Layoffs? Layoffs?

So, it appears some layoffs in city government are in the cards. Not necessarily good news.

A couple of things:

I still think the union settlements last year were a good thing. Yes, I know, that was a lot of money. But at the end of the day, retroactive raises were off the table. Take the raises that were given out, and add a couple hundred grand. Happy now? Plain and simple, spending some money on raises saved at least as much on the retros. Long-term vision, people. That said, I still don't under stand the department head raises (sorry, department heads). That doesn't make as much long-term sense, unless you want to argue morale and keeping people on board. But...

I like Joe Solomito's work, and I'm not trying to pick on him here (although he did bring it up). But it might be time to stop thinking about back taxes as a way to fix some of this problem. Clearly, that money won't be easy to get. Why not target it for the rainy day fund, and then money that you budgeted for stabilization can be redirected when tax money comes in? First, it's one-time revenue, so you can't build a budget on it. Second, it's just not coming enough to be reliable. Go ahead, argue the city isn't pursuing hard enough, but what aren't they doing that they should be?

Here might be the most interesting thing about this long-term: What will the unions do? Will they make concessions to save members, or will the long-timers throw the young'uns overboard? You go to some other spots and see city employees argue for layoffs. Will there be a universal movement on that, or will different unions do it differently? Will there be furloughs?

Someone said four-day weeks should be instituted at City Hall. The Pride editorialized for that last year. It should be done.

* * * * *

Two more things: I'm befuddled by the Mylott situation. I really like the guy personally, and I think his political skills would make him a good city councilor. And then I look at his track as mayor. It will be very interesting to see how his summer and fall goes. Veeerrrrry interesting.

Part of my "sticking around" plan includes a monthly column in the Fitchburg Pride. The first one is in the paper this week. Check it out, won't you? And yes, I'll ask the editor to keep my face off the cover from now on. I'd steal Shaq's twitter term of "sugly," but it's more "ugly" than "s."

The Return of Dan Mylott?

Former Mayor Dan Mylott told the Fitchburg Pride today that he's considering a run for City Council next year. Read the story to get some more info.

Mylott Says 'Farewell'

Mayor Dan Mylott held his last weekly press conference today. You can read a story about it at the Fitchburg Pride website, and later this afternoon you'll be able to watch the entire press confidence at the Pride website.

Ready for Change

Jan. 7 can't really get here fast enough.

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is traditionally a slow one, but throw in the upcoming change in administrations, and it is really pretty quiet right now.

Sure, the mayor and the City Council continue to squabble and point fingers over financial issues, but quite honestly, I'm pretty bored of all that at this point, and it's as much grandstanding as substance right now. It's also kind of reactive and loose-end tying at this point -- not much in terms of proactive or building momentum at this point.

In the meantime, Lisa Wong sits on the sidelines, waiting to get into the game. She faces sky-high expectations, but also has with her the promise of a New Fitchburg. Change won't happen overnight, but consider what's ahead: A new police chief (which might happen before Jan. 7), getting a handle on city finances, butting heads with the union, maybe cutting some jobs, getting the '09 budget ready, drum up some business downtown, figure out how to get windmills into the city (and, hand-in-hand, take on Unitil), keep CoCo Key moving, figure out whether or not fast-track permitting is a good idea (and get some industrial development into the city), jam a trash fee into the city (her plan on this is a good one), try to find a way to upgrade the schools quickly, and continue the drumbeat that Fitchburg is a city on the rise. There's probably somewhere between 2 and 2,002 other important things that I'm leaving off this list.

The problem is, it's tough for Wong to start really working on any of these things, or at least publicly start laying out her plans. She doesn't have the bully pulpit of the Mayor's Office yet. She doesn't have the job and the resources that come with it. She's meeting with tons of people, and starting to figure it all out. But the fact of the matter is she isn't mayor yet, and can't really start doing the job. In the meantime, Mylott might try to go out with a few nice victories, but he can't make too many major decisions without at least consulting Wong. Big decisions he makes now will be owned by her, really.

So, we're in a little bit of a no-man's land right now. The current mayor is certainly a lame duck, and the incoming mayor can't really spread her wings just yet. This coming on the heels of a year's worth of fantastic electoral politics is kind of a downer. But at least the council presidency is still out there to discuss. Sort of. Kind of. Jan. 7 can't get here fast enough.

Old-fashioned fun and games

After taking a beating from the council last night, Mayor Dan Mylott returns the favor today with a screed against the council. You can read the highlights at the Fitchburg Pride website.

I had been wondering for a while while the council continues to hammer at Mylott, with him leaving and all. I'm not sure, it would be seem more and more likely this is a cover move by the council with voters. "Not our fault, ask him," they can say while on the trail. It is most certainly Tom Donnelly's view on the budget situation, based on last week's conversation with him.

Without a doubt, both sides don't really like each other, and both sides aren't working together at this point. But the council's refusal to take responsibility for the budget situation just doesn't sit well. At all. Their dealings with Mylott just seem all the more like pushing away what should be their share of responsibility. So there.

Do You Hear Me Knocking, Knocking at Your Door

Before sailing off into the Maine vacation sunset, a quickie on this situation with the DOR.

If you've missed, the state Department of Revenue is thinking the city's budget is going to be out of whack this year. And by "out of whack," that means unbalanced, short on revenue, making plans the ole checkbook can't cover.

The depth of the problem remains to be seen as the city is still working on closing the books from the last fiscal year (not an unreasonable time frame, by the way). But it seems pretty evident there is going to be a gap to fill.

This was a problem around the time last year, the city was looking at a gap of about $600,000, if memory serves me correctly. This gap could be around $1 million, and more cuts are a possibility.

Considering the city's narrow margin of error -- or breaking even -- this isn't much of a surprise. Off by 1 percent, and you're looking at a problem. Of course, the way the city is going, it's a 1 percent problem, not a 1 percent benefit. Not an excuse, just reality.

Anyway, this means more like a continuation of the old problems, not a new one, if that makes sense. It will be interesting to see how much heat the mayor takes on this. Now that the electoral dynamic is out of his relationship with the councilors, will councilors beat the tar out of him like they have in the past? Will the criticism be toned down? I guess we'll found out next month when the council gets back to business.

While we're on the topic, it's been only a month-plus, but has there been any noticeable reduction in city services since the cuts were made last month? This is anecdotal, of course, but appears as if residents aren't seeing any real problems (Rachel, commence screed on the ambulance service... now). Let's see what happens next. More cuts seem possible, but from where?

What Does It Mean?

So, now that the initial surprise is starting to wear off, it's time to start thinking: What does today's news from Dan Mylott mean for the mayor's race?

It's an interesting question that might not really have an answer.

For a while, this race has been a pretty simple equation: Status quo, or change in the form of old-school change (Thomas Donnelly), new-school change (Lisa Wong) or angry change (Ted DeSalvatore). Now, it's just change.

It seems unlikely that Mylott supporters will automatically flock in one specific direction. Donnelly might get a boost in that he now had the deepest resume of the pack. DeSalvatore might lose a bit of steam, because the main focus of his fire is gone. I'm not sure if it helps, hurts, or doesn't effect Wong.

It certainly makes the preliminary and absolute free-for-all. While Mylott's support seemed to be waning, he was still a viable contender to get through the crowded preliminary. Now, it's wide-open. I'm not really sure there's a void for someone to step into and automatically take over. If the two winners of the preliminary were going to come in probably in the high 20s or 30s in terms of percentage, now it's like mid- to high 30s. I'm not sure someone is suddenly guaranteed 40 percent, and forget a 50 percent mandate.

Supporters and detractors from all sides can make arguments for or against the candidates helped or hurt by this. I'd love to hear them and see if any of them make sense.

Finally, I'm not really feeling the last-minute candidate out of this. I think Mylott was considered vulnerable before, so it's unlikely someone's courage is suddenly fortified by his departure. Now, if someone thinks they can step in and completely take over the Mylott machine, grab a few more votes, and immediately be in the mix, then it's a new ballgame. But I'm not sure who that person is. And that person has six days to shake off the surprise, test the waters, and get signatures. A longshot right now.

MYLOTT OUT OF MAYOR'S RACE

Mayor Dan Mylott announced today he is not running for re-election this fall. For more throughout the afternoon, check out the Fitchburg Pride website, which broke the story first this afternoon.

Obviously, this is huge news and shakes up the mayor's race. Discuss.

UPDATED 2:36 P.M.: Quickly, a few things: The Pride website was just updated with more material, including quotes from Mylott and a link to the press conference via FATV. Go check it out. Also, in the spirit of media whoring, I'll be on AM 1280 The Blend this afternoon during drive time and tomorrow morning around 7 a.m., so share a cup of coffee, won't you, with me and Ben Parker.

Finally, that's twice in a month City Monitor has posted a comment breaking news. I usually don't give a damn about these things, but I really want to know who CM is. The curiosity is killing me. CM, zip me an e-mail if you wanna let me know.

In This Week's Fitchburg Pride

A whole of Civic Days, of course, in this week's paper. But there's a bit more, including a head's up on the upcoming Route 12 roadwork (somewhere, business gnash their teeth while drivers celebrate), a look at Jay Cruz's effort to get charter review moving (somewhere, Rachel applauds), and Mayor Dan Mylott's column, where he is critical of the politics surrounding the budget process but then laces into the council some for their handling of their budget review (somewhere, I'm still pondering what it all means). That and much more in this week's Pride, available all over the place tomorrow.

In this Week's Fitchburg Pride

Here's what to expect in this week's Fitchburg Pride, on newsstands tomorrow:

-- A look at the Ward 4 council race, which has attracted a ton of candidates while the at-large race is garnering minimal attention.

-- Preview of the Longsjo, including photos of Lance Armstrong. How can you not run photos of Armstrong when you can?

-- A group of seniors were veeeerrrrry critical of the mayor at a meeting hosted by Dave Clark earlier this week. Is it a sign that the mayor's core support is crumbling? And what does that mean for this fall? I bloviate about it.

-- Despite a lack of city funding, Civic Days is coming, and organizers say it's going to be great.

That, and more, in this week's Fitchburg Pride.

Mylott Defends Employee Raises

Mayor Dan Mylott was critical of the City Council's consideration of cutting raises that have been agreed upon with city unions. Not terribly surprising, but you can read more at the Fitchburg Pride website.

Having It Both Ways

More on this during the week, but Mayor Dan Mylott's approach to the council's salary freeze for DPW workers doesn't make much sense.

Last week, after the council turned down the trash fee to create a need to slash another $760,000 out of the budget, Mylott said he wouldn't make any more cuts, and it would be up to the council to make the cuts.

So the council cut raises for DPW employees yesterday. Councilors say the contract wasn't finished, and there's no money. Mylott said he'd challenge the cuts and was critical of the move.

He can't have it both ways. If you're going to pass on making your own cuts, and demand the council do it, you can't really be too critical of the cuts, can you? For those who think Mylott is playing politics with the budget, and trying to shift blame on the council, here's Example Number 1.

Also, the council cut Robert Pontbriand, the mayor's assistant yesterday. Mylott was steamed that the council made the move after Mylott and Pontbriand left the meeting. If that's the case, that's a pretty uncool move by the council. Don't nail a guy behind his back. However, it seems like a place Mylott should have considered cutting himself. In his words, the city is facing an "unprecedented fiscal crisis." Shouldn't have shown some leadership and taken a big hit in his office?

More budget stuff this week. More on the horrific Library situation here before Wednesday's meeting. Let the games continue.

About Last Night

First off, I didn't watch last night. I was finishing up The Sopranos (as you can see below). Considering its greatness, I regret nothing.

That said, the question of the day is, where is the $760,000 going to come from? The council cut $35,000 last night. That's less than 5 percent of what needs cutting. Only 95 percent to go. At some point, a fairly sizable cut is going to come down. Hopefully it's not in the School Department. I have a feeling it might be.

Here's the thing: The council doesn't have a choice. The mayor gave them a do-or-die choice on the trash fee, and they called his bluff. Now they have to pay the consequences of their actions.

The chickens are coming to roost. Those last few years when the council railed against the budget but then essentially passed it untouched are coming back to haunt them. By ducking some tough decisions in the past, there are even tougher ones now. Trimming salaries isn't going to get this done.

Interesting, the council seems to be warming up to the task. They don't need to be proud of these cuts, but they should take ownership and stand by them. They need to get the message out that they are taking back control of the city finances and making them right. They need to appear like they are making the right choices, and have the gumption to it no matter the cost.

In terms of this particular budget, the council is forced into this hand by Mylott's decision to try to work the trash fee into the situation. They weren't wrong to reject that fee. But they aren't blameless in the overall situation. How they handled past budget played a role in the current situation. They need to now move past that, take responsibility for the city's finances, and not get hit with the label of being the "mean" council that whacked everything in sight.

The Games Begin

Mayor Dan Mylott went after the City Council today for not approving a trash fee increase. He said he won't make any more cuts to the budget, saying from here on out the council will have to make them. It is, ahem, strongly worded. Check it out at -- of course -- the Fitchburg Pride website. As of right now, it's the only joint with the details.

Some Budget Numbers

If you're interested, the Fitchburg Pride website is currently featuring the summary for the FY08 budget presented by Mayor Dan Mylott last night. The summary is located under the story posted last night, but you've already read that, right?

The summary includes information about the current fiscal year, the proposed spending for next year, and the actual amount of money budgeted by Mylott. It is broken down by department, and includes breakouts for total salaries and total expenses. It is not a line-item accounting of the budget. While I considered having someone scan in the 90-page document, it was clear a mutiny would be swift and certain if the demand was made. If you want to scan it in, you can borrow our copy if you want. But why would you?

Anyway, enjoy the summary for now. When we get a few minutes here and there (or tonight), we'll be plunging through the line items and throwing some nuggets, so stay tuned. Also, while we're on the topic (sort of), check back this afternoon for news from Mylott's press conference. You can only assume the budget will be a topic of conversation.

Mylott Details Budget Cuts

Mayor Dan Mylott unveiled his budget tonight -- which includes 9 lost police positions and 8 fire positions. To get all the details, visit the Fitchburg Pride website. Why wait until tomorrow when you can read all about it tonight?

Let's Do Some Math

So, in the last few weeks, more and more often I'm talking mayoral politics with people in the city. People look at me like I have two, maybe three heads when I tell them I think Dan Mylott will be on the ballot in the general election.

I can hear SF Nation gnashing teeth and throwing keyboards. But think about it, and let's do some math.

You have to expect the preliminary election is going to draw 15 to 20 percent of registered voters. That creates a pool of 3,300 to 4,400 voters. Every candidate has a base. In this election, the two best bases belong to Mylott and Tom Donnelly. They've both run citywide and they've been at this the longest. And Mylott's is much deeper than Donnelly's.

Let's assume Mylott doesn't have the widest support of the five candidates. But he certainly makes up for it in depth. There is a certain number of votes Mylott can rely on, no matter what happens. After 20 years in office, it comes with the territory. For now, I'm guessing that between that base and whatever else he picks up -- people think he's making the turn, he's the one candidate someone met, he has the "I" near his name, they just don't like anyone else, the figure, hell, he deserves one more chance in November, whatever -- Mylott can wake up on Sept. 25 pretty sure he's getting 1,000 votes that day.

That gives Mylott anywhere from about 25 to 30 percent of the vote. Consider: Of the remaining 70 to 75 percent, two candidates would have to grab more than 25 percent. Give Dionne 5 percent (if more, all the better for Mylott). Figure one of the remaining three -- Donnelly, Ted DeSalvatore or Lisa Wong -- fizzle and limp home with 12-15 percent. That 70 to 75 percent is now 60 percent, probably less. For both of the other two to get through past Mylott, they'd have to almost exactly split the vote. If one hit 28 and the other 22, likely the 22 is out of the race.

Now, remember, there is a lot of call for change, but that change vote is being split in a number of different directions. One of the challengers doesn't have much hope (Dionne), another has people wondering if he's going to run really, really hard (Donnelly), and the other two haven't run citywide. While there is a lot of potential on the ballot, there are also a lot of questions and wondering. And if you doubt that, look at the Lisa Wong comments here over the last month.

Mylott might lose that base. Some candidates and their followers will quickly say Mylott's cooked, and even his supporters are jumping ship. But that's a feeling that hasn't really been confirmed by more non-partisan folks. Can Mylott lose his base? He most certainly could, and he just might. But the feeling here is that it hasn't happened yet, and until it does, there's a pretty good chance he gets through to November. Can he win there? That's a whole other story (if the change vote gets together behind the Donnelly/DeSalvatore/Wong, forget about it), but for now, the goal is getting through September, and to write Mylott off at this point would be a gross underestimation. Just look at the math.

No Stabilization Funding?

That appears to be the case, based on Mayor Dan Mylott's press conference this afternoon (and Donna beat us to the punch earlier in a comment in this morning's post). You can get the details at the Fitchburg Pride website (and as of this writing, nowhere else).

It answers one of the questions I asked this morning, and probably sets up one of the battlegrounds between the mayor and the council come budget time.

It will be interesting to see how the council pursues this. If it's serious about creating a stabilization fund, it's going to have to decide what amount they want that to be, and the find cuts in the budget to equal that amount. Do they have the, well, stones to cut deeper into a budget already whacked by $3 million? Interesting. Very interesting.

Also, councilors chronically complain they can only cut the budget and can't add, and that Mylott doesn't listen to them. Here's what they have to do: Make it very clear what they're cutting, why, and how much. Then tell Mylott to put it in a stabilization fund. If he doesn't, they need to stay united and shoot down every transfer and spending request Mylott makes until he agrees to the move. Can a majority of the council stand strong on that item? History (say hello, sewer rates), points to "maybe" at best. It will be up to the council to frame every money issue on their stabilization stand until it gets its way. Easy? Hell, no. Doable? Hell, yes. We'll see what happens.

The Calm before the Storm

It's been a relatively quiet week or so around the city, but don't worry, there's a political storm off shore that's ready to blow in.

With the holiday and the lack of a budget (more on that in just a quick second) to hash around, it's been pretty quiet. Lisa Wong's kickoff generated some disgruntlement from folks who expected a policy speech, but it was about time the white-hot Wong Nation settled in for the long haul.

So, next week things should pick up, to say the least.

Not surprisingly, the discussion will revolve around the budget. Mayor Dan Mylott is expected to drop his budget on the City Council on Tuesday, and the fun should start pretty much right away.

Here's what I'm particularly interested in:

-- Of course, where are the lost positions coming from? Will we be able to discern any kind of prioritizing, or will it be a vague across-the-board kind of thing?

-- At his State of the City address, Mylott said the city would have some kind of stabilization funding in the budget. He hinted last week that might be the case now. Considering the amount of cuts in the budget, I'm betting it won't be there. So, how does the council handle that? Is that The Issue to come out of the budget discussion?

-- How much rhetoric flies between Mylott and the council? This relationship is in tatters, but considering the cuts, how upset will the council be? Probably pretty upset. Expect a lot of "we're under a real time crunch" talk. There will most certainly be some "we're spending every penny talk," probably even if there is some stabilization funding. At SOTC, councilors were talking $250,000 as a good stabilization number. Anyone want to take the over on that number? Anyone?

Speaking of the council-mayor relationship: Is there a chance this is going to get better? Hard to think that'll happen in the next six months. Subconsciously or otherwise, you have to figure most councilors aren't really thinking they need to make long-term goody-goody with Mylott. That's not to say he's definitely gone, but why relationship-build if you don't think you'll need to in six months? What happens if Mylott wins? Do the two sides try to work things out, or they all beyond that? That wouldn't be very good for the city.

So, enjoy the relative quiet for the next few days. The storm hits shore in six days.

Mylott critical of council pay cut

Mayor Dan Mylott questioned the City Council's pay cut plan today, saying it was "ludicrous" for the council to want an accounting of the $11,000 that would be saved. Read more at the Fitchburg Pride website.