Budget Passes, Negotiations to Continue, More Large Employer Warnings

by Michael Monks
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With little more than twenty-four hours remaining in this fiscal year, Covington approved a budget for the next one. As expected, the vote was 4 - 1 in favor of the proposed budget, with the four commissioners voting to approve and the mayor dissenting. After months of heated rhetoric from commissioners, city administration and public employees, Wednesday night's meeting inside City Hall saw a continuance of the verbal jabs.

"I've seen hate against unions spread throughout this city," said firefighter Mike Clendenen. "I watched all of you campaign on public safety. I think you owe the voters an apology."

"You've damaged the city," said FOP president Brian Valenti. "The police department will go one hundred percent to make sure we give (the public) the best service, but I don't know how we'll do that."
One particular point of anger for the public employees, who face twenty-five layoffs, is the plan to hire an assistant finance director.

"It's demoralizing when people are fired when others are hired who are not union," said AFSCME representative Michelle Robinson Wilson. "It looks a little like union-busting at that point."

The war of words went beyond the employees versus the administration and the commission, to between commissioners. "Last year we hired four additional firefighters at (City Manager Larry Klein and Finance Director Bob Due's) recommendation and now they're asking us to lay off ten," said Mayor Denny Bowman. "If we lose this many police we will see an increase in crime."

Commissioner Shawn Masters apologized to city employees after voting to approve the budget that requires them to pay more for health care coverage in addition eliminating positions. "I don't believe employees should be subjected to politics," Masters said, continuing with the suggestion that Klein and Due's budget road shows were "debacles".

"I believe it was an attempt to get a public rebuke of those who take care of the city," Masters said.
"I think if Bob (Due) didn't do those road shows, he could have been out collecting taxes," Bowman charged.

City administration will continue talks with all three public unions and the layoffs may still be averted if those union members agree to the newly passed health care requirements.

"I encourage our unions to come to the table," said Commissioner Sherry Carran who also expressed displeasure with the mayor's alternative budget plan, alleging that it was dropped in commissioners' mailboxes late in the week, followed by Bowman's vacation.

Klein attempted to relate to the employees by telling a story of his own layoff in the eighties and how he went to work for five dollars an hour and his wife got a part-time job to make things work. "I survived," he said. "You'll survive."

But it's the survival of the city that still remains in question with the alarming suggestion that not only are two large employers considering a move out of town, but three, according to Bowman.

"We can move on, put this ugly fight behind us," said Commissioner Steve Frank, "or it's going to get really bad really soon because there are some serious employers who may no longer call Covington home."