July 19, 2007
In the glare of the corruption in the Memphis City Council, I suggest that the City Council and/or the Charter Commission enact the following changes to the charter if they want real change and verifiable honesty in their city government. I ask you to take the following recommendations from myself, John Malmo and John Lunt and write or email the city council and the charter commission and demand change so that you, the tax payer can say yes or no to each of the following proposed changes. If they get hundreds and possibly thousands of emails, they will be under pressure to propose these and other good changes and let the voters decide either in August 2008 or November 2008. It is the last best chance for us to save Memphis. Send this out to your email list. Thanks for your help.
• CHARTER CHANGE TO ALLOW CITIZEN PETITIONS. A charter section like the Shelby County charter sections which allow citizen generated referendums like the voters used in 1994 to set term limits on County Commissioners.
• CHARTER CHANGE FOR REQUIRED CANDIDATE DONATION AND EXPENDITURE RECORDS. An open records charter amendment requiring election commission reports of donations and expenditures to be submitted electronically in spreadsheet format so that they can be entered into a unified database and published for notification and verification of information. All required election commission documents detailing contributors to and expenditures from all local elected officials needs to be put in an electronic data base so that the public can tell who is contributing to whom and how the contributed money is being spent.
• TERM LIMITS- Prevent elected officials from getting the tenure that gives them the position to sell their influence to developers and other buyers of political influence exhibited by Tennessee Waltz and Main Street Sweep.
• NO SALE OF MLGW WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL AND EXPANSION OF BOARD- Because MLGW is piling up cash at the ratepayers expense, politicians want to get their hands on the cash. As of December 31, 2005, MLGW had A $306 million balance of current assets over current liabilities, up from $277 million the year before. The law says that any surplus remaining after establishment of proper reserves, shall be devoted solely to the reduction of rates. Also the board of MLGW should be expanded to seven or more members to include members from the largest Shelby county cities outside Memphis such as Germantown, Collierville and Bartlett, those members to be appointed by the Mayors of those cities.
• THIGHTEN ETHICS RULES- No election official should be able to serve if he benefits from any contract involving City taxpayer money even if he recuses himself from voting on that particular contract or issue.
• PENSION REFORM- The January 2001 pension change has cost millions of dollars to date and will go on costing millions more as these elected and appointed officials retire. Since hardly any of the taxpaying public who work in private industry has a defined benefit pension plan anymore, a defined contribution plan should be instituted in the future for all newly hired public employees.
• OPEN RECORDS- The following should be put on the internet promptly. All RFPs (Request for Proposals), replies to RFPs, contracts, purchase orders, related correspondence and selection justification. All professional contract awards with related correspondence. All building projects, related contracts, purchase orders, change orders and correspondence e.g. the FedEx Arena and the Cannon Center and school projects. All salaries, benefits, pension details, land deals and minutes of meetings. All budgets, financial statements and audits. Only by making open records access easier, can we keep the sunshine on government practices which politicians like to conceal. The current no bid purchase orders given under the ACS contract shield is an example of gross abuse and lack of transparency in bidding and awarding contracts.
• APPOINTEES- There are over 400 appointees whereas the charter, according to Sara Hall’s reading, only allows about 110. This needs to be defined and limited to much less. The January 2001 pension resolution allowing elected and appointed officials to collect pensions and health benefits after only 12 years regardless of age has already cost millions and has the potential to cost $60 million if all of the current eligible elected and appointed people retire under that provision.
• RESTRICT ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM VOTING MEMBERSHIP ON CITY AND COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS- This is where the influence peddling starts and needs to be stopped.
• CONTRACTING AUTHORITY- Prohibit the Mayor, any Mayor, from signing any contract unless it has been approved and funded by the City Council.
• SEPARATE PUBLIC PARK COMMISSION BOARD. Reinstate a separate non political Park Commission as it was previously constituted before the City Council dissolved it to its detriment.
This can be done and passed if only the City Council or the Charter Commission has the courage and resolve to propose it for the voters. If we can bombard them with enough email and letters and calls, they may be forced to put these items on the ballot and let the voters decide.
Joseph N. Saino
6560 Kirby Forest Cove
Memphis, Tennessee 38119
754-0699
In the glare of the corruption in the Memphis City Council, I suggest that the City Council and/or the Charter Commission enact the following changes to the charter if they want real change and verifiable honesty in their city government. I ask you to take the following recommendations from myself, John Malmo and John Lunt and write or email the city council and the charter commission and demand change so that you, the tax payer can say yes or no to each of the following proposed changes. If they get hundreds and possibly thousands of emails, they will be under pressure to propose these and other good changes and let the voters decide either in August 2008 or November 2008. It is the last best chance for us to save Memphis. Send this out to your email list. Thanks for your help.
• CHARTER CHANGE TO ALLOW CITIZEN PETITIONS. A charter section like the Shelby County charter sections which allow citizen generated referendums like the voters used in 1994 to set term limits on County Commissioners.
• CHARTER CHANGE FOR REQUIRED CANDIDATE DONATION AND EXPENDITURE RECORDS. An open records charter amendment requiring election commission reports of donations and expenditures to be submitted electronically in spreadsheet format so that they can be entered into a unified database and published for notification and verification of information. All required election commission documents detailing contributors to and expenditures from all local elected officials needs to be put in an electronic data base so that the public can tell who is contributing to whom and how the contributed money is being spent.
• TERM LIMITS- Prevent elected officials from getting the tenure that gives them the position to sell their influence to developers and other buyers of political influence exhibited by Tennessee Waltz and Main Street Sweep.
• NO SALE OF MLGW WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL AND EXPANSION OF BOARD- Because MLGW is piling up cash at the ratepayers expense, politicians want to get their hands on the cash. As of December 31, 2005, MLGW had A $306 million balance of current assets over current liabilities, up from $277 million the year before. The law says that any surplus remaining after establishment of proper reserves, shall be devoted solely to the reduction of rates. Also the board of MLGW should be expanded to seven or more members to include members from the largest Shelby county cities outside Memphis such as Germantown, Collierville and Bartlett, those members to be appointed by the Mayors of those cities.
• THIGHTEN ETHICS RULES- No election official should be able to serve if he benefits from any contract involving City taxpayer money even if he recuses himself from voting on that particular contract or issue.
• PENSION REFORM- The January 2001 pension change has cost millions of dollars to date and will go on costing millions more as these elected and appointed officials retire. Since hardly any of the taxpaying public who work in private industry has a defined benefit pension plan anymore, a defined contribution plan should be instituted in the future for all newly hired public employees.
• OPEN RECORDS- The following should be put on the internet promptly. All RFPs (Request for Proposals), replies to RFPs, contracts, purchase orders, related correspondence and selection justification. All professional contract awards with related correspondence. All building projects, related contracts, purchase orders, change orders and correspondence e.g. the FedEx Arena and the Cannon Center and school projects. All salaries, benefits, pension details, land deals and minutes of meetings. All budgets, financial statements and audits. Only by making open records access easier, can we keep the sunshine on government practices which politicians like to conceal. The current no bid purchase orders given under the ACS contract shield is an example of gross abuse and lack of transparency in bidding and awarding contracts.
• APPOINTEES- There are over 400 appointees whereas the charter, according to Sara Hall’s reading, only allows about 110. This needs to be defined and limited to much less. The January 2001 pension resolution allowing elected and appointed officials to collect pensions and health benefits after only 12 years regardless of age has already cost millions and has the potential to cost $60 million if all of the current eligible elected and appointed people retire under that provision.
• RESTRICT ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM VOTING MEMBERSHIP ON CITY AND COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS- This is where the influence peddling starts and needs to be stopped.
• CONTRACTING AUTHORITY- Prohibit the Mayor, any Mayor, from signing any contract unless it has been approved and funded by the City Council.
• SEPARATE PUBLIC PARK COMMISSION BOARD. Reinstate a separate non political Park Commission as it was previously constituted before the City Council dissolved it to its detriment.
This can be done and passed if only the City Council or the Charter Commission has the courage and resolve to propose it for the voters. If we can bombard them with enough email and letters and calls, they may be forced to put these items on the ballot and let the voters decide.
Joseph N. Saino
6560 Kirby Forest Cove
Memphis, Tennessee 38119
754-0699
posted by watchdog at
6:54 AM
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