Selectmen Screw Brookline’s Firefighters.
By Jim Conley • Mar 17th, 2008 • Email This Post to a Friend •
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Take a look at the override bailout ballot the Brookline Selectmen ginned up for the May election. Does it look to you like the $150 thousand in funds for “fire” is going to go to new equipment and/or additional members on the force?
Then you’re wrong. In essence, the $150 thousand restores the same amount in cuts to regular overtime. The numbers on the force (168) stays the same; and, as a result of retirements, ends up costing less. So the selectmen and town administration can’t control $150 thousand in overtime? Wow.
Now, this comes after rather futile attempts to update firefighting equipment considered short of meeting safety standards. When the selectmen asked the Federal government to bail them out of this mess, the cost of equipment was put at $400 thousand.
The Feds said no. So, then why aren’t the equipment needs of firefighters part of the ballot question?
A longer school day, a World Languages program, a useless Department of Economic Development are priorities over safe and sturdy firefighter equipment? Only in Brookline town government.
Firefighters get screwed. I guess that’s what they mean by “Yes for Brookline.”
Update: Is the $150 thousand on the ballot for any reason other than being able to say firefighting will be funded? I doubt it. It says a lot that the Brookline Selectmen think the Fire Department’s needs are a pittance and that we need to spend millions on useless services. It says that they are completely in the thrall of the town administration.
Jim Conley is publisher of On Brookline.
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