03-22-09, Michael Teahan to Bruce Philpott Regarding Replacing Firemen with Boy Scouts

I was mistaken to have characterized Bruce Philpott’s Fire Department plan as replacing firemen with Boy Scouts. 

It might be unusual for a candidate to admit an error of interpretation in the last two weeks of a campaign—but character isn’t worth a damn if timing is an issue.  Reducing fire crews to stem the tide of overtime without laying off personnel may yield a fiscal benefit, though I am not convinced that his approach is appropriate for Glendale. 

I have expressed concerns to Bruce directly that finding solutions by carrying a baseball bat to the bargaining table or vilifying the firemens’ association was not likely to succeed.  There are a variety of public safety models that could better serve Glendale and address the excessive overtime issues—Bruce’s plan might be one of them—but none of them will happen without buy in from everyone.  Including the fire association.  Hugo Chavez can make unilateral changes, but our government (perhaps unfortunately) doesn’t work that way.

I have suggested that we can address the overtime issue and maintain 4 person crews while we evaluate models that push an EMS approach to public safety for medical emergencies.  I have also suggested that solutions will probably take at least as much time to assemble as Historic Districting or—dare I say the Hillside Ordinance—and will certainly not happen all at once.  Something as important as public safety should not be based on cost savings models or those that “are just as good as (insert your favorite city here).”  They should be the best for Glendale’s needs.

It is probably political suicide to say that solutions aren’t simple, that they will take time and that building consensus might actually be necessary.  It looks like I don’t think it’s important or am willing to put it on the back burner.  I could care less, though, because it’s the truth.

As though the truth matters in campaigns.

I will still, however, take him to task over his characterization of the city’s use of bond debt to balance the budget.

Politics isn’t any fun without a fight.

So, for jumping the gun, Bruce, I apologize.

Michael Teahan