All of this talk about public safety is a red herring. We will not be at risk with three fewer firefighters. If our fire department’s leadership can’t figure out how to do more with less as every private company has done during this recession than let’s get leadership that can!
And let’s focus on the real problem. According to an Evanston Now story 8% of city spending goes to funding our pension obligations, which despite that contribution remain woefully underfunded even with a assumed return of 7% (How’s your 401(k) doing? Has it been earning a 7% annual return lately?).
The situation is not sustainable and must be addressed, something the private sector realized years ago when it moved from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement plans, froze existing plans and negotiated roll-backs of benefits.
I well understand the politics of this issue but the plain truth is that the city can not afford the course it is on. Everyone would be better served by dropping the alarmist tactics and getting to work on a solution to the real problem.
You are finally right about something. Results do matter.
That is what I'm right about? The only thing? Wally Bobkiewicz never grew up in Deerfield and Glenview?
He could not get the branch libraries closed. Etc. Etc.
Do I really need to explain how our city government works? The aldermen of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th all felt they should remain open. Pardon the cliche, but it takes a while to turn around an aircraft carrier. Anyone who thought this process was going to be easy is a fool.
In ten months, Wally has not produced any real results. This is exactly why Wally Bobkiewicz should be fired.
The engine responds on EMS (ambulance) calls for 2 main reasons...
First, the engine (1 of 5 spaced evenly throughout the city) is probably closer to the incident and can provide immediate Advanced Life Support care prior to the arrival of the ambulance (which may well be responding out-of-district, returning from the hospital on a previous call.)
Second, the exact nature of the call may be unknown. I have been on calls that were dispatched as a simple lift-assist ("I've fallen and can't get up.") that turned out to be a 280lb victim in full cardiac arrest. The engine company is there to provide manpower and assist with the critical tasks needed to provide definitive care and transport for the victim. By dispatching both engine and ambulance together, unanticipated complications can be mitigated immediately, rather than delaying transport waiting for needed assistance.
As far as the differences between private ambulance service and fire department ambulances, private ambulances are primarily used for non-emergent and/or scheduled transportation of patients to and from nursing homes and hospitals. (This is not to say that private ambulances do not have the skill or ability to handle critical patients!) Critically ill patients need the fast response times that fire-based EMS can provide.
Hope this helps. Feel free to stop by the firehouse to talk any time!
The performers, at least on the smaller stage and in the children's area (I don't bother with the large stage, too noisy and crowded) were terrific as usual - jazz, blues guitar, street performers of very high caliber (though I heard of one that wasn't really family-friendly) I also liked having the Civil War reenactors, as it is, after all, named for a Civil-War-Era General.
Some of the artists who had booths had unique, unusual, and decently-priced items and art, or which showcased local businesses or crafters - but I was surprised at the number of booths that either had just plain junk, or who were hawking some kind of commercial item or service. I'd say the ratio tilted very far towards junk and commercial items. The food was just plain abysmal, not to mention that it meant standing in line in front of the sound system for the large stage.
I do love this fair - and we aren't fair-type people; it is the only one we make a point to attend every year. I wish there was a way to hold back the tide against all the commercial stuff and make it more about Evanston.
Judging by this board, it looks like union members have launched their personal attacks on Wally B.
You know, Wally B. is not from Evanston, his wife lives in California, he's a "hatchet man" who has the Council "paralyzed," he has "no comittment to Evanston," he's trying to transfer his union pension to Illinois and he should just go back to California. Blah, blah, blah.
You see folks, this is exhibit A as to how government unions pressure elected officials and government managers to get what THEY want - through money, coercion and underhanded personal attacks. The primary motivation for government unions is to CONTROL as much as possible those in government for their benefit. Government unions are simply a powerful lobbying group that feeds at the public trough paid for by taxpayers and controlled primarily by Democrat the party.
Look how hard it is just to layoff three firemen.
Now the gravy train is over and the strong bond between unions and politicians is fractured because hard hit laid off taxpaying voters are not to happy about the prospects of paying MORE taxes to sustain the sweetheart benefits and kid glove treatment of government unions.
There are hundreds of Evanstonians who have lost their property through foreclosure, primarily in the low income neighborhoods. I know for a fact part of the reason is that many of them could no longer afford their annual property taxes, which in many cases had exceeded their mortgage payments.
In these tough times, the answer is NOT more taxes as many Democrats candidates are suggesting, but less.
When tens of thousands of government union employees marched in Springfield last month, demanding a TAX HIKE, whose interest did you think they had in mind? And who do you suppose was their primary audience? Democrats?
1. These are human beings that are about to be laid off. No doubt. But we could make a list describing everyone that was laid off so far. Quit stroking the violin.
2. Forget it. If the city has to cut, they have to cut. The city should not be bound to firemen like they are a mortgage.
3. Just get rid of a couple of vehicles or close one of the stations. That will save money and make your statistics look better. Besides, these are difficuly economic times. The numbers don't have to look pretty.
4. Evanston is not Skokie. Does Skokie have the economic problems Evanston does?
I don't like that bit of news about the CIty Manager and his pension. Hmm. What to do?
How about a real street fair that celebrates Evanston instead of the same old junk year after year? Vendors from out of town haul in with their mediocre crap; ditto for the food. SPACE opened a few years back and manages to get real artists to come to little old Evanston. E-town boasts a ton of artists of all stripes, plus fine cuisine. Yet this fair is just another generic waste of time...
I may not agree with Ann Rainey on every issue. But she stands up for what is right and defends the right of south Evanston residents to have a peaceful and safe community.
I appreciate her willingness to tell it like it is, unlike others on the council who pussy foot around issues and throw money at every perceived problem. She maintains a web board to obtain constituent comments and feedback. She goes to court with her constituents to stand up to landlords who degrade our community with substandard property and no concern for safety or peace.
Obnoxious? No. Frank, diligent and honest? Yes. I have voted for her before and I will vote for her again.
Only in a ward system can someone as obnoxious as Ann Rainey be elected.
What? While I certainly do not agree with all of the actions of the Eighth Ward Alderman ( she has made and allowed some untruthful comments about the esteemed Mr. Who Knows on her message board, where enquring minds are prohibited from responding), she is hardly the worst of the alderman. By far not the worst.
There is a difference between sticking up for the interests of one's ward - which may require someone to be 'obnoxious' some times - and putting the ward's own petty interests ahead of the City's. Rainey at least had the decency to defend the Tower and vote for the closing of the wasteful branch libraries. Meanwhile, other alderman have defended their petty branch libraries, fought the tower, and caved in to pressure from annoying "Neighbor's" (Code word for NIMBY) associations.
The Council sold Wally B. to the citizens of Evanston as a brilliant city manager. Instead Wally has proven himself to be mediocre and is using the same tired playbook as did Eric Anderson and Julia Carroll to the detriment of Evanston residents and city employees. The results are the same. The city government is in free-fall.
If Wally B had any political courage, he would propose the elimination of the ward system and move Evanston to a trustee-governance structure. The current ward system with its patronage and corruption contributes far more to Evanston's financial problems. Look how well the ward system has done for Chicago. Only in a ward system can someone as obnoxious as Ann Rainey be elected.
I agree that the firefighters' commitment - to their work, and to refurbishing Firemen's Park - is admirable, and I never thought otherwise. I'm not sure why believing Wally Bobkiewicz is committed to Evanston would mean I don't believe Evanston firefighters are committed to Evanston.
We have a serious problem with finances in our City government, and it was a major issue in last year's municipal elections. Aldermen pledged to do their best to fix problems. They wanted to avoid raising taxes and they knew it might cost jobs - jobs of people who were also committed to Evanston. They wanted an austere budget, which Wally Bobkiewicz provided. You consider layoffs "easy," but I'd counter that with the idea of what came before - procrastinating, spending down reserves, raising fees and taxes - was far easier.
What do you (or your 7 year-old) propose we do instead of what the City Manager has proposed? How do we pay for all that we want our City to do?
You are finally right about something. Results do matter. This is exactly why Wally Bobkiewicz should be fired. In ten months, Wally has not produced any real results. He could not get the branch libraries closed. He has acknowledged that morale within the city government is a mess. He ran nearly $2,000,000 over projection and pulled from reserves to cover the deficit. Even his anti-scalping proposal was a comedy of errors. Evanston is in worse now than it was ten months ago.
As the private sector has shown repeatedly, it does not take any fortitude to fire a bunch of low level employees. It is well-known that his reorganization has done more harm than good. One senior manager is leaving each month (on average) for better positions. In this economy!
Yes, I do want a city manager with a real, tangible commitment to our community. I do not want a city manager who is using Evanston to build a resume.
Al, I suggest you get out of the house once in a while and talk to somebody about a topic before you pretend to be an expert. I have done so, I have talked to a couple of aldermen, all of whom are remaining tight lipped and deferring to Wally so that he can be the bad guy.
I also was able to talk to a few firefighters yesterday while they were passing out fliers. What I found out confirms what most people already know about your rants. THEY ARE COMEDICALLY ERROR FILLED!
1) You are correct in 135 years the City of Evanston has never laid off a firefighter. However three positions were recently eliminated through attrition. Is this not a better way to cut staff? Or are you only happy if people are losing their livelihood. FYI the firefighter I talked to told me of the three firefighters being laid off; all three are under 30, one is married with three children, one is engaged, and one was hired three months ago. Why hire someone three months ago to lay them off now? Does Wally really not have a good enough grasp on this budget to be able to forecast three months out?
2) The firefighters are not asking for a pay raise. The firefighters have agreed to the City's financial package. The only thing the firefighters are asking for is a manning clause to guarantee that staffing will remain at current levels. They are not asking to increase staffing, only to keep it where it has been since the 1980's.
3) Two studies have been done, one of which was commissioned by the city, that say cutting staffing below what it is currently at is in fact a safety risk. The EFD is understaffed by every national standard. Many of the areas that have cut staffing had 4 people on each vehicle, and they cut it to 3. Evanston is already at three. Simply because other towns have reduced staffing does not mean it is a good idea everywhere. Also, none of the areas that have cut staffing have the makeup of Evanston. A large population, a university, multiple high rises, violent crime, poverty? Do not kid yourself Evanston is not a suburb, it is a city that lies next to a larger city.
4) I researched other local departments and Skokie actually employs more firefighters than Evanston, only a couple more, but it is still more. While Skokie is larger area wise Evanston has far more high rises, plus two major hospitals, a university, plus larger and busier shopping districts . This results in a far larger number of people in the City at any given time. Population estimates sit around 75,000 but studies show the daytime population reaches almost 3 times that.
As far as ambulance privatization, the little information I could find shows that a number of towns including Berwyn and Franklin Park have recently dropped their private contracts, and elected send their firefighters to paramedic school. The big positive of privatization is a reduced cost. The downside seems to be a lower level of care due to less experience medics. According to the firefighters I spoke with many paramedics do not stay with a private company long because the goal for many of these individuals is to move on to be nurses, doctors, or firefighters.
5) The union is not denying that there is a recession, the firefighters are affected by it as much as anyone else. Nobody get rich as a firefighter. What they are saying is there is no budgetary reason for these layoffs. The firefighters have already agreed to the city's economic package, and have offered to make it retroactive to march 1 of this year.
As far as you obvious dislike of these fine men and women. I would like to see you say it to their faces, you don't have the guts. Also, while many of them do not reside in the City, the Fire Union is currently funding and doing the labor to renovate Firemen's Park at Maple and Simpson. Not only is this saving money for the city, but I guarantee any of the firefighters that are working on this project has more sweat equity in this city than you ever will.
As a side note, because I know you have such an affinity for pensions. Did you know that our city manager Wally B. is attempting to roll his years of service in California into his Illinois pension. Its not entirely legal but if he accomplishes this it will mean the people of Evanston will have the pension liability for years he spent in California. But I'm sure that considering your expertise in all fields you already know all about this.
How about the three firefighters who have made a commitment to serve the City of Evanston, and put their lives at risk if necessary? Should we simply overlook that commitment.
How about the commitment of the Firefighters union that is rebuilding Firemen's park? Take a ride by the park sometime. Those firefighters have taken on the task of renovating a park that had fallen into disrepair. The city had no plan to renovate it until 2012, at an approximate cost of $400,000, and that was just equipment, the total price would have greatly exceeded that when labor is included. However, because that park is a monument to firefighters, and July 22 marks the 25th anniversary of Marty Leoni's death in a fire, the Evanston Firefighters are volunteering their own time, and hard work to make the park beautiful again.
Commitment is not defined by coming to town as a hatchet man, and making city workers in every department look over their shoulders. The firefighters, afscme and the police served this city with pride before Wally came to town and they will be here long after he blows out of town. However we are allowing him to make decisions in the short term that will set our city back for a long time. Laying people off is the easy decision, my 7 year old could have balanced the budget that way. for $185,000 a year plus car, cell phone and housing allowances we deserve more.
Prior to 2009, Wally Bobkiewicz has never lived in Evanston. He has never owned property in Evanston. He has not raised in children in Evanston. His wife does not even live in the state. He left the northwest suburbs more than 20 years ago. [Deerfield and Glenview are "Northwest" suburbs?]
I don't think your facts point to a lack of commitment at all. The evidence of his commitment is in the job he is doing: Managing the City of Evanston. He was tasked with bringing the City's financial picture into focus. There is still a long way to go, but he's been willing to make hard decisions. That's how he shows his commitment. The rest is just surface noise.
I don't think a commitment to the community requires an Evanston address, owned or not; nor children in that Evanston address. Results matter.
The engine responds on EMS (ambulance) calls for 2 main reasons...
First, the engine (1 of 5 spaced evenly throughout the city) is probably closer to the incident and can provide immediate Advanced Life Support care prior to the arrival of the ambulance (which may well be responding out-of-district, returning from the hospital on a previous call.)
Second, the exact nature of the call may be unknown. I have been on calls that were dispatched as a simple lift-assist ("I've fallen and can't get up.") that turned out to be a 280lb victim in full cardiac arrest. The engine company is there to provide manpower and assist with the critical tasks needed to provide definitive care and transport for the victim. By dispatching both engine and ambulance together, unanticipated complications can be mitigated immediately, rather than delaying transport waiting for needed assistance.
As far as the differences between private ambulance service and fire department ambulances, private ambulances are primarily used for non-emergent and/or scheduled transportation of patients to and from nursing homes and hospitals. (This is not to say that private ambulances do not have the skill or ability to handle critical patients!) Critically ill patients need the fast response times that fire-based EMS can provide.
Hope this helps. Feel free to stop by the firehouse to talk any time!
During the last budget deliberations, many people I know were surprised that members of Evanston Fire Fighter's Local 742 (Hayes, Scott, Ellis) publicly supported eliminating the jobs of members of AFSCME Local 1891 (Engel, Mahoney, Meyer), the City's union that represents most employees. The Fire Fighter's Union is a well-run, effective political organization in Evanston dedicated to protecting jobs and improving their compensation and benefits. Their door-to-door fear-mongering campaign this weekend is self-servingly sad. For everyone.
Shame on the Evanston Fire Union for the bullying and scare tactics and misleading charges.
First, not ONE Evanston firefighter has lost their job, three vacant positions were eliminated.
Second, it wasn't until the Evanston Fire Union decided to go to arbitration to fight for a pay raise that Wally B. and the Council decided to layoff three existing firemen.
Third, the layoffs of existing firemen DO NOT threaten the community's safety. If it did then other communities would not have laid off existing firefighters. Everyone is cutting back.
Fourth, of course Evanston had the most calls on the North Shore - Evanston is the largest North Shore community with an international university. Evanston also has by far the most firemen and fire stations - Skokie has only three fire stations but 10 square miles, compared to Evanston's eight square miles.
There is an easy solution should the response time increase - privatize ambulance service. That is something many suburbs are doing and considering to do. I think our Council should seriously explore those options
Fifth, the Evanston Fire Union has the gall and audacity to suggest there is "no economic justification" for the layoffs. Illinois has a 11.2 percent unemployment rate with $8 billion in debt.. We're in a severe recession and hundreds of people are losing their homes to foreclosures in Evanstons. The city's tax revenue continues its annual decline as propertyy values plunge but property taxes rise.
So now the Evanston Fire Union members, most of whom do NOT live in Evanston, will spend their time knocking on citizen's doors and passing around fliers to ask people to pressure the Council not to layoff three firemen. Does anyone see a problem with that?
Can you imagine an employee of a private company marching into the CEO's office demanding not to be laid off and using bullying and scare tactics? It's no wonder that last month of the nearly 500,000 new jobs, 440,000 of those jobs were government jobs.
I implore my fellow citizens to email, call and go to Monday's Council meeting and not only support the layoffs but demand the city privatize ambulance service and cut more in the Evanston Fire Department budget.
We are in the fourth year of a major recession and STILL the Council has not laid off ONE existing fireman. It's time our local, state and federal government cut back as the private sector is doing and not capitulate to government union strong-arm tactics.
The irony here is the Evanston Fire Union donated campign money to the mayor and most on the Council and probably feel entitled. That's probably why they've continued to receive their annual pay raises, overtime pay and no existing layoffs. But not even the Council can ignore the dire fincnail straits Evanston and Illinois is in.
Even a Northwestern economic professor I know says Illinois will definitely go bankrupt if legislators do not reform the current government union pension system, which means taking away government union benefits lsuch as a 3 percent annual pay raise for life, retirement at age 55 and receiving 75 percent of their last year's salary in retirement. The pension system is unsustainable.
And here the Council is dithering with the layoff off of three firemen. Phish.
I've never called for an ambulance so haven't had a chance to ask the question below. I notice that when a city ambulance is on a run there always is a fire truck with it. But, when I see private ambulances, they are always alone.
When someone calls for an ambulance - how is it determined whether a city or a private ambulance goes and is the accompanying fire truck dispatched all the time, or just in certain cases?
I hate to see anyone lose their job, but indeed there is a new reality. It's happend to me in the past, so I know how awful it is. These are rough times. Some observations on the topic of the firemen.
1. The vast majority of America does not enjoy the level of fire protection that we have in Evanston. In rural and vacation areas, it can take 10-15 minutes or more to get an ambulance or fire truck. Fire departments are made up of volunteers (and even in some fairly large communities) and don't have equivalent equipment. And life goes on. Here, fire fighter's paint a terrifying picture that life safety is at stake and would be severely affected. That's not the case. Yes, there will be some very minor effect, but that's okay. We have been gorging ourselves on fire services. Our reality is so far different than the reality in most of the world and the cost of it is finally becoming apparant.
2. It's impressive to see fire fighters rally around their own. It's also sickening to see them whine.
3. Dozens of city employees have been laid off, yet not any fire fighters. Firemen are no more special than any other city workers.
4. Somehow, this 20 years of service and a gold plated pension has got to stop. For the fire fighters and the police. We taxpayers can't afford it and, sorry, they don't deserve it. Again, what makes them special? If fire fighters get such a gold plated pension, why shouldn't the people in other departments get the same? I'm sure that they will argue that they have more difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs. But they are being compensated accordingly. It's not like they are being underpaid for those 20 years.
The pendulum has swung too far. Fire fighters have pushed things into their favor, taking advantage of adlermen that were inept at negotiating (or perhaps corrupt, as mentioned by others). The new economic order appears to be the opportunity to get things shifted to the middle. To fairness.
INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: The Building Department, presently, is missing 4 or 5 staff, including the Director (a licensed architect), who was laid off. I find it amazing that the Director was laid off, replaced by (with all due respect) are comaparatively unqualified, unlicensed Director of Property Standards. i.e. a licensed architect was replaced by someone who chases after people whose grass is too long or the paint on their house is peeling. Astounding. The Building Dept. is responsible for life safety insofar as it affects construction. Imagine this equivalent scenario: That the City Manager would lay off the Police Chief and would assign the responsibilityof running the Police Dept. to the head of traffic enforcement. Or, that he would lay off the Fire Chief and place the head of the Library in charge. Yet, the city manager decided to do just that with the Building Dept. Again, astounding.
Also interesting: Tthe Building Dept. is down about 30 or 40% in staff. Imagine if the Fire Dept. was reduced by 30 or 40%. And yet, upon think about it, life would go on . . .
Prior to 2009, Wally Bobkiewicz has never lived in Evanston. He has never owned property in Evanston. He has not raised in children in Evanston. His wife does not even live in the state. He left the northwest suburbs more than 20 years ago.
What's the point to all of these facts? Wally B. has no commitment to our community. He will not have to pay for the mistakes he is making today. He will most likely be gone in less than 5 years (like Rolanda Russell and Julia Carrol). He will not see his property taxes increase and his property value fall.
More then a decade ago, the Evanston Fireman’s Union leadership decided to get involved in local Evanston politics. Fireman who didn’t live in Evanston transported voters to the voting booth on Election Day on behalf of their candidate Art Newman who barely won. In addition, a Union Representative for the Fireman got involved in the Fair Share Action Committee which drove a serious wedge in the economic opportunities with Northwestern University. Both actions were financially devastating to Evanston and now we all get to face the consequences. Feel lucky it’s only three Firemen losing their jobs at this point and not an entire Firehouse which is inevitable under the circumstances. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is a reality you all put yourselves in through your leadership and by drinking the Liberal Kool-Aid that money (taxes) grows on trees. It doesn't.
Openly hating Republicans who had good fiscal ideas for Evanston certainly didn’t help your cause either.
For those who don’t know, 2010 was the year Evanston was predicted to have an 18 million dollars surplus from tax revenue collected from the Downtown Redevelopment Project. The project was controversial as most local businesses were against it, but the Public Unions of Evanston were in favor of it and stood behind the Democratic Machine of Evanston during the process. As we found out later, the project was mired in corruption and failed to deliver the tax revenue as promised. Unfortunately, Evanston obligated the projected revenue through contracts in exchange for political support. The people who cut the deals behind closed doors illegally ten years ago with developers are the very same people who negotiated the Union contracts and other then Ann Rainey, all those decision makers have since fled town or office.
I spent almost 1 million dollars in rent when I owned Ofischl Sports in Evanston and most of that went to taxes. When I spoke out years ago about the risk of the Downtown Redevelopment Project (that it would drive out independent retailers and bankrupt Evanston), I was blackballed from doing business from almost every Department in Evanston (including the Schools) because I dared to question authority (The Machine). It was the corruption I questioned, not the politics although that has now become one in the same in Cook County. In retrospect, I should have kept my mouth shut as I learned about true reality - nobody cares (or at least not enough to make a difference).
For those who voted for hope and change in the last election and now realize you just got more of the same, welcome to my reality.
Was being scofflaws discussed? Did they pass out copies of the Illinois Rules of the Road? Did they have a lecture/talk about obeying the Rules of the Road? Was it stressed that bicyclists have to obey the laws of the road as motorists do? Did they raise any money to build their own bikeways instead of using city streets?
HA! Typical civilian. Ok, lemme put it to you this way. You and your baby get into a car accident. Only the 1 ambulance shows up. Well, one of you is screwed because it takes 2 people to work 1 victim. So off the baby goes with them while you wait for "back-up"?? O then what about the car you are in thats on fire now??? O wait, or the other car you hit with 4 victims??? They are all paramedic/ firefighters and never know what kind of accident they are showing up to. Its not like 911 can read minds. They HAVE to send a truck. Its called PROTOCOL. Little known rules that keep you safe. There is a standard of operations manual that will save your butt if you do ever happen to have an emergency- god forbid- but you will thank the stars that more than 2 people showed up.
You are finally right about something. Results do matter.
That is what I'm right about? The only thing? Wally Bobkiewicz never grew up in Deerfield and Glenview?
He could not get the branch libraries closed. Etc. Etc.
Do I really need to explain how our city government works? The aldermen of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th all felt they should remain open. Pardon the cliche, but it takes a while to turn around an aircraft carrier. Anyone who thought this process was going to be easy is a fool.
In ten months, Wally has not produced any real results. This is exactly why Wally Bobkiewicz should be fired.
Well, who can argue with that?
The engine responds on EMS (ambulance) calls for 2 main reasons...
First, the engine (1 of 5 spaced evenly throughout the city) is probably closer to the incident and can provide immediate Advanced Life Support care prior to the arrival of the ambulance (which may well be responding out-of-district, returning from the hospital on a previous call.)
Second, the exact nature of the call may be unknown. I have been on calls that were dispatched as a simple lift-assist ("I've fallen and can't get up.") that turned out to be a 280lb victim in full cardiac arrest. The engine company is there to provide manpower and assist with the critical tasks needed to provide definitive care and transport for the victim. By dispatching both engine and ambulance together, unanticipated complications can be mitigated immediately, rather than delaying transport waiting for needed assistance.
As far as the differences between private ambulance service and fire department ambulances, private ambulances are primarily used for non-emergent and/or scheduled transportation of patients to and from nursing homes and hospitals. (This is not to say that private ambulances do not have the skill or ability to handle critical patients!) Critically ill patients need the fast response times that fire-based EMS can provide.
Hope this helps. Feel free to stop by the firehouse to talk any time!
The performers, at least on the smaller stage and in the children's area (I don't bother with the large stage, too noisy and crowded) were terrific as usual - jazz, blues guitar, street performers of very high caliber (though I heard of one that wasn't really family-friendly) I also liked having the Civil War reenactors, as it is, after all, named for a Civil-War-Era General.
Some of the artists who had booths had unique, unusual, and decently-priced items and art, or which showcased local businesses or crafters - but I was surprised at the number of booths that either had just plain junk, or who were hawking some kind of commercial item or service. I'd say the ratio tilted very far towards junk and commercial items. The food was just plain abysmal, not to mention that it meant standing in line in front of the sound system for the large stage.
I do love this fair - and we aren't fair-type people; it is the only one we make a point to attend every year. I wish there was a way to hold back the tide against all the commercial stuff and make it more about Evanston.
Judging by this board, it looks like union members have launched their personal attacks on Wally B.
You know, Wally B. is not from Evanston, his wife lives in California, he's a "hatchet man" who has the Council "paralyzed," he has "no comittment to Evanston," he's trying to transfer his union pension to Illinois and he should just go back to California. Blah, blah, blah.
You see folks, this is exhibit A as to how government unions pressure elected officials and government managers to get what THEY want - through money, coercion and underhanded personal attacks. The primary motivation for government unions is to CONTROL as much as possible those in government for their benefit. Government unions are simply a powerful lobbying group that feeds at the public trough paid for by taxpayers and controlled primarily by Democrat the party.
Look how hard it is just to layoff three firemen.
Now the gravy train is over and the strong bond between unions and politicians is fractured because hard hit laid off taxpaying voters are not to happy about the prospects of paying MORE taxes to sustain the sweetheart benefits and kid glove treatment of government unions.
There are hundreds of Evanstonians who have lost their property through foreclosure, primarily in the low income neighborhoods. I know for a fact part of the reason is that many of them could no longer afford their annual property taxes, which in many cases had exceeded their mortgage payments.
In these tough times, the answer is NOT more taxes as many Democrats candidates are suggesting, but less.
When tens of thousands of government union employees marched in Springfield last month, demanding a TAX HIKE, whose interest did you think they had in mind? And who do you suppose was their primary audience? Democrats?
You betcha.
1. These are human beings that are about to be laid off. No doubt. But we could make a list describing everyone that was laid off so far. Quit stroking the violin.
2. Forget it. If the city has to cut, they have to cut. The city should not be bound to firemen like they are a mortgage.
3. Just get rid of a couple of vehicles or close one of the stations. That will save money and make your statistics look better. Besides, these are difficuly economic times. The numbers don't have to look pretty.
4. Evanston is not Skokie. Does Skokie have the economic problems Evanston does?
I don't like that bit of news about the CIty Manager and his pension. Hmm. What to do?
How about a real street fair that celebrates Evanston instead of the same old junk year after year? Vendors from out of town haul in with their mediocre crap; ditto for the food. SPACE opened a few years back and manages to get real artists to come to little old Evanston. E-town boasts a ton of artists of all stripes, plus fine cuisine. Yet this fair is just another generic waste of time...
I may not agree with Ann Rainey on every issue. But she stands up for what is right and defends the right of south Evanston residents to have a peaceful and safe community.
I appreciate her willingness to tell it like it is, unlike others on the council who pussy foot around issues and throw money at every perceived problem. She maintains a web board to obtain constituent comments and feedback. She goes to court with her constituents to stand up to landlords who degrade our community with substandard property and no concern for safety or peace.
Obnoxious? No. Frank, diligent and honest? Yes. I have voted for her before and I will vote for her again.
Nice Job Wally. Go back to California!
What? While I certainly do not agree with all of the actions of the Eighth Ward Alderman ( she has made and allowed some untruthful comments about the esteemed Mr. Who Knows on her message board, where enquring minds are prohibited from responding), she is hardly the worst of the alderman. By far not the worst.
There is a difference between sticking up for the interests of one's ward - which may require someone to be 'obnoxious' some times - and putting the ward's own petty interests ahead of the City's. Rainey at least had the decency to defend the Tower and vote for the closing of the wasteful branch libraries. Meanwhile, other alderman have defended their petty branch libraries, fought the tower, and caved in to pressure from annoying "Neighbor's" (Code word for NIMBY) associations.
The Council sold Wally B. to the citizens of Evanston as a brilliant city manager. Instead Wally has proven himself to be mediocre and is using the same tired playbook as did Eric Anderson and Julia Carroll to the detriment of Evanston residents and city employees. The results are the same. The city government is in free-fall.
If Wally B had any political courage, he would propose the elimination of the ward system and move Evanston to a trustee-governance structure. The current ward system with its patronage and corruption contributes far more to Evanston's financial problems. Look how well the ward system has done for Chicago. Only in a ward system can someone as obnoxious as Ann Rainey be elected.
I agree that the firefighters' commitment - to their work, and to refurbishing Firemen's Park - is admirable, and I never thought otherwise. I'm not sure why believing Wally Bobkiewicz is committed to Evanston would mean I don't believe Evanston firefighters are committed to Evanston.
We have a serious problem with finances in our City government, and it was a major issue in last year's municipal elections. Aldermen pledged to do their best to fix problems. They wanted to avoid raising taxes and they knew it might cost jobs - jobs of people who were also committed to Evanston. They wanted an austere budget, which Wally Bobkiewicz provided. You consider layoffs "easy," but I'd counter that with the idea of what came before - procrastinating, spending down reserves, raising fees and taxes - was far easier.
What do you (or your 7 year-old) propose we do instead of what the City Manager has proposed? How do we pay for all that we want our City to do?
Jim,
You are finally right about something. Results do matter. This is exactly why Wally Bobkiewicz should be fired. In ten months, Wally has not produced any real results. He could not get the branch libraries closed. He has acknowledged that morale within the city government is a mess. He ran nearly $2,000,000 over projection and pulled from reserves to cover the deficit. Even his anti-scalping proposal was a comedy of errors. Evanston is in worse now than it was ten months ago.
As the private sector has shown repeatedly, it does not take any fortitude to fire a bunch of low level employees. It is well-known that his reorganization has done more harm than good. One senior manager is leaving each month (on average) for better positions. In this economy!
Yes, I do want a city manager with a real, tangible commitment to our community. I do not want a city manager who is using Evanston to build a resume.
Al, I suggest you get out of the house once in a while and talk to somebody about a topic before you pretend to be an expert. I have done so, I have talked to a couple of aldermen, all of whom are remaining tight lipped and deferring to Wally so that he can be the bad guy.
I also was able to talk to a few firefighters yesterday while they were passing out fliers. What I found out confirms what most people already know about your rants. THEY ARE COMEDICALLY ERROR FILLED!
1) You are correct in 135 years the City of Evanston has never laid off a firefighter. However three positions were recently eliminated through attrition. Is this not a better way to cut staff? Or are you only happy if people are losing their livelihood. FYI the firefighter I talked to told me of the three firefighters being laid off; all three are under 30, one is married with three children, one is engaged, and one was hired three months ago. Why hire someone three months ago to lay them off now? Does Wally really not have a good enough grasp on this budget to be able to forecast three months out?
2) The firefighters are not asking for a pay raise. The firefighters have agreed to the City's financial package. The only thing the firefighters are asking for is a manning clause to guarantee that staffing will remain at current levels. They are not asking to increase staffing, only to keep it where it has been since the 1980's.
3) Two studies have been done, one of which was commissioned by the city, that say cutting staffing below what it is currently at is in fact a safety risk. The EFD is understaffed by every national standard. Many of the areas that have cut staffing had 4 people on each vehicle, and they cut it to 3. Evanston is already at three. Simply because other towns have reduced staffing does not mean it is a good idea everywhere. Also, none of the areas that have cut staffing have the makeup of Evanston. A large population, a university, multiple high rises, violent crime, poverty? Do not kid yourself Evanston is not a suburb, it is a city that lies next to a larger city.
4) I researched other local departments and Skokie actually employs more firefighters than Evanston, only a couple more, but it is still more. While Skokie is larger area wise Evanston has far more high rises, plus two major hospitals, a university, plus larger and busier shopping districts . This results in a far larger number of people in the City at any given time. Population estimates sit around 75,000 but studies show the daytime population reaches almost 3 times that.
As far as ambulance privatization, the little information I could find shows that a number of towns including Berwyn and Franklin Park have recently dropped their private contracts, and elected send their firefighters to paramedic school. The big positive of privatization is a reduced cost. The downside seems to be a lower level of care due to less experience medics. According to the firefighters I spoke with many paramedics do not stay with a private company long because the goal for many of these individuals is to move on to be nurses, doctors, or firefighters.
5) The union is not denying that there is a recession, the firefighters are affected by it as much as anyone else. Nobody get rich as a firefighter. What they are saying is there is no budgetary reason for these layoffs. The firefighters have already agreed to the city's economic package, and have offered to make it retroactive to march 1 of this year.
As far as you obvious dislike of these fine men and women. I would like to see you say it to their faces, you don't have the guts. Also, while many of them do not reside in the City, the Fire Union is currently funding and doing the labor to renovate Firemen's Park at Maple and Simpson. Not only is this saving money for the city, but I guarantee any of the firefighters that are working on this project has more sweat equity in this city than you ever will.
As a side note, because I know you have such an affinity for pensions. Did you know that our city manager Wally B. is attempting to roll his years of service in California into his Illinois pension. Its not entirely legal but if he accomplishes this it will mean the people of Evanston will have the pension liability for years he spent in California. But I'm sure that considering your expertise in all fields you already know all about this.
How about the three firefighters who have made a commitment to serve the City of Evanston, and put their lives at risk if necessary? Should we simply overlook that commitment.
How about the commitment of the Firefighters union that is rebuilding Firemen's park? Take a ride by the park sometime. Those firefighters have taken on the task of renovating a park that had fallen into disrepair. The city had no plan to renovate it until 2012, at an approximate cost of $400,000, and that was just equipment, the total price would have greatly exceeded that when labor is included. However, because that park is a monument to firefighters, and July 22 marks the 25th anniversary of Marty Leoni's death in a fire, the Evanston Firefighters are volunteering their own time, and hard work to make the park beautiful again.
Commitment is not defined by coming to town as a hatchet man, and making city workers in every department look over their shoulders. The firefighters, afscme and the police served this city with pride before Wally came to town and they will be here long after he blows out of town. However we are allowing him to make decisions in the short term that will set our city back for a long time. Laying people off is the easy decision, my 7 year old could have balanced the budget that way. for $185,000 a year plus car, cell phone and housing allowances we deserve more.
Prior to 2009, Wally Bobkiewicz has never lived in Evanston. He has never owned property in Evanston. He has not raised in children in Evanston. His wife does not even live in the state. He left the northwest suburbs more than 20 years ago. [Deerfield and Glenview are "Northwest" suburbs?]
I don't think your facts point to a lack of commitment at all. The evidence of his commitment is in the job he is doing: Managing the City of Evanston. He was tasked with bringing the City's financial picture into focus. There is still a long way to go, but he's been willing to make hard decisions. That's how he shows his commitment. The rest is just surface noise.
I don't think a commitment to the community requires an Evanston address, owned or not; nor children in that Evanston address. Results matter.
What's your commitment to Evanston?
The engine responds on EMS (ambulance) calls for 2 main reasons...
First, the engine (1 of 5 spaced evenly throughout the city) is probably closer to the incident and can provide immediate Advanced Life Support care prior to the arrival of the ambulance (which may well be responding out-of-district, returning from the hospital on a previous call.)
Second, the exact nature of the call may be unknown. I have been on calls that were dispatched as a simple lift-assist ("I've fallen and can't get up.") that turned out to be a 280lb victim in full cardiac arrest. The engine company is there to provide manpower and assist with the critical tasks needed to provide definitive care and transport for the victim. By dispatching both engine and ambulance together, unanticipated complications can be mitigated immediately, rather than delaying transport waiting for needed assistance.
As far as the differences between private ambulance service and fire department ambulances, private ambulances are primarily used for non-emergent and/or scheduled transportation of patients to and from nursing homes and hospitals. (This is not to say that private ambulances do not have the skill or ability to handle critical patients!) Critically ill patients need the fast response times that fire-based EMS can provide.
Hope this helps. Feel free to stop by the firehouse to talk any time!
During the last budget deliberations, many people I know were surprised that members of Evanston Fire Fighter's Local 742 (Hayes, Scott, Ellis) publicly supported eliminating the jobs of members of AFSCME Local 1891 (Engel, Mahoney, Meyer), the City's union that represents most employees. The Fire Fighter's Union is a well-run, effective political organization in Evanston dedicated to protecting jobs and improving their compensation and benefits. Their door-to-door fear-mongering campaign this weekend is self-servingly sad. For everyone.
Shame on the Evanston Fire Union for the bullying and scare tactics and misleading charges.
First, not ONE Evanston firefighter has lost their job, three vacant positions were eliminated.
Second, it wasn't until the Evanston Fire Union decided to go to arbitration to fight for a pay raise that Wally B. and the Council decided to layoff three existing firemen.
Third, the layoffs of existing firemen DO NOT threaten the community's safety. If it did then other communities would not have laid off existing firefighters. Everyone is cutting back.
Fourth, of course Evanston had the most calls on the North Shore - Evanston is the largest North Shore community with an international university. Evanston also has by far the most firemen and fire stations - Skokie has only three fire stations but 10 square miles, compared to Evanston's eight square miles.
There is an easy solution should the response time increase - privatize ambulance service. That is something many suburbs are doing and considering to do. I think our Council should seriously explore those options
Fifth, the Evanston Fire Union has the gall and audacity to suggest there is "no economic justification" for the layoffs. Illinois has a 11.2 percent unemployment rate with $8 billion in debt.. We're in a severe recession and hundreds of people are losing their homes to foreclosures in Evanstons. The city's tax revenue continues its annual decline as propertyy values plunge but property taxes rise.
So now the Evanston Fire Union members, most of whom do NOT live in Evanston, will spend their time knocking on citizen's doors and passing around fliers to ask people to pressure the Council not to layoff three firemen. Does anyone see a problem with that?
Can you imagine an employee of a private company marching into the CEO's office demanding not to be laid off and using bullying and scare tactics? It's no wonder that last month of the nearly 500,000 new jobs, 440,000 of those jobs were government jobs.
I implore my fellow citizens to email, call and go to Monday's Council meeting and not only support the layoffs but demand the city privatize ambulance service and cut more in the Evanston Fire Department budget.
We are in the fourth year of a major recession and STILL the Council has not laid off ONE existing fireman. It's time our local, state and federal government cut back as the private sector is doing and not capitulate to government union strong-arm tactics.
The irony here is the Evanston Fire Union donated campign money to the mayor and most on the Council and probably feel entitled. That's probably why they've continued to receive their annual pay raises, overtime pay and no existing layoffs. But not even the Council can ignore the dire fincnail straits Evanston and Illinois is in.
Even a Northwestern economic professor I know says Illinois will definitely go bankrupt if legislators do not reform the current government union pension system, which means taking away government union benefits lsuch as a 3 percent annual pay raise for life, retirement at age 55 and receiving 75 percent of their last year's salary in retirement. The pension system is unsustainable.
And here the Council is dithering with the layoff off of three firemen. Phish.
I've never called for an ambulance so haven't had a chance to ask the question below. I notice that when a city ambulance is on a run there always is a fire truck with it. But, when I see private ambulances, they are always alone.
When someone calls for an ambulance - how is it determined whether a city or a private ambulance goes and is the accompanying fire truck dispatched all the time, or just in certain cases?
I hate to see anyone lose their job, but indeed there is a new reality. It's happend to me in the past, so I know how awful it is. These are rough times. Some observations on the topic of the firemen.
1. The vast majority of America does not enjoy the level of fire protection that we have in Evanston. In rural and vacation areas, it can take 10-15 minutes or more to get an ambulance or fire truck. Fire departments are made up of volunteers (and even in some fairly large communities) and don't have equivalent equipment. And life goes on. Here, fire fighter's paint a terrifying picture that life safety is at stake and would be severely affected. That's not the case. Yes, there will be some very minor effect, but that's okay. We have been gorging ourselves on fire services. Our reality is so far different than the reality in most of the world and the cost of it is finally becoming apparant.
2. It's impressive to see fire fighters rally around their own. It's also sickening to see them whine.
3. Dozens of city employees have been laid off, yet not any fire fighters. Firemen are no more special than any other city workers.
4. Somehow, this 20 years of service and a gold plated pension has got to stop. For the fire fighters and the police. We taxpayers can't afford it and, sorry, they don't deserve it. Again, what makes them special? If fire fighters get such a gold plated pension, why shouldn't the people in other departments get the same? I'm sure that they will argue that they have more difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs. But they are being compensated accordingly. It's not like they are being underpaid for those 20 years.
The pendulum has swung too far. Fire fighters have pushed things into their favor, taking advantage of adlermen that were inept at negotiating (or perhaps corrupt, as mentioned by others). The new economic order appears to be the opportunity to get things shifted to the middle. To fairness.
INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: The Building Department, presently, is missing 4 or 5 staff, including the Director (a licensed architect), who was laid off. I find it amazing that the Director was laid off, replaced by (with all due respect) are comaparatively unqualified, unlicensed Director of Property Standards. i.e. a licensed architect was replaced by someone who chases after people whose grass is too long or the paint on their house is peeling. Astounding. The Building Dept. is responsible for life safety insofar as it affects construction. Imagine this equivalent scenario: That the City Manager would lay off the Police Chief and would assign the responsibilityof running the Police Dept. to the head of traffic enforcement. Or, that he would lay off the Fire Chief and place the head of the Library in charge. Yet, the city manager decided to do just that with the Building Dept. Again, astounding.
Also interesting: Tthe Building Dept. is down about 30 or 40% in staff. Imagine if the Fire Dept. was reduced by 30 or 40%. And yet, upon think about it, life would go on . . .
Prior to 2009, Wally Bobkiewicz has never lived in Evanston. He has never owned property in Evanston. He has not raised in children in Evanston. His wife does not even live in the state. He left the northwest suburbs more than 20 years ago.
What's the point to all of these facts? Wally B. has no commitment to our community. He will not have to pay for the mistakes he is making today. He will most likely be gone in less than 5 years (like Rolanda Russell and Julia Carrol). He will not see his property taxes increase and his property value fall.
Was being scofflaws discussed? Did they pass out copies of the Illinois Rules of the Road? Did they have a lecture/talk about obeying the Rules of the Road? Was it stressed that bicyclists have to obey the laws of the road as motorists do? Did they raise any money to build their own bikeways instead of using city streets?
HA! Typical civilian. Ok, lemme put it to you this way. You and your baby get into a car accident. Only the 1 ambulance shows up. Well, one of you is screwed because it takes 2 people to work 1 victim. So off the baby goes with them while you wait for "back-up"?? O then what about the car you are in thats on fire now??? O wait, or the other car you hit with 4 victims??? They are all paramedic/ firefighters and never know what kind of accident they are showing up to. Its not like 911 can read minds. They HAVE to send a truck. Its called PROTOCOL. Little known rules that keep you safe. There is a standard of operations manual that will save your butt if you do ever happen to have an emergency- god forbid- but you will thank the stars that more than 2 people showed up.