03-23-09, Herbert Molano Questions Michael Teahan’s Motives in Running for City Council

Why is Michael Teahan running for office? It seems to me that with his very light investment in money and time for his campaign, that he is serving only as the designated hitter to reduce the credibility of Bruce Philpott.

I’ve observed Teahan’s opinions on employee compensation and his advocacy for a business tax. His comments reflect a paper-thin knowledge of the city’s finances or thin empathy on the impact that the city’s utility rates are having on those who can least afford them.

Like nearly all of the challengers running for a council seat, Teahan has not attended the city’s budget sessions, nor provided opinions on how to create a truly viable and responsible budget. Therein lies the truly bizarre stance to stand before the public as a candidate to present opinions challenging another candidate who for years has demonstrated a study of both Fire Department staffing issues and worked full time as a paid employee in municipal budgets.

The problem with the exponential growth in the city’s budget is that it is not tied to employee performance. The salary and benefits of both the Fire Department and Police payroll have grown exponentially since 2001, but those payroll increases have not been tied to any definitive performance objectives.

We don’t stand a better chance of arriving at a hospital alive after a heart attack because of the increase GFD payroll. We don’t seem to have better results at controlling increases in petty larceny due to the police augmentation since 2004 nor do we have improved reductions in closing the number of open burglary investigations.

I doubt, with a high degree of certainty, that Mr. Teahan has ever looked at the huge worker’s compensation rate the city of Glendale is paying for fire department employees assigned to desk jobs. Any manager worth his salt would look at that insurance cost as a key indicator of internal problems. In Glendale government, it seems that no-one bothers.

Teahan has not challenged the city’s recent lawsuit loss as a result of the wrongful incarceration of an innocent man. He has not challenged the city’s continuing project cost overruns that mark just about every development undertaking under the city’s management. Yet he is ready to call for a business tax to raise revenue.

In my mind, now that I’ve been exposed to his opinions, it is every taxpayer who should be wary of this candidate. Another promoter of  “tax and waste” is the last thing we need at any government level, and less during these hard economic times.

Herbert Molano