Mr. Wright, My Offer Stands
By Bob Rhoades 
October 19, 2011 

Since I was singled out, I guess it’s OK to answer this one and not worry about whether the city will answer. I knew they wouldn’t the first time but I thought that Don’s questions deserved some kind of an answer even though when I tried to help, it appears it did little good.   

I’ve never thought of work as supping at the public trough but I did make a living as a public servant.  Lots of people think that’s OK.  Apparently some don’t and I guess it doesn’t make a lot of difference.  I sincerely liked the jobs that I had and always liked going to work.  In the latter part of my working life, I was in Columbus about three blocks north of the capital.  There are a lot of problems in state government and a lot of ways to save money.  Having folks train a new boss every four years who never seems to grasp what it is that you do would be a good place to start.  Let’s look at some answers to the answers that Mr. Wright has questions about. 

Issue 2/SB 5:  I try to look at things from both sides after reading all of the facts.  SB 5/Issue 2 is bad legislation. Parts of it would be OK, if lies weren’t being told about key points to make everyone believe that public employees are these gargantuan money grubbing animals as they’ve been portrayed.  I’ll tell you the facts as I know them and as I’ve researched them.  Governor Kasich wants all public employees to pay their 10% of the pension contribution.  At present I know of one person in Darke County who isn’t and that person is an administrator not a union member.  It was given to him as a perk to get him on the payroll. 

It has happened in other places and it has happened to firefighters and police officers.  The Columbus Dispatch estimates that about 2% of government employees in Ohio are getting a “pension pickup” by their employer.  Usually when it’s been a part of a labor contract, the government entity has offered it in lieu of a raise.  It was a stupid move on the part of management because instead of giving a 3% raise in the union contract, the entity ended up paying their contribution, the employee’s contribution, plus the paycheck with an additional 10% to cover the spending money they gave the union workers.  Dumbest thing I ever heard of and we always stayed away from it.  

There is one thing that you need to know.  Mr. Kasich doesn’t like government employees as evidenced by his tirade after being stopped in Columbus by a CPD unit.  He was quoted in the Dispatch as saying the officer was a “stupid idiot”.  Do a little digging and you’ll see that wasn’t the first or last time.  I’m thinking that since he is also a public employee, perhaps he’s not too fond of himself. 

Health Care:  I can’t answer for schools, county or township employees.  City of Greenville employees now pay 20% of their healthcare benefit.  Kasich is saying 15%.  We are 5% to the good on that one and no, they probably won’t ask for the 5% back.  Thank you! 

Merit Based Pay Increases:  Can’t speak for street workers, school teachers or cops, but Greenville Fire Fighters have a 7 step pay increase process that begins after an initial test to get hired.  They move through the next 7 steps by being tested in a written test as well as a practical test of their skills.  Each year is progressively challenging.  In other words, it’s already being done in Greenville.   Sewage and Water Treatment Operators move through a similar process. They must attain initial certification within the first year of employment to keep their job.  These are tests administered by the State of Ohio leading to State of Ohio Certification as a Class Three Operator in water treatment, waste water treatment or distribution. This keeps your water safe!

Pensions and benefits that are sustained by the public are usually in line with the rest of the work force.  We could say that all teachers, policemen, state highway patrol, road maintenance, firefighters, sewage and water treatment operators, janitors, game wardens, park rangers, deputy sheriffs and the rest work for $20,000 a year and get no benefits.  We could say that, and you would get what you pay for. 

The next paragraph about sexual harassment I don’t know about.  I do know that if a person was sent to Emmitsburg, Maryland, it was to the campus of the National Fire Academy/Emergency Management Institute which co-exists on the same campus there.  I have been there and also am an adjunct faculty member there.  The cost to the city is not exorbitant, as they only pay for meals while a person is a student there.  FEMA pays travel expenses and lodging is on campus in dormitories.  Hearsay is a heck of a thing to make into fact. 

Don’t know about the illegal trash fire.  Normally, as I pointed out in the last article, the FD responds based on what the dispatcher has told them.  If she said it was a trash fire, it would have been one engine on a non-emergency investigation.  Remember these are EPA regulations not Greenville Fire.  Question is if it was known to be illegal, why was it done in the first place as well as who called it in and why? 

I don’t believe that I ever said that the Greenville City School District doesn’t know what they are going to build.  Why would you try to sabotage a levy campaign with a statement like that?  The point is and it’s been reported in the Advocate and elsewhere, that the school system is asking for a levy to build a K-8 building to replace 4 out of date, money grubbing buildings with one, state of the art building that will operate for around $1.00 a square foot instead of the $1.84 a square foot we now pay.  It should be technologically sound as well as functionally sound for years to come and not a money pit. 

None of this is a secret and it has all been published in the Advocate, Darke Journal and County News Online and Early Bird.  Weekly news releases have been sent out to all media involved.  All of that information can also be found at http://letsbuilditgreenville.blogspot.com/.  There are currently 9 pages of information on this blog site with pictures, figures, explanations and more. The only thing that isn’t there is secrets and non-truths. 

The total square footage that we now operate is 392,652. 

The Original Cost to Operate All Buildings = $545,102.44 yearly.  Elimination of Woodland, East, South and the Jr. High brings the total existing square footage down to 173,615 sq. ft.   Memorial Hall right now with 45,000 sq. ft. costs $1.59 per sq. ft. to operate.   Greenville High School right now with 142,689 sq. ft. costs $1.25 per sq ft to operate. Career Tech Center right now with 31,348 sq. ft. costs $.63 per sq. ft. to operate. 

These figures show the difference in the age of the buildings and the construction techniques.  The Career Tech building is the newest and cost the least to operate. 

The one thing that was asked for that the committee doesn’t have is large conceptual drawings of the proposed new building.  The reason for that is the architect usually doesn’t do drawings until after the money is in place, (passage of the levy).  They need to know they are going to be paid for their work, which seems to me to be a good business decision on their part.   You will find a “footprint” drawing of how the building will sit on the land on the website.  That may not have been published but certainly can be. 

I don’t readily recognize a flim-flam artist when I see one; I was just never trained for it.  It would seem to me that a couple of things are evident.  A couple of years ago, Greenville could have built a new school building for around $27 million. It was voted down.   Now that cost is a little less than twice that.  A few years ago the state contribution was a lot higher than now ($18 Million or 40% of the total project).  Someone proposing to continually feed old, money pits which will need to be continually repaired is a pretty good flim-flam in itself.  If you come to a meeting of the school committee, you’ll see a bunch of young parents there with a genuine concern for the future of their kids and their town.  By the way, I looked at Randolph Southern School Corporation’s web site (Lynn, IN) and noticed that they have two modern schools over there where Mr. Wright came from.  It seems that they do know how to protect their money and perhaps the Flim-Flam man has left that area in favor of somewhere else. 

Throwing good money after a bad, old building is not the way to protect your tax money.  One thing that wasn’t mentioned in Mr. Wright’s column is the fact that Greenville has a 2 Mill Permanent Improvement levy which will be removed if the new school is approved.  This levy was approved in 1998 and can be used only for building improvements.  Questions have been asked why there will be a 1/4 % income tax as well as property tax. That 1/4 % could have also been on the property tax.  It is a mandated percentage put there by the state to guarantee money to operate the building and it was felt that it would be better accepted as an income tax. 

Being a public servant is a good way to make a living.  Being a firefighter means that people have put their trust in you to know more about fire and devastation and the control of them than they do and be able to help them out of bad situations.  When you first begin your career, you think little about the pay because you are too wrapped up in the job.  After a while it becomes more apparent that things could go terribly wrong.   You find out that even though you and your neighbors go to the polls and religiously vote in people you think will be good stewards of the public trust, sometimes it’s not the case.  You find out the higher ups have a bully pulpit and can make one statement and make you think that every person working in a public employment type job is a crook, thug, ne’er-do-well and all around nasty person screwing the population out of their hard earned tax money.  When that happens, you should ask yourself, how this could have gone on this long without someone saying something.   Maybe it really does need to be checked into.  I don’t think I or any public workers I know are thugs because we belong to a labor organization.  We’ve been called that.  Mr. Kasich has said that. 

Bottom line is this; you don’t have to believe a word that I say.  Next line is, you don’t have to believe a word Gov. Kasich says either.  I worked for the state for 17 years, he didn’t.  I know there are problems there on management and on the union side.  Very little of it has to do with what people are being paid.  That you can believe! 

In closing Mr. Wright, my offer still stands to give you lessons to get on the internet.  There is so much good information on there.  Get ready Ackley, I want a bigger fire truck.