01/06/2009 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 1/6/2009 opportunities back, in fact he may never be able to serve any community as a career fire fighter/pazamedic again because of the age limit. He is thankful for the best four years of his life and the opportunity to tell his daughter that Dad used to save lives and property and Mom used to be a teacher. She also will have to look for a new cazeer if he is next to be laid off. He hopes the city strongly considers not laying off anyone else. Keep the citizens of North Olmsted safe and the current employees working in the career path they chose and dedicated their lives to helping people, and make this a desirable community where the citizens can feel safe knowing that the ones that come to help them want to be there for them in their time of need. As an Eagle Scout, he lives his life by the Scout Law and motto to do his best to do his duty to God and his country and obey the Scout Law to help other people at all times, keep himself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. The slogan of being prepared is very relevant to the challenges fire fighters/pazamedic and police officers face daily. He made the mistake of not being prepazed when he trusted that his employer would value dedication, hazd work, and meeting the expectations given to him the day he was sworn in. Obviously, he was mistaken and not prepared to be laid off for a job well done. 6) Dave Boatman, 2093 Brown Road, Lakewood, president of the fire fighters' union is disturbed by fact that the Mayor keeps bringing up the flyer they distributed. They did make a mistake, as has been acknowledged long ago, for not putting their name on it. To keep bringing it up in this forum and the way the Mayor does it, he feels is nothing but casting stones at the fire fighters. Secondly, he has always respected the negotiation process. The Mayor has chosen to take it outside the process between the administration and the union and go public and into the newspapers saying that, if the union gave up 5%, they would keep their jobs. They did that. It was offered, and the administration carne back and said it's not enough and there weren't going to be guarantees or good guarantees of any form. The Mayor had said he would do all he can, but he chose not to come to the bazgaining table when asked. The Mayor is choosing to keep spinning the truth and the one who keeps choosing to alter what was stated. Mayor O'Grady commented, if the suggestion has been made that he's. throwing rocks at the fire fighters union, absolutely he is. It is outrageous that, instead of open and honest negotiation at the table with an effort to save jobs, there aze personal attacks. There was an anonymous and dishonest flyer. This is wrong. It will not work. Additionally, to suggest in any way that this administration and any member of it has violated the confidentiality of the negotiation process is at least intellectually dishonest. He has spoken in general terms that our budget is about 5% or 6% short of where it needs to be. He has never spoken about specific topics that were presented by the administration to the union. 7) Jerome Barrett, 24125 LeBern Drive, has heard a lot of different comments about what to do about the budget. One that seems to come up quite often and came up tonight is to get rid of all the directors. He wants it to be on the record, and the Law Director can confirm it, that those positions are in the City Charter which would require amendments to be voted on by the residents in order to get rid of those positions. Law Director Dubelko said that was essentially true. Sorne of the director positions are not provided for in the Charter, but most of them are. Mr. Barrett continued his comments by saying Mr. Gareau's comments aze totally factual. Council has been asking for many months for 17