Well, Zucal seems to be at it again. I’m not sure where the Ward Two City
Councilman comes up with his ideas, but this one, typical of how he operates in
council, has some really strange twists.
Fire Chief Jim Parish was making a
bundle of money as a fire fighter with the New Philadelphia Fire
Department. The base salary was good,
somewhere around $50,000 a year. The
benefits, life and health insurance, overtime pay (paid at twice the regular
hourly pay for any time over scheduled work time), uniform allowance, paid
holidays, sick leave, added onto the base pay, increased take-home pay to more
than $80,000 a year. Life was good.
Then the chance for Parish to
become Fire Chief raised its head.
Parish applied for the position.
He studied for the test, passed the examination, and won the
appointment. Low and behold, the
advertised salary for the Fire Chief was, in reality, less than what a fireman
could make when the overtime was included.
Chief Parrish objected. This was going to cut into his retirement so
he strongly objected.
Councilman Zucal, who, at the
time, was running for reelection and wooing the New Philadelphia city workers
vote, took up his case. Zucal proposed
raising the Chief’s base salary to 85 to 90 thousand dollars a year, a figure
that does not include the cost of benefits to which he would be entitled. Parish and Zucal also asked that the Fire
Chief be paid double overtime for any time worked over the standard forty
hours.
How this raise was going to be
paid for was brought up in the December 23 ad hoc committee chaired by Zucal,
by Ms. Cox, Chairperson of the Finance Committee. Cox asked Zucal what the costs would be to the City should
Parrish be given the requested salary increase. Zucal never provided an answer to her question, rather told her
to “add it up yourself”. When Cox
persisted to ask for the financial effect on the city’s budget, a question to
which Zucal obviously did not know the answer, he ended the discussion by
shouting for her to “Be quiet!”
It was hoped, by those who were
interested in raising the Chief’s salary, that a city income tax resolution
which would increase the citizens tax burden by .75-percent , that was defeated
in November’s election, would raise revenue to cover such items. Its failure dashed such hopes. But wait.
There was another plan waiting in the wings.
Plan two was to raise the cost of
the New Philadelphia Fire Department’s Ambulance service. With an increase of income from the city’s
ambulance services, money could be taken from the ambulance fund to pay the
Chief’s $40,000 pay raise. Three types
of services would be involved, each of which deals with life threatening events
or accidents. The increased costs to
people using the Fire Department ambulances service would amount to nine-percent. Furthermore, it is highly questionable that
taking funds from the Ambulance Service to pay for the chief’s requested pay
raise would pass legal scrutiny, let alone a moral evaluation.
This proposal, Resolution No.
31-2013, which was presented to City Council by Zucal under sponsorship of the
Ambulance Committee, of which Zucal is a member. By this action Zucal once again showed his ignorance of City
Ordinances, his contempt of City Council, his disdain for the citizens of New
Philadelphia.
You see, the Ambulance Committee
is not even remotely connected to City Council. It is an appointed advisory committee charged with making
recommendations on the operations of the Fire Department Ambulance service. It reports to the City Council, keeping them aware
of daily operations, financial needs, equipment needs, and such other matters
it deems important. Mr. Zucal should
know this. If he doesn’t know the
difference between a City Council Committee and an advisory committee
appointed by Council for advisory purposes, which apparently he does not, he
cannot responsibly fill his position on city council. He should either educate
himself on the workings of city government or reevaluate the advisability of
continuing his position as a ward councilman.
So here we have an interesting
situation. We have a fire chief who
politicked for his job, got it, then complains that he is underpaid. Get a life, Jim. You chose the position.
You
wanted it, you campaigned for it, and you got it.
Fulfill your commitment. Live
with it.
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