Let’s Talk Percentages
Much talk around town about the Mayor and City Commissioners voting to raise their salary.
The Mayor and Commissioners salaries have not been raised or adjusted since 2004.
Mayor’s salary would rise from $125,000.00 to $150,000.00, a 20% rate hike.
City Commissioner’s salary would rise from $30,000.00 to $35,000.00, a 16.7% rate hike.
The Commissioners voted themselves the following benefits.
Cadillac Health Insurance: for them, their spouse and Dependents age 27-30
The figures below were effective on August 1, 2012, and I assure you the prices have increased. The health plan includes no deductibles or co-pays and 100% taxpayer financed, with the exception of costing the employee $303.37/month for their dependents age 27-30. Taxpayer’s are very generous.
Employee: $605.43/month or $7,265.16/year
Employee + 1: $1,275.54/month or $15,306.48/year.
Family: $1,774.11/month or $21,289.32/year.
Dental:
Employee: $35.14/month or $421.68/year
Employee+1: $69.28/month or $831.36/year.
Family: $120.80/month or $1,449.60/year.
Vision:
Employee: $4.48/month or $53.76/year.
Family: $12.80/month or $153.60/year.
$16,291.44 Employee+1 includes Mayor Muoio, Commissioners Ryan, Moffitt.
$22,892.52 Family includes Commissioner Neering and possibly Materio.
$7,740.60 Employee Commissioner James with no spouse or dependent.
Question: Why are taxpayers supporting health care for elected official’s spouse and dependent children?
Answer: The Commissioner’s voted for it, and our input was not needed nor requested.
Car allowance: $500.00/ month, for a total of an additional $6,000.00 year for all elected officials.
Discretionary Fund: $3,200.00 a year for each Commissioners.
Mayor Muoio has her own fund where she can spend up to $5,000.00 a month without permission from the Commissioners, who control the city purse strings. The mayor uses this fund to pay former City Attorney Claudia McKenna, who retired mid April 2014, a total of $4,800.00 a month to continue the lawsuit against the PBC Inspector General. This payment has continued for 22 months @ $4,800.00/month for a total of $105,600.00 taxpayer dollars. I’ll never get over how generous we taxpayer’s are.
Travel Budget: Nov.2012 Commissioners voted to place $10,000.00 into a travel budget to be shared by all five Commissioners.
Retirement Benefit Package: The first time I knew of this benefit was when it was mentioned at a budget meeting when the city declared “We have no money”
I placed a PRR (public records request) for their retirement package and was told I would not be supplied with the information because it concerned private money matters. When taxpayers pay for this benefit it should not be private.
All City employees received a pay raise in Oct. 2014 & 2015 amounting to 3% both years.
Let’s talk about Social Security:
Barack Obama, 44th President was sworn into office on 1/20/2009. In his eight years in office seniors living on Social Security received no COLA a total of three times.
January 2009 — 5.8% Increase was approved in 2008 to commence Jan.1,2009. (previous administration)
January 2010 — 0.0%
January 2011 — 0.0%
January 2012 — 3.6%
January 2013 — 1.7%
January 2014 — 1.5%
January 2015 — 1.7%
January 2016 — 0.0%
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) Generally, legal immigrants – those who have become citizens and some who have legal permission to be in the U.S – can qualify for SSI and Medicare.
In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that President Obama will direct his administration to make preparations to accept at least 10,000 refugees from Syria in fiscal year 2016. So Obama was true to his word concerning “spreading the wealth”
American born citizens who worked and paid into Social Security wont receive a COLA so we can share our benefits with Syrian immigrants. When Obama pledged to spread the wealth, did American’s believe he was going to take from the five richest such as Bill Gates ($54 billion), Warren Buffett ($45 billion), Larry Ellison ($27 billion), Christy Walton ($18 billion), and Charles Koch ($21.5 billion). No politician will cut their own throat and anger the wealthy who contribute to their Super Pac’s.
Keeping in mind elected officials have not had a rate increase in 11 years, I suggest they increase their salary somewhere between SS increase of 1.5% to city employees raise of 3%. So what do you think?
Where Do You Draw The Line?
I attended the WPB City Commission meeting held on 2/1/16 and witnessed the removal of a black resident, Douglas Ellington from the Commission Chambers. Here are my view’s of the altercation.
Residents can address the Mayor and City Commission for three minutes, on any Non-Agenda Items. Residents are free to commend, or criticize them, and many do.
Residents are also allowed three minutes to address any item on the agenda, and are free to agree or disagree with the city’s decision, once again many do.
At the February 1,2016 meeting Mr. Ellington was the first speaker called and he was polite and calm as he addressed the commission. He claims he was fired due to him being a “whistle blower”. When his three minutes ended, Mayor Muoio thanked him for his comments and said his time was up.
Mr. Ellington continued talking and Mayor Muoio again told him his time to address the Commission was over to no avail. She offered him the opportunity to meet outside chamber’s with City Administrator Jeff Green. He refused. The mayor then explained there were other residents waiting to address their concerns with the city. Mr. Ellington apologized to the audience, but continued to disrupt the meeting and refuse to leave the podium. Mayor Muoio adjourned the meeting, and she and three commissioner’s left the dais while Mr. Green again invited him to meet and discuss his situation.
A black resident from the audience approached Mr. Ellington and while I couldn’t hear the conversation she appeared to try and reason with him. Mr. Ellington continued speaking.
A white police officer was called and he spoke with him, and made every attempt to persuade him to leave the podium. He continued speaking. A black officer appeared and spoke to him. He continued speaking. The officer then placed handcuffs on him and he was escorted from chambers. I believe both officers were respectful of Mr. Ellington and went above and beyond the call of duty to try and reason with him.
City Administrator, Jeff Green, stated Mr. Ellington was given the opportunity to sign a citation rather than be arrested but he said he would return. What choice did the city have?
Mr. Green stated Mr.Ellington was fired approximately five years ago and was set to attend a disciplinary hearing but he refused to attend. Green further stated he was terminated because he wouldn’t come back to his job.
Mr. Ellington was arrested on two separate occasions on Aug. 5 and Oct. 15 2015 after by-passing security guards and metal detectors and running the stairs (with a security guard in pursuit) in an attempt to reach the mayor’s office. When police were called he refused to leave the building and was arrested. Monday night was his third arrest for trespassing at city hall.
“First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right’s of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence, or rebellion.”
Another speaker at that meeting was William McCray, a former black WPB Police Officer, fired from the city, and is now with the PBC Sheriff’s Officer. Mr. McCray successfully sued the city and the city settled with him for $300,000.00.
McCray stated that on 1/19/16 Mayor Muoio was disrespectful to him and violated his right to free speech when she would not allow him to speak.
What he failed to mention was he arrived late, and the agenda for public comment was over and they had moved on to the next item. If you have a desire to verify this information, please visit the city website and watch the City Commission Meetings held on 2/1/16 City Commission part 1 and 2.
He then mentioned how Commissioner Moffitt, who chaired the commission meeting on 12/7/15, allowed a “white woman” to address the commission although she arrived late to the meeting and did not submit a card requesting to speak. At this meeting I was the “white woman” who can be seen on camera walking to the city clerk with card in hand while McCray was addressing the commission. McCray then stated that’s what you do for white people and won’t do it for black people. If you wish to verify my version please view City Commission meeting held on 12/7/15.
I recall at a commission meeting when Commissioner Moffitt was chair, she stopped me from speaking on an agenda meeting when I veered off subject and she respectfully brought me back to topic at hand. She was right, I was wrong.
In closing I will add at the 2/1/16 meeting one of the agenda topic’s was found on the consent agenda and was item # 8 concerning parking meter’s and the homeless. I wanted to address the topic and turned in a comment card. Unfortunately the Commission had just voted on the consent calendar and Mayor Muoio stated comments would not be heard on the issues. Did she violate my right to free speech? Absolutely not. Did I learn a lesson? Absolutely, be on time.