Astorino Westchester County spending cuts: Lay off up to 1,600

[x635 4,066]

Astorino spending cuts: Lay off up to 1,600

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon • • March 9, 2010

Cut $905,000 from public safety by not filling vacancies and redeploying officers to reduce overtime costs in the department.

Cut $1.37 million from the Department of Transportation by eliminating bus service to New York City and other steps.

Amongst many other cuts

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100309/NEWS02/3090380

Astorino said layoffs were the last measure he wanted to implement, but said it is up to county employees to cut elsewhere and save their jobs.

Wait, isn't that what HE is elected for? I love this new political game of "blame it on the workforce". Providing the services Westchester County residents want, need, and come to rely on.......and it's their fault for, in most cases, not even making enough to live in Westchester! Is he soliciting ideas to save money, or asking coworkers to sacrifice other coworkers, or asking the unions for givebacks?

"It's a multi-year attack but we must start now," Astorino said.

I love how he describes it as an "attack"!

I hope 60 Control, already underfunded, understaffed, underpaid, and working in facilities they outgrew over 10 years ago is not affected by this.

[PEMO3 523]

Talk about a typical politician. "The Board of Legislators on Tuesday approved 13 percent pay raises for senior county executive's aides Laurence Gottlieb, director of economic development, and Ned McCormack, communications director. On the job for two months, they will see their salaries increase from $137,230 to $155,245, up $18,015." from LoHud article: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20103040342. Lets cut the working guy, essential services and anything else that will hurt but don't touch the "executive pay raises". This is the guy that ran on the reform the county legislature platform and cut spending and two months in he is no different than the rest. Raises for those that are close and pink slips for the rest.

Fasten your seat belts its going to be a bumpy ride.

[27east 19]

All the Spano years have brought us to this. He grew the size of county government, which should only provide essential servcies, to something that is out of control.

Of course I do not want to see any layoffs. There is plenty else to cut up there at 148 Martine Avenue, and I'm sure a lot could be done by attrition.

[x635 4,066]

He didn't cut his workforce. Many of Spano's staffers left with him or retired, and he didn't fill the positions. He's also counting the security detail into those numbers.

Although I agree this whole financial crisis has been decades in the making, the County's employee's shouldn't be blamed. Cut fat where needed, but don't place the burden on the workforce and make it seem like it's their fault, which he, in what I have seen, he's been trying to subtely do.

Also, if you look at the big picture...Spano did do a lot. He had his cons, but he had pros to....the fire training center is night and day between him and the O'Rourke administration.

[27east 19]

He didn't cut his workforce. Many of Spano's staffers left with him or retired, and he didn't fill the positions. He's also counting the security detail into those numbers.

Although I agree this whole financial crisis has been decades in the making, the County's employee's shouldn't be blamed. Cut fat where needed, but don't place the burden on the workforce and make it seem like it's their fault, which he, in what I have seen, he's been trying to subtely do.

Also, if you look at the big picture...Spano did do a lot. He had his cons, but he had pros to....the fire training center is night and day between him and the O'Rourke administration.

Ok well, since Astorino, as you said, "didn't fill the positions," he cut his worforce. He could have filled the positions, but he didn't. Cutting by attrition is still cutting. What if he had made his staff bigger?

Also, "looking at the big picture" and saying "Spano did do a lot," is a bit, well, ludicrous. There is no reason why he needed to go to China on the taxpayer's dime. The liberals of this county kept putting this idiot back in office until, finally, Spano did himself in by signing the housing settlement.

Think about it by looking at the town-by-town map of the results. It was the housing settlement that did it.

Edited March 10, 2010 by 23piraf

[x635 4,066]

Ok well, since Astorino, as you said, "didn't fill the positions," he cut his worforce. He could have filled the positions, but he didn't. Cutting by attrition is still cutting. What if he had made his staff bigger?

Also, "looking at the big picture" and saying "Spano did do a lot," is a bit, well, ludicrous. There is no reason why he needed to go to China on the taxpayer's dime. The liberals of this county kept putting this idiot back in office until, finally, Spano did himself in by signing the housing settlement.

Astorino is trying to make himself look like the good guy, and his workforce like the bad guys (from a remote perspective)

Spano definetly had his faults, and I'm not saying he didn't and don't care for a discussion on that. Time will tell what Astorino does to emergency services in the County, which is my concern, not politics. I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever....I want to see how he funds and supports emergency services in the long run.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

....Time will tell what Astorino does to emergency services in the County, which is my concern, not politics. I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever....I want to see how he funds and supports emergency services in the long run.

That's a good way of putting it.

[27east 19]

Astorino is trying to make himself look like the good guy, and his workforce like the bad guys (from a remote perspective)

Spano definetly had his faults, and I'm not saying he didn't and don't care for a discussion on that. Time will tell what Astorino does to emergency services in the County, which is my concern, not politics. I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever....I want to see how he funds and supports emergency services in the long run.

Unfortunately, there are other things to worry about other than emergency services. There will never be a county-wide police force (like Suffolk and Nassau), or fire, or EMS.

And the "I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever" is why we are in this situation. No offense intended here, Seth, but you don't live here anymore so you don't have to pay the county property taxes. As someone that does, the "politics," as you put it, do matter. However it's actually policy, not politics.

Edited March 10, 2010 by 23piraf

[ajsbear 11]

For those of us who do live here and pay taxes, the spend and tax days are over. Astorino already looks bad, first he announces raises for 2 key people then he talks about cuts in services, closing parks, not filling other positions (for now). It doesn't look any different. There is still so much fat in the county government that he does not have to cut services, cut some of the fat. Cut out the raises, increase some fee's the county charges, parking at some of the parks where there is no charge now, add a $2 fee, it adds up, what is it to park at playland today? Some of the fee's have not been changed in years. Go to every department in the county and cut their budget. Let's see some of the department heads sweat and see what they come up with. Closing parks, pools and cutting buses to NYC is not the answer. With more people staying home and not vacationing we need the parks, more people are turning to public transportation instead of driving to NYC. Astorino is misguided.

[x635 4,066]

Unfortunately, there are other things to worry about other than emergency services. There will never be a county-wide police force (like Suffolk and Nassau), or fire, or EMS.

And the "I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever" is why we are in this situation. No offense intended here, Seth, but you don't live here anymore so you don't have to pay the county property taxes. As someone that does, the "politics," as you put it, do matter. However it's actually policy, not politics.

Yes, but I did pay county taxes for several years, and was also a county employee. The high taxes is one of the many reasons I moved from Westchester, and I still have many family and friends that do. I'm still entitled to discuss this, I feel.

And I'm not talking about a "county wide police force". The County provides funding for fire and police training, disaster prepardness, police/fire/rescue aviation, 911 Communications (60 Control and WCPD Comm), Bomb squad, etc. County Police provides patrol on some of the most dangerous roadways in the nation, and they are already hardly funded by the state, and the State cannot provide more Troopers to cover for County PD. There are many things to worry about, but I'm sorry, I respectfully disagree with you....funding of emergency services like the afformentioned in this county needs to be one of the top priorities and should be last to even be considered to be cut. Westchester County has so many frills and uneccesary services that could be cut first.

If Westchester cuts funding and staffing for emeregency services that are already overburdened, understaffed and underfunded comparitevely, then there are going to be things to worry about. Officer Safety, Firefighter Safety, Public Safety and the list goes on.....

[x635 4,066]

Unfortunately, there are other things to worry about other than emergency services. There will never be a county-wide police force (like Suffolk and Nassau), or fire, or EMS.

And the "I could really care less about the politics and trips or whatever" is why we are in this situation. No offense intended here, Seth, but you don't live here anymore so you don't have to pay the county property taxes. As someone that does, the "politics," as you put it, do matter. However it's actually policy, not politics.

Yes, but I did pay county taxes for several years, and was also a county employee. The high taxes is one of the many reasons I moved from Westchester, and I still have many family and friends that do. I'm still entitled to discuss this, I feel.

And I'm not talking about a "county wide police force". The County provides funding for fire and police training, disaster prepardness, police/fire/rescue aviation, 911 Communications (60 Control and WCPD Comm), Bomb squad, etc. County Police provides patrol on some of the most dangerous roadways in the nation, and they are already hardly funded by the state, and the State cannot provide more Troopers to cover for County PD. There are many things to worry about, but I'm sorry, I respectfully disagree with you....funding of emergency services like the afformentioned in this county needs to be one of the top priorities and should be last to even be considered to be cut. Westchester County has so many frills and uneccesary services that could be cut first.

If Westchester cuts funding and staffing for emeregency services that are already overburdened, understaffed and underfunded comparitevely, then there are going to be things to worry about. Officer Safety, Firefighter Safety, Public Safety and the list goes on.....