leader? OK…then bring in a proven leader for the HR position. I for one believe that Julia Valdez is highly qualified and capable of being the Deputy City Administrator. I would even say awesome.
While she was in HR for the City of Rockford for 8 years from 1998-2006…her employment prior to that was Events manager for the City of Chicago…more in line for an Administrator position than Director of HR.
Again…not that she can’t do the job and be successful, but there is NO way her appointment saves the city $90k….if that was the case we have been overpaying for 2 part time positions.
Let me say, before I continue that I am a. not a city employee b. not friends with the mayor, and c. could in no way be construed as anything more than a middle class working citizen. This way, when the need to respond to my posting is making your fingers tingle, we can keep the “they must love Larry” comments to a minimum.
The main battle here seems to be money-and rightly so, the city is very publicly struggling for money. The spotlight has been brightly cast on Julia Scott-Valdez, and how combining the HR Director position in with the Deputy City Administrator position in no way warrants a salary of $114,000. However…no one seems to have an issue that the previous HR Director…who was doing that job and nothing more…made $10,000 more that that. So paying $124,000 for one person doing 1 job doesn’t cause the aldermen, or the public for that matter, to bat an eyelash…but paying 1 person to do 2 jobs? Well that’s a different story! Let’s hold votes, write memo’s, take it to Facebook, and fan ourselves at the mere thought that the mayor could even think of doing such a thing to this fair city. Let’s not even touch on the fact that this salary is in line with every single other department head at the city.
The fact of the matter is, the city is in trouble. No one is debating that. The position needs to be filled. We have found a qualified person to fill it who is willing to do it for $10,000 less than the previous director. I’m failing to see the downside to this. The city council says they want to explore outsourcing the entire department, or atleast portions of it. This newly outsourced HR department will still need a leader within the city-would you be tolerant of an HR department that had nothing to do with your company? Someone disciplining you that hadn’t set foot in your department before? Why should the city have to settle for that?
The simple truth is that this shift in personnel IS a savings of $90,000 for the city. Be as outraged as you want about the decisions, the math doesn’t lie. They are taking Ms. Valdez’s current salary (which has been stated is $80,000) and eliminating it entirely. Then, you’re asking Ms. Valdez to be the HR Director for $10,000 less than what the previous director made. As if that weren’t enough, you were also throwing in an entire full time job along with the HR Director. $80,000 + $10,000= $90,000….unless you know of a new way of adding that I was previously unaware of. And neither department will be adding on any support staff, because they want her to do it all.
The mayor’s job is to hire city employees. The councils’ job is to balance the budget. They mayor just handed them $90,000 that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. Ms. Valdez has been backed at every turn (even by the aldermen themselves) as being a prime candidate, and that it isn’t about her. So then…what is it about?
Please also note that we have not heard from one very important person. Throughout this entire hailstorm, Ms. Valdez has sat stoically silent, watching the entire city comment on her job status. Maybe it’s time for her to be heard, so the city can hear firsthand about the person they are blindly judging.
Simple math:
HR director = $124,000 plus benefits for one
Deputy CA = $80,000 plus benefits for one
Both positions = $204,000 plus benefits for two people
Cost reduction scenario #1 (no increase)
Combined HR dir/Deputy CA = $80,000 plus benefits for one
SAVINGS = $204,000 – $80,000 = $124,000 plus benefits for one
Cost reduction scenario #2 (eliminate HR dir position)
Deputy CA = $80,000 plus benefits for one
SAVINGS = $204,000 – $80,000 = $124,000 plus benefits for one
Cost reduction scenario #3 (current increase: $10,000 less than fair)
Combined HR dir/Deputy CA = $114,000 plus benefits
SAVINGS = $204,000 – $114,000 = $90,000 plus benefits for one
Unless you are a product of Rockford public schools, there is a $90,000 savings with the current state. There would have been a $124,000 savings if there was no increase or if the HR director postion was eliminated. But the bottom line is the same – there IS a $90,000 savings.
XL, have you read Alderman Joe Sosnowskis letter to the RRStar? He explains his and other alderman’s stance and reasoning behind wanting to hold off on the appointment to the HR position. I, for one, am impressed and astounded by your ability to do basic math and I’m sure we all see the appearance of the cost savings, but the issue here is the refusal of the mayor to even entertain the aldermans position and his insistence on given a substantial raise in these economic times.
I won’t even get into the mayor and alderman hervey trying to use the gender/race card as a scare tactic.
I wonder why members of the fire fighter administration received raises in the same range as Ms Valdez when there was no elimination of another position that saved any money. These raises happened while the closing of the fire stations were being discussed.
What is truly astonding is how the elimination of a postion, in your eyes, does not result in any cost savings. The $80,000 Deputy City Administrator position was eliminated when Ms Valdez accepted the HR director position for $10,000 less than the salary of the former director, which was comparable to the salaries of other department heads.
I do not understand how alderman Hervey is using the race card in this case. Is she saying that Ms Valdez is being given a hard time because she is white?
The letter to the RRStar was a letter prepared after alderman Robertson, Sosnowski, Mark and Wasco met with former Mayor Charles Box to block the appointment of Ms Valdez (about a month ago). And yes, there is documentation. Ask Jackie Bernard (former HR assistant), she likes to brag. The connection for the information – her kid is married to Robertson’s kid.
If the alderman really are serious about saving money then they should pay higher premiums on their health insurance. They are part time employees with the same low premium and great coverage that we, the taxpayers, pay for. I am sure that up until recently they were not authorized to be on the same plan as full time employees even though everyone looked the other way. Since then the documentation has added them so they are now all official.
There are many places to help reduce the city deficit on top of the $90,000 savings the mayor has made with his appointment.
Hmmmm, if the city has violated its own rules on heath coverage eligibility for the alderman in the past, then the taxpayers should get reimbursed. Let the alderman pay for coverage until the ordinance or whatever document was changed to add them. I wonder if this goes back a few administrations. Sounds like a chunck of change.
Mayor Morrissey, past mayors, and the current city council are responsible for the financial mess the city is in. The unfortunate part is that they are totally incapable for finding a fix for the problems.
They have voted YES on every single spending issue that came before them. They have voted YES on the creation of over 25 TIF districts. They have never once examined how those issues would impact the future of the city and the tax dollar shortages that resulted. The recent YES vote for $97,000 in street lights on Kishwaukee comes to mind, the spending of $32,000 on one department’s new furniture (true, it was grant money) that could have been put to better use.
They approved every single annual budget without questioning one single line items for clarification or adjustment.
Is anyone asking the city council which positions they have the power to set the salaries for? Is anyone asking them to review those positions and set lower salaries for the next holders of those positions?
The city council salaries need to be lowered. We should not pay them $12,000 per year plus benefits. They are part-time positions and should pay 1/2 that, plus limited benefits.
Unfortunately, this council is totally unprepared and incapable for fixing the horrible mess they have made over the last 15 years.
A few council members are thinking clearly, but they are seriously outnumbered by the numbness and acquiescence of the other members who seem only able to play “follow the leader”.
The Aldermen are right on to exert their individual concerns as well as the welfare of their constituents. I find the Mayors priorities a little off point. We have an opportunity to bring a major educational facility to the airport and leaders from throughout the community gather to develop a plan to make it happen, but he has a “family gathering” that is more important? Just as he couldn’t interrupt his honeymoon when a large portion of the city was flooded and his constituents were suffering. Our government was designed as a weak mayoral form of government with decisions being made by a consensus of the representatives of this community. We don’t need the attitude of a bully leading our community who pouts and calls people names when he doesn’t get his way.
How about Ms Valdez does what most of the private sector has had to do in these tough times. She does both jobs with no pay raise and the city saves the most money that way. When the economy gets better then a raise can be considered. Just because she\’s doing more work doesn\’t mean she needs to be paid more, not in these times. Deal with it, I can\’t imagine she\’s struggling making $80,000 a year, far more then the average Rockford citizen.
If the RRSTAR remembers Julia Valdez’ Husabnd Rudy took the Position as a ” Volunteer ” as Larry’s education Czar with a $ 25,000.00 per year expense account after Larry tried to sneak a 42 percent pay raise to Adam Smith. We haven’t heard One single word from Rudy since the Front page headlines.
Is the $ 34,000.00 Raise to Julia just a Motivator for Rudy to kick it in high gear.
Larry reminds me of a spolied 4 year old who throws a tantrum when he can’t have ice cream before his dinner.
It took a long time for people to realize the disparaging remarks he makes to his own employees and the total lack of respect he shows for anyone that doesn’t support his self serving needs.
xl aunt – Please provide the names of the fire fighter administration received raises in the same range as Ms Valdez.
Thanks!
Downtown99,
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to provide an update on education in the Rock River Region. Over the past few months I have met with many community leaders, education professionals, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, and business leaders. The purpose was to understand the education-related initiatives and activities in the region. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of active participation in the community to help improve our educational system. My approach was to make contacts, build relationships, gain knowledge to establish an educational baseline, and in the process make connections between entities to improve collaboration on similar organizational goals.
Like many people I have met, my desire was not to be in the news for self-promotion, but instead work behind the scenes to drive objectives to improve our educational system and enhance the economic potential of the region. Besides, being on the front page headlines is not all that great; so I have heard.
Since March I have spent hundreds of hours meeting with other stakeholders, participating in conferences, doing education-related research from federal, state and local levels, preparing an educational model for the region, preparing presentations, and speaking to students, educators, and professionals in the community. I have used the 10 furlough days from work and a couple of weeks of vacation in addition to available time during the week and on weekends to stay engaged in this volunteer position.
The trips to Kalamazoo and Peoria were beneficial in understanding what other cities are doing well in the quest to improve education attainment. I listened to Arne Duncan and met with a few mayors, superintendents, and educational leaders to obtain lessons-learned and best practices.
I have also continued to speak to students, as I have for the past 15 years, on science, math, engineering, leadership, and on the advantages of graduating high school and getting post-secondary accreditation; whether it is a college degree, skilled trade, or a career such as law enforcement, fire fighter, or ministry. I even spoke before the Friday night Apollo 13 movie in Davis Park. The topic was space; past, present, and future. As I spoke, one of my daughters was walking around in a 9ft inflatable space suit entertaining some of the younger children. This passion stems from the 10 year period when I was the program manager for space shuttle hardware manufactured and refurbished in Rockford.
In addition to my day job and the education liaison position, I am also on boards, committees, and involved in other volunteer opportunities related to enhancing educational attainment in our community. I participate on a board for Alignment Rockford, La Voz Latina, Rockford Partnership for Excellence, and South West Ideas for Today and Tomorrow (SWIFTT). This will be my third year as a mentor for a Jefferson HS student in the Reaching and Inspiring Students for Education (RAISE) program. In my family we are all able to do work that would normally be distributed to many people because we have a passion to help the community and our future leaders – our youth – in any way we can.
I have not asked for or been given any reimbursement for expenses I have incurred going to conferences or participating in activities for my education liaison position or any other volunteer position. I have used my own car to travel to and from Kalamazoo and Peoria without reimbursement for fuel, food, or any other incidental. I am not aware of the expense account you refer to.
Again, thank you for the opportunity and venue to comment on education. I have one final statement and a plug for La Voz Latina. On Oct 5, La Voz Latina has an astronaut and former CEO of United Space Alliance as keynote speaker for the annual banquet. Mike McCulley will speak on the importance of role models for improving educational attainment. His message will be blended with stories about his mission as a pilot on Atlantis and his years in the space shuttle program leading an organization 10,000 strong. I hope to see you there. Please give me a call if you have any questions or concerns.
Dr. Rudy Valdez
rudy.valdez@comcast.net
(815) 963-3227
Dr. Valdez,
Does your comment about not asking for or taking reimbursement for expenses mean that you get nothing? Does the $25,000 expense account referred to by downtown99 not exist?? For instance, do you pay for your own travel expenses when you make trips to say, to Kalamazoo or Peoria?
Also, how does all the information you gathered actually affect anyone, especially students. Have you been able to put all those “relationships” and information to practical use. Please tell us how what you have accomplished translates into activity in the class room and student performance.
If what you do costs the city and/or the school district absolutely no dollars, then you owe us no explanations. You can do your own thing on your own dime.
Illinois Viewer,
I do what I do because I believe in the potential of our children. I have been involved with education for many years, this is not new. Though I owe no one an explanation I will answer your questions.
I do not get paid anything. It costs the city and/or the school district absolutely no dollars. There is no $25,000 expense account or an expense account of any other value. As I mentioned above, I pay my own travel expenses. Trips to Kalamazoo and Peoria not only cost me money but I also used up vacation days that I could have otherwise used for leisure.
The information I have gathered has connected agencies to increase efficiencies of their limited resources. This is just one example of putting those relationships to practical use. Students have been positively impact by my sharing information on careers and the path to maximize their potential. I am a frequent speaker to youth. For example I have presented and spoke on engineering to the YMCA Young Achievers. Another example is speaking on leadership to many high school students during the youth summit. There are many more examples. My purpose is not to draw attention to me but to only answer your questions.
How the accomplishments, since accepting the volunteer position as the mayor’s liaison, translate into activity in the classroom and student performance will not be known immediately. I do know that feedback received from students I have interfaced with over the years have told me that I did have a positive influence in their education. This is why I continue to volunteer with no pay and no expense account.
I hope that I was not ambiguous with my answers. I believe in what I do and have done to make a difference in improving our community. It is unfortunate that there are many in the community that want to do more in the region but they do not want to be the focus of misleading or blatant misinformation. They just want to help but do not want to be in the cross hairs of people that want to hold this community down. Fortunately, there are many more positive people than negative.
I appreciate that you asked for clarification regarding my response to Downtown99. I posted my email and home phone number if you or others have questions.
Best regards,
Rudy
Accurate information is always greatly appreciated. Sometimes we need a nudge. Thanks.