“Unions don’t speak for the
voters”
"The police are coming, the firefighters are
coming" to canvass the
streets of
at a recent north
ask? Well, it
is the reason that compels some of our finest to show
up in force on their off duty time. And no, it's not for the Jerry
Lewis muscular dystrophy telethon, American Cancer
Society or Heart
Association event.
These boots will be pounding the pavement for the
reelection of their favorite incumbent city hall
politicians.
Oh boy, I can hardly wait to hear that knock on the
door when I'm
working in the backyard or enjoying a bit of afternoon
reading. At
which point I will presumably be treated to a rehearsed
pitch for
council members Najarian and Quintero. Or touting another anointed
insider candidate being groomed by the ostriches with
their heads
stuck in the sands of denial when it comes to having a
government we
can afford.
I'm not against unions, but police, fire,
management and other city
employee unions seem a bit like unions for
professional athletes or
actors. Just
look at the six
figure salaries and think about the
existence of two Glendales. One is secure and doing pretty well with
job security, regular raises, savings investments,
sponsored health
care coverage and a generous retirement plan -- city
employees. The
other
the downsized, unemployed and foreclosed and all the
rest of us who
struggle amid mounting insecurity, lost savings and
soaring bills.
Also troublesome is the implication that unless the
public blindly
supports these groups and the demands of their unions
we are somehow
not interested in public safety. These difficult
times call for all
hands to pull on the same rope when it comes to
belt-tightening and
everything should be put on the table. We don't need fear-mongering or
doomsday predictions from city council incumbents. Just tell the
voters the truth and open up all public departments
for audit and
review to find creative ways to reduce expenses
without sacrificing
our quality of life. Change can come to
the politics of fear and elect some new blood to the
city council on
April 7.
Greg Wilkinson
La Crescenta