Hannon's Rant

"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives..." - John Lennon

Mayor Dennis Hannon published an opinion piece in yesterday's Press & Sun Bulletin in which he attempted to respond to the pamphlet sent to Johnson City residents several weeks ago.  Fire Starter read with great excitement and anticipation Mayor Hannon's rebuttal to the detailed and factual account provided by the State Association of Fire Fighters.  We could not wait to see all the facts and figures that prove once and for all that the pamphlet was just a "fairy tale".

Imagine our disappointment when we realized that this was yet another fact-less screed intended to distract voters and deflect justifiable criticism. 

It was a "hit piece" on Harry Lewis.  The Mayor accuses former mayor Lewis of lying to him regarding "mutual aid".  No details of what this lie was or proof that it occurred.  Only Hannon's unsubstantiated assertion.

It was another tepid defense of  Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich.  No facts.  Just an undeserved and unsubstantiated "attaboy".

It was an attack on the vote of  no confidence taken by the fire fighter's union.  The no confidence resolution details the misfeasance and malfeasance of Hrustich.  Again, no facts.  Just the assertion.

He then concludes that "the firefighter's contract was the greatest scam ever perpetrated on the people of Johnson City".  But of course, no factual back up.

Fire Starter has always endeavored to provide fact based analysis of Hannon's destructive behavior.  We have provided facts and figures regarding fire fighter salaries, the cost of the shared police chief and the Joint Fire Administrator.  We have provided figures regarding the cost of the endless litigation and the lack of economic development in the Village.   We even provided evidence to show that Hannon's incompetence started while he was Village Police Chief.  It may not have won us a Pulitizer Prize, but it has always been fact based.

As a rambling rant, we give Hannon an "A".  As anything resembling a reasoned argument or a fact based advocacy piece, he gets an "F".

Which causes Fire Starter to wonder whether Mayor Hannon is beginning to lose his grasp on reality.  Perhaps his destructive approach to Village government is beginning to catch up to him.  Perhaps he realizes that the end of his reign of pettiness is close at hand.  The fact that voters rejected Hannon's crusade to destroy the Village may be too much for him to handle.  Suddenly, he finds that he is not the Sheriff of Johnson City but an impotent little man. 

And unfortunately for Hannon, everyone else sees the same thing.

No Confidence, No Competence

“In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” - Laurence J. Peter

Fire Starter has previously provided extensive evidence regarding the overpaid and under worked “Joint Fire Administrator”. As detailed on this page, Stephen Hrustich costs the Village of Johnson City over $83,000 per year in salary and benefits. His commitment to the village is 20 hours per week. He gets an identical package from the Village of Endicott. This places his hourly cost to the taxpayers of Johnson City at almost $80 per hour. The only “sweeter deal” is to be the Village attorney at $200 per hour!

What has not been discussed in the past is the reaction of “his men” on the Johnson City Fire Department. Fire Starter has learned that earlier this year, the Johnson City fire fighters took the unprecedented step of voting “no confidence” with regard to their part time “Fire Administrator”. In any position of public accountability, a vote of “no confidence” is a devastating indictment of incompetence. In the fire service, it is a life and death accusation of dangerous mismanagement. Among the accusations:

Hrustich has failed to adequately staff the department allowing as few as 4 firefighters to protect Village residents. Multiple times since the staffing reductions, village fire fighters have had insufficient personnel to respond to medical calls.

He implemented (and later rescinded) the “automatic first response” between Endicott and Johnson city often leaving one or both Villages unprotected while on duty personnel chased false alarms and minor fires.

During the height of the H1N1 outbreak, Hrustich denied fire fighters the industry recommended respirator because of cost.

During the N1H1 outbreak, his solution for protecting the fire fighters was to have them provide care from a distance of six feet!

He has denied that station closures would result from the staffing cuts but it has already happened several times since the changes were implemented.

He promised to apply for federal SAFER grants alleging that the money could be used for equipping volunteers while knowing that the funds were not for that purpose.

He later drafted sloppy and shoddy SAFER grant applications for both Endicott and Johnson City. These amateuristic submissions were rejected by the federal government while Binghamton and Kingston’s grants were approved.

The chief has repeatedly attempted to take charge of fires and issue orders while he is driving to the fire from his Tioga County residence thereby placing fire fighters at risk from his ill informed decisions.

He has stubbornly resisted utilizing the closest professional department for mutual aid, (Binghamton) in favor of various volunteer departments with slow and unpredictable responses.

The no confidence resolution indicts Hrustich both for mismanagement and incompetence. It questions his priorities and it questions his skill as a fire fighter and chief. Overall, the no confidence resolution paints a disturbing picture of a man in whom residents and fire fighters can not have confidence.

In the end, Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich has been willing to sell his soul and risk the lives of residents and fire fighters to advance his career and bank account. This is exactly the kind of “leadership” Mayor Hannon sought to buy. And it appears that Hrustich’s price is $83,000 per department.

Police Dogs: Biting the Hand that Feeds Them

It has been with great fanfare that the purchase of a new police dog was announced in the Village of Johnson City. Little was said of the direct cost (often up to $8,500) and even less was said of the liability issue.

A quick Internet search reveals a significant liability issue:

Athens County Ohio: county sued by suspect for $450,000 for dog bite which occurred in the course of an arrest.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: teacher who was bitten by police dog while turning off an alarm at her school settles for $200,000.

Waukegan, Illinois: spectator at a police dog competition sues for $100,000 for injuries incurred when a police dog veered into the crowd and bit her.

Chicago, Illinois: cook county jury awards $200,000 to a man attacked by a police dog and bitten in the leg and scrotum.

Wilmington, Delaware: pair of suspects sue in federal court for unstated damages for excessive force involving police dog bites.

Norfolk, Virginia: jury awards man $13,000 for being mistakenly bitten by a police dog.

Sarasota, Florida: 12 year old girl who was riding an electric scooter was attacked and bitten by a police dog that escaped its handler. Lawsuit seeks undisclosed damages.

Yakima, Washington: a police officer was bitten by a fellow officer's police dog and sustained serious injuries resulting in having the muscle in his forearm removed. In addition to filing for workmen's compensation, he is suing for negligence.

These are but a few examples of the increased liability a community takes on when it opts for a police dog. In addition, dog handling officers typically only patrol four out of five shifts per week since at least one shift per week is dedicated to "training" with the police dog. In these difficult economic times, a police dog looks a lot more like a luxury than a necessity.

Two final points. First, Mayor Hannon hailed the addition of a K-9 as a great tool for the JCPD in conducting searches/tracking. It is hard to imagine what JC primeval forest the Mayor envisions the K-9 searching. Second, as a supposed proponent of shared services, is is unclear why other area K-9 units could not be used if needed.

What we need are more HUMAN bodies on the streets, not publicity stunts.

As an aside, Fire Starter has heard that the breeder/trainer of the dog may have connections to Village officials. If this is true, at the very least, this should have been disclosed as a conflict of interest.

D'OH - Case to Go Forward

Fire Starter has just become aware of a new development in Captain Meaney's Federal lawsuit against the Village of Johnson City. Meaney is suing for a violation of his free speech rights. According to Binghamton Fox40, Mayor Hannon alleged that the suit was frivolous and wanted it thrown out but the judge said the claim was legitimate!

Fire Starter will continue to dig for more information on this recent decision.

Exit question: When will the village wise up and try to resolve their disputes through negotiation rather than litigation?

UPDATE: The Press & Sun Bulletin are now reporting the story.

A link to the decision is on the second page on the web site. Interesting reading!

Where Have All the Wealthy Fire Fighters Gone?

They have become the “Welfare Queens” of the 21st Century. (You probably remember the urban legends of women on welfare living high on the hog). Today, it is the mythical fire fighter who is making over 85k a year while local private sector employees get laid off. Who are these public employees? Surely there must be some among the ranks of the Johnson City Fire Fighters! (No there are not, and don’t call me Shirley!)

Much has been made of the “41%” raises the Johnson City firefighters received over the 5 year contract with the Village of Johnson City. What is rarely talked about is the fact that for years, the Village Fire Fighters agreed to smaller pay increases than othr municipal employees in return for not paying into their health insurance. In addition, prior to the current contract, there was a minimum department size guaranteed under the contract.

Under the current contract, Village Fire Fighters contribute to their health insurance much like all other public employees. In addition, the department is now 7 fire fighters smaller than it was just 5 years ago (not including the laid off 6). This is due largely to the elimination of the minimum manning clause. These changes were demanded by the Village and were part of the negotiated agreement leading to the current contract.

Well surely (there you go again), JC Fire Fighters, with their current contract have far surpassed other local fire departments in salary. In fact, a side by side comparison of pay reveals otherwise.

The Binghamton Press &Sun Bulletin published salaries for local government workers for 2008. Unfortunately for the JC Fire Fighters, this was the calendar year in which they received 2 years of retroactive pay increases. However, if one were to compare JC Firefighter’s 2008-2009 contract pay with the average pay for other municipal fire fighters, an interesting pattern emerges:

First Grade Fire Fighter:

Binghamton: $64,551

Endicott: $60,189

Johnson City: $61,891

Fire Lieutenant:

Binghamton: $65,489

Endicott: $73,017

Johnson City: $67,167

Fire Captain:

Binghamton: $76,830

Endicott: $72,985

Johnson City $71,712

A side by side comparison reveals that the Johnson City pay was in line with neighboring municipalities. In other words, in return for their concessions regarding health insurance and manning, they have begun to come in line with other firefighters in the area.

I have not heard the Johnson City Fire Fighters complaining about their salaries or jobs. I believe they are hard working public servants who appreciate the jobs they have. Daily, they risk their lives for the citizens they serve. They appreciate the fact that taxpayers work hard to fund their salaries. Perhaps the Village Board and Mayor should show the same appreciation for village taxpayers.

Now, about that 85k per year fire fighter…there do not seem to be any full time fire fighters in JC earning that kind of salary. Perhaps there is a part time employee who makes the equivalent of 85k…or more.