January 4, 2010

Want a mayor and administrator with that latte?

Residents of Racine are each paying less than the cost of a latte to have a mayor and city administrator. (And still they complain!)

We worked out the per capita cost of our top city leadership this morning after seeing a story in today's Journal Sentinel computing the figure for ten Milwaukee-area communities -- New Berlin, Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Brookfield, Oak Creek and more.

It was a simple calculation -- see their story and worksheet here -- just dividing each community's population into the salary paid to the mayor (and city administrator when the community had one of those).

The highest cost is borne by the 32,600 citizens of Mequon, who each pay $4.89 per year toward their part-time mayor's $9,600 salary and their city administrator's $115,600.

The bargain is in Greenfield, whose 36,300 citizens each pay $2.02 a year to support their mayor's $73,472 salary, with no city administrator.

Anyway, here for comparison's sake are our figures:
Mayor John Dickert's salary is $69,400.
City Administrator Tom Friedel's salary is $95,000
Racine's population is 80,806
Which works out to a per capita cost of $2.03, per year.

37 comments:

  1. That is only one example of redundant positions in City government and between governments in the County. When you add up all the redundancy that is when it gets real expensive.

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  2. Anon 11:46 -- It is only redundant if you assume these people perform the same job. We lived in another city that had FULL TIME mayor and city manager. The jobs they did were totally different. I worked for a commercial developer. Our office worked with the manager, not the Mayor. I saw what the manager did every day. The Mayor was always working on something else. Our guys might not overlap as much as you think they do.

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  3. A cup of coffee here a can of soda there, It does add up and fast. No worries we soon can fire John ( Money- Money -Money) Dickert.
    Could you PLEASE put the word editorial when you do stories like this.

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  4. I'm just a casual observer on this one, but 12:15 why would you consider this an editorial? The "and still they complain!" comment certainly qualifies as Pete's two cents, but the rest? Is that all you were referring to? Other than that comment, nothing else seems editorial in nature.

    There's undoubtedly some bias in his choosing to report on this versus something else, but that is a much more widespread journalistic ethics issue. Case in point, MSNBC chooses to barely acknowledge the Tea Parties while Fox News was practically a corporate sponsor. The "proper" amount of coverage for those events was probably somewhere in the middle, but I don't think that's an editorial vs factual news debate.

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  5. 12;35
    INHO the only reason this even ran was to help Dickert stay in office. As we get closer to the Mayor's race and rage builds on what has been done to Racine, The Dickert camp is going to use the clout they have with The Post to run stories like this.
    Too bad it will not work. Dickert is so out of office. AS much as I think Jody is a bit off key I vote for her or even Keith Fair before John "Where's the Money" Dickert

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  6. What is the cost of the law suits, land give aways and crony tax benefits?

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  7. Oh lucky us! Please hire more of John's crony's! It's only a few dollars a day for each one. Its not like we have a high unemployment rate or losing population. See its out job to hire Mayor Becker... I mean Mayor Dicker's friends.

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  8. This is the DUMBEST story I've read on the post. We as a city need to get rid of the City Admin position all together. In Racine, this is a waste. The first decision in many made by the failing Dickert. This guy has givin away land for nothing, increased our taxes and blown smoke up all of our asses in less then a year! Just wait, there is much more to come very soon! Dickert=FAILURE

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  9. As if all 80,806 of Racine's residents pay the costs.

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  10. Be nice if we all went to the next City Hall meeting and during public comments told them what we thought.
    Of course then the head lap dog Helding pass something that would limit the public comments even more. I thought myself that the Government worked for us but I see not only do we work to pay them, and for them to line their wallets but we need to shut up.

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  11. Hey it is what it is until the next election and when Friedel's contract runs out. In the mean time your comments are a wasted effort.

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  12. Show up to Council meetings the first and third tuesdays of each month....sign up to speak and get your three minutes to voice whatever you want! It's the only time these goons are forced to listen...DO IT! See you tommorrow night at 7pm

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  13. Now I've seen it all at this site. Why are you two constantly giving Dickert so much man love? What's the REAL reason? Please tell.

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  14. Money makes the world go around the world go around...

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  15. someone has got to investigate the 40,000.00 dollars mayor Dickert wants to give to a videographer that should be going to car 25, and why Friedel is trying to hush this up

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  16. "Could you PLEASE put the word editorial when you do stories like this."

    This is a blog, and views usually represent the blogger's opinion, as they do at my place.

    That said,comparing it to the price of a latte reminds me of the old Everett Dirksen line: "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

    Point is, it's $95,000 that doesn't have to be spent. How many more unnecessary expenditures could we find going through the city budget item by item?

    That's real money. That's my money (and yours) they are piddling away.

    Reminds me of when gummint-run skoolz come around asking us to vote to raise our taxes and they use comparative figures that make the money we're giving them to be insignificant.

    There are liars, damned liars and statistics.

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  17. "Could you PLEASE put the word editorial when you do stories like this."

    This is a blog, and views usually represent the blogger's opinion, as they do at my place.

    That said,comparing it to the price of a latte reminds me of the old Everett Dirksen line: "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

    Point is, it's $95,000 that doesn't have to be spent. How many more unnecessary expenditures could we find going through the city budget item by item?

    That's real money. That's my money (and yours) they are piddling away.

    Reminds me of when gummint-run skoolz come around asking us to vote to raise our taxes and they use comparative figures that make the money we're giving them to be insignificant.

    There are liars, damned liars and statistics.

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  18. The Mayor and City Council are jokes! They have the "we know best "attitude and do not seem to care about what the tax payers or citizens of the city want.

    They let the Department Heads run the show. Rick Jones operates his department like a dictator. Very little accountability or over sight. He has a good line of BS and is able to keep one step ahead of the Council. He treats his budget like it is his money and hell with the tax payers. If he does not spend it all on budgeted projects or items he just thinks of other ways of spending rather than returning unused funds to the general fund.

    Too bad there is not more competition for these elected offices. Some new blood and new ideas are needed. Every thing the City of Racine does should be geared towards economic development, job creation and maintaining the existing city infrastructure.

    We need leadership! Someone who has the intelligence to develop a multi year plan and budget and stick with it.

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  19. I am told that Dickert will not respond to E-mails sent to him from aldermen. Why not? Can the Post do a story on this and ask the aldermen (all of them, not just John's lapdogs)if this is true. If it is, who does this Realtor think he is?? The Mayor or something??

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  20. I don't understand the point of this 2article" - but if racinepost wants to make it truly accurate than they need to calculate the TOTAL benefit package, including health care, etc. The cost of an employee is much more than the actual salary.

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  21. Don't forget to factor in the $40,000 being spent to hire his campaign documentarian as a "consultant" for the local Cable channel or the increased cost to pick up trash at all his apartment buildings.

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  22. There's a couple of flaws that I see here:

    1. It is supposed that there are still over 80,000 residents in Racine. That is based on the last census. The U.S. Census Bureau is estimating that Racine has lost almost 15,000 residents since then. That would put us somewhere closer to 65,000 residents.

    2. The total number of residents do not pay the mayor's and city administrator's salaries. That money comes from property owner's property taxes, which is a considerably less number of people than the total population.

    Who do you guys think you're trying to kid? And when you get right down to it, the mayor wants to cost us much more than his salary and the $95K per year for Tom Freidel (that during his campaign he said we couldn't afford), he wants to cost us $30K for a stupid splash pad, $2M for outrageously huge recycle bins that no one wants, and on and on. The madness has to stop and Dickert has to go.

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  23. Considering a CEO for a company the size on the city spends more on dinner in a year than what Mayor's make. It doesn't seem so bad. Heck anything under 65000 is like minimum wage anyway. I have a better idea though let's start a group of volunteers. Rather than reading and posting we could spend all the extra time running the city. it's a no brainer. Talk about civic pride! There's so much that could be done!

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  24. 2:12

    Good idea we can track down the links between the Mayor and how his cronies make $$ and give that info to the State Department of Justice, another group could looking to Transit Now and how they get by with spending money on lobbyists.

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  25. What do aldermen make a year (money) not bad decisions? Would any of you buy a house from Dickert? He'll give you 10 reasons why you should, when he thinks of them!

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  26. Tim the Shrubber1/05/2010 3:04 PM

    "It is supposed that there are still over 80,000 residents in Racine. That is based on the last census. The U.S. Census Bureau is estimating that Racine has lost almost 15,000 residents since then. That would put us somewhere closer to 65,000 residents."

    Proof you cannot believe everything you read inthese forums. The latest estimate for the city of Racine I could find on census.gov was for July 1, 2008, and it estimated the population as 82,196.

    See: http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/cities.html

    The 2009 local estimates have not yet been released, but hopefully it will not be too long since the national and state estimates were released last month.

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  27. Pizzaman, I believe Alderman make something around 6 grand a year.

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  28. All we can do is look at what this fool Dickert does while in office: He raised our taxes, spent 2.2 million on garbage cans, that we'll be paying for, and is giving away our land...voters remorse big time!

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  29. Hey I would just like a quarter from every person. How would that be? It adds up. We also expect certain things to be done. Where oh where is the 10 year plan?

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  30. FOR ALL OF YOU KEEPING SCORE AND WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT, ALDERMAN COE IS KEEPING 40,000 CLOSE EYES ON MAYOR DICKERT AND FRIEDEL. THEY TRIED THEIR HARDEST TO SHUT HIM DOWN BUT WERE NOT SUCCESFUL. I FIND THE ARROGANCE OF SOME OF THESE ALDERMAN APPALING. THEY SIT BACK IN THEIR CHAIRS AND THROW THEIR CHEST OUT AND JOKE ABOUT WEATHER SOMETHING HAS ALREADY BEEN SENT TO A CERTAIN COMMITTEE AND VOTED ON. SURE ITS ONLY 40,000.00 BUT KNOCK OFF THIS RIDICULOUS SPENDING. HOW WILL GIVING THIS MONEY TO THIS PERSON BENEFIT THE TAXPAYER, IT WILL NOT!!!!

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  31. Internet rule #1 - Ignore everything typed in all caps.

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  32. Rule #2 - Learn to spell before spouting off.

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  33. Rule # 3 Dickert Trolls are hacks and the paid friends of a failed Mayor.

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  34. rule #1; don't assume a single post in caps isn't an accidental cap lock error.....I've done it myself, I'm pretty sure everyone has.
    rule #2; typos and misspellings are expected on blogs. If we took the time to point out every instance wrong homonyms it would take up half the comments.
    rule #3; you don't get to call other people trolls when you fail to use your real name. Just sayin'...

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  35. should be
    "every instance of using wrong homonyms"
    I was so busy making sure homonym was the right word I forgot other words......it does happen to everyone now and then. Only some of us are more willing to admit it than others. ;)

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  36. Well, Tim the Shrubber has it wrong as well, then. In the last election the amount of a single person's donation was based on the population of the last census poll. The limit to a single donation was $802.00. It is based on one cent per person in the city proper. If it was, as perfect Tim purports, based on 82,196 people, then the amount for donations would have been $821.00, but it wasn't. I know because I donated the maximum amount possible to my candidate. I wanted to donate more, but was limited to $802.00. So, I don't know where the city got their numbers, if it wasn't from the Fed. What do you think perfect Tim, did they just make it up?

    The real issue here is that DICKert pointed out in his campaign that Racine could not afford a city administrator and that HE would be busy running the city instead. Then the lying hypocrite turns around and hands $500,000.00 in salary and perks over to his friend and relative Tom Freidel for a six year appointed position! It doesn't make a hoot what other cities pay, or don't pay, for a city administrator. We have a pseudo-mayor that flat lied to the Racine voters. Hey DICKert, why don't you just walk down the middle of the street in the next parade and give us all the finger out where we can see it, instead of doing via shady deals in back rooms?

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