To the Editor: In the last month, two different scandals have surfaced regarding Warwick firefighter compensation outside any legal contract. In the first, we learned that the then chief of the fire department (and former union president) executed a
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To the Editor:
In the last month, two different scandals have surfaced regarding Warwick firefighter compensation outside any legal contract.
In the first, we learned that the then chief of the fire department (and former union president) executed a “side deal” with the then current union president that allowed firefighters to be paid 50 percent more for unused sick time than the contract allowed. This kind of deal, which was not ratified by the City Council, is legally not valid. Many hundreds of thousands of dollars were improperly taken by firefighters under this scheme.
In the second, we learned that a clause was inserted into the contract that was never ratified by the City Council. This clause allowed retiring firefighters to monetize banked (unused) vacation time at a rate 20 percent higher than provided under the contract. It is not yet known how much money was improperly taken under this scheme.
Whoever inserted this clause without ratification into the contract has truly violated the public trust, and probably committed several serious crimes.
What in tarnation is going on here?
In a nutshell, it is my belief that the fire department has been poorly led. We have seen a parade of short-term fire chiefs in the last decade. Without a long-term person in charge, the position of fire chief has simply become a tool for preserving the current status quo – and nothing more.
Promoting chief after chief from within the union ranks simply ensures that union priorities take precedence over any other. The empirical evidence proves the truth of my statement.
The Warwick Fire Department has truly run amok. After the news broke of the first “side deal,” my business office was “inspected” by the fire department. This can only have been a ham-handed attempt at intimidation. The pretense for the inspection was an “anonymous, non-specific complaint” lodged against the building in which my office is located.
Since when in America do we allow public servants to invade an office with such a flimsy excuse? While I am not a resident of Warwick, my businesses pay five figures in taxes every year to the city.
The City Council should pass an ordinance protecting city taxpayers from this kind of overreach, and outlawing municipal worker attempts at intimidation. Any public servant who uses their public position to intimidate should not only lose their job – they should lose their pension.
I have to fault former Mayor Avedisian for creating the environment in which the lawlessness discussed above was able to flourish.
Will Mayor Solomon tame the fire department? Will he bring in a new chief from outside Rhode Island to return the department to the prideful, humble service that many fire departments provide?
Will Warwick formally apologize for the invasion of my office? Will the City Council exert its authority and step in with oversight and guidance to put things on the right track?
Will law enforcement find criminality in the events described, and will taxpayers be made whole?
Most importantly, will the next municipal contracting scandal be exposed by the city, during a systematic examination of all its labor contracts and expenditures related to those contracts, or will tax payer activists be responsible for providing the oversight that has been lacking from Warwick government?
I guess we will have to wait to see.
I strongly urge all taxpayers, whether residents or businesses, to pressure the mayor and City Council to raise the intensity of any efforts they are making to uncover and correct these serious problems, and communicate their progress to taxpayers who are tired of being abused.
Ken Block
President,
Simpatico Software Systems
Warwick
3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Jasjames
Thank you Mr Block, and Rob Cote. You need to investigate now the last Warwick reevaluation. Check out ALL the well known POLITICIANS from Warwick. Their, and their families, property values went down while all average Joe's went up. The odds of that happening in a legitimate reevaluation are greater than hitting the Powerball and Mega Millions both in the same week. Maybe the FBI can look into that RICO infraction? Hiring outside firm is just a cover to appear like they had no say. It IS, and WAS,
just total BS.
Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this
Jasjames
Mr. Block, please immediately call for RI to fire Avedisian and for West Warwick to fire Zymeleski and David Picozzi. The Warwick Finance Director and Avedisian 's Chief of Staff/DPW Director. Check out DPW contracts because I'd be surprised if Picozzi didnt do the same or worse for DPW than WFD, while he was on his way out the door!
Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this
davebarry
While the FBI investigates, why isn't the mayor having his own investigation about the policies of the fire department? How did Block's business suffer an inspection due to an anonymous complaint? (Probably never happened-phone complaint). Is there a written policy for how Fire Prevention handles this stuff? If not, make sure there is in the future. MAYOR, ARE YOU LISTENING?
THe fire dept is out of control. They only care about money and their pensions. Time to fix this. They have busted their OT budget for decades due to shenanigans.
PETER NERONA, the new AG. Come and investigate these folks please.
Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this