"(Measure V) is poorly written and has the potential to put the city at risk for numerous expensive lawsuits that we cannot afford ... It has the potential to be an unaffordable financial drain on the city." - Glenn Lambdin quoted from a 2007 interview @ Sierramadrenews.net I'm sure that you can recall during the Measure V campaign the wild claims made by some that should 2-30-13 become the law, the City of Sierra Madre would be thrown into a state of economic collapse that it would never recover from. Massive debt at City Hall, empty stores, low income housing all over the hillsides, "one story big box national retail" popping up all over downtown, and whatever else those folks were making up at that time.
So can you image the looks of horror that would have passed across the faces of the naysayers had they been able to look into the future and see a headline like the one in today's Pasadena Star News?
SIERRA MADRE - City leaders have passed a $19.8 million budget for next year that includes modest spending cuts and fee hikes nearly across the board ... The 2-year plan adopted Monday night for fiscal years 2009-11 manages to avoid some of the more drastic cuts that other neighboring cities have had to make during the recession, officials said ... "A lot of cities are facing sales tax drops, but Sierra Madre doesn't have a sales tax base," city spokeswoman Elisa Weaver said. "We're not feeling the effects as much because we've never relied on it for our budget." ... The city projects $7.2 million in general fund revenues and $6.4 million in general fund expenditures in the 2009-2010 fiscal year starting July 1, followed by $7.9 million in general fund revenues and $6.8 million in expenditures in 2010 - 2011.
Ahh, what a difference having strong leadership makes, eh? And with an $800,000 General Fund surplus in 2009-2010, and a $1.1 million surplus the following year, maybe we can even get a little UUT tax relief going on? I know, everyone likes to have a little extra money in the bank, but why should City Hall be enjoying such a thing when many of the people paying the taxes around here do not? Just a thought. These are difficult times, you know.
But no matter, in a time when many cities are in terrible financial shape, Sierra Madre looks to be coming through strong. And we can all take a lot of pride in that.
Anyway, and strictly for laughs, let's go back to that 2007 Sierramadrenews.net interview with our favorite prophet of doom, Glenn "Darth" Lambdin, and get his take on what things would be looking like right around now...
SGVW: What do you feel are the three most critical long-term issues currently facing the city?
Glenn Lambdin: Money, money, money. Our general fund reserves are half of what they were seven years ago. What people need to remember is that those reserves are not a result of wise saving and planning, but rather are a result of refinanced bonds in 1998. It's like refinancing one's home and taking out some equity cash. We really don't have any mechanisms to replenish those funds. We are getting closer and closer to financial crisis.
Poor Glenn. How hard it must be to go through life and never be right.
64 comments:
How funny! The gang that couldn't shoot straight.
It is now time for all who have engaged in unethical behavior to be held accountable. I'm looking at you, you drunk'n troll. We will maintain a curious eye on all you have done, and all you do. All of your minions will turn on you, for fear of being pulled down with you. It's over.
No half built and unsold condos, the lowest unemployment rate in the area, property values in pretty good shape, and money in the coffers. What do the people on the "No on V" list have to say now?
We need to be careful they now have a new chant....GREEN GREEN GREEN
"The proof in in the pudding".Perhaps this is a sign of better things to come.Certainly it is a trend that many citizens were hopeful for when they elected the "The Three Crime Busters" now sitting on the City Council!
Maybe somebody should stage a play down at the Sierra Madre
Playhouse. Call it "The Downtown Dirt Revue." And all the parts
would be taken from actual "No On V" dialog both from that
website and various other leavings. Some of our most politically
disreputable personalities done up in grease paint and singing
their strangely bizarre positions at the time. All done in a Kurt
Weill style. Think "Cabaret," but with circus clowns. I'm telling
you, properly done it would have the paying customers rolling
in the aisles.
Will this be mentioned in the Sierra Madre Rag?
Pasta!
You just gave me an idea. You ask,
"what do the NO on V list people have to say now"? Good question.
How about Sir Eric interviewing them? Let's ask them? Start with Glenn Lambdin.
I notice Karma Bell doesn't list her employer, the Titan Co.
Bart Doyle's company that is all over the local news headlines. The people who paid for the lies many people on that list of No On V. told the residents during the Measure V issue.
Thank God we have Kurt Zimmerman, Don Watts and MaryAnn MacGillivray protecting Sierra Madre from the over development plague that has hit so many areas ! The people of Sierra Madre are so lucky to have these honest public servants!
Thank you reporter, Alfred Lee, for an honest report!
Sir Eric, thank you as always for looking out for us. Our days of being "mushrooms" are over.
I see that the Volunteer Firefighters Assoc. and several of our better known firefighters were opponents of Measure V. Why is that? Were they supporters of the Downtown Specific Plan? Did they really think that building 325 new condos in the downtown including a mega-condo complex almost directly across the street from the fire dept. was going to make fire suppression easier?
Harrison @ 8:02 - It will be interesting to see how Harriet spins this one.
Had Measure not passed....the DSP would have been ratified and the first ones to go would have been our Volunteer Firefighters Assoc. and our Police.
You need to thank Don Watts, Kurt Zimmerman, Kevin and Katina Dunn and SMRRD.
Or....maybe you wanted Measure V to fail because you had been promised to become a paid Fire Dept.
A volunteer Fire Dept could not have been possible in an expanded over built Sierra Madre, and those of you dirts with an IQ over room temperature know it.
So the new Sierra Madre Weekly has a banner headline that says "City Manager: Sierra Madre Has No Suplus." And the Pasadena Star News talks aboyt an $800,000 surplus this year, and $1 million the next? Of course, the PSN is right in this case. But it does invite the question - what is it they put in theiur pipes at The Weekly?
The ONLY credible reporter for a newspaper in our area is Alfred Lee. He is a professional.
I ALWAYS read his articles.
Thanks, Alfred lee for honest reports.
You always state the facts, not the opinion of some Bart Doyle (Titan Co.) stooge.
The Weekly has a headline saying we have no surplus? And Elaine Aguilar is who they're saying said that?
What comedy!
Gosh, Sir Eric, what an "impressive list of so-called LEADING citizens"!!!!!!!!
The who's who of dirts!
They had over $170,000 of BIA (TITAN) and CAR (Webb Martin) money behind them and still
LOST THE ELECTION!!!!!!!!!
Most of these people are only "leading/important "people
in their own minds!
To the few on these lists that were duped.....we have all been naive at one time or another. Don't worry about it, come over to our side....the:
WINNERS
I have a question. Why, if this city running such big surpluses, does the UUT rate jump from 8% to 10% next week?
The funny thing, I seem to remember Bart "the Titan" Doyle telling everybody how "green" he was, and then I remembered, Squeeky Fromme speaking for Charlie Manson saying how ecologically concerned Charlie is!
LOL
Bwahh!!!! 10:51!! Quote of the month!!
George, our mayor, one of the honest people up at the dais, has laid it out that if we keep things as they are:
A fire department that most people know they should call second, after they call Arcadia;
A police department that takes 52% of our budget and spends it's off time suing;
EMT service that was established with no money in sight to pay for it after 2 years.
We will not have the revenues we need without the tax hike. I think that's the situation, and the motivation to consider alternatives. If that's not the economic situation, please post.
Stockley, Buchanan, Mosca et al continue to want to spend, spend, spend and bristle with martyrdom at the slightest hint that there may be better alternatives for the town.
Bamburger was just about ready to have a fit of martyrdom at the last council. The fire dept. is a sacred cow to be sure.
I saw that Bamberger rant. What a disgraceful performance that was. A very disrespectful man. I hear he quit his Minister job at the Gooden School because he was angry about not being consulted on the choice of the principal there. Who does he think he is?
One of the ironies here is that those of the dirtian persuasion accuse the slow growthers of being "conspiracy freaks," while absolute hysteria blooms at a suggestion about other ways to securely fund the library: "So now you're going to abolish the library!!!!" or, a suggestion to get information about fire service options, "So that's it, you're closing the volunteer fire department!!!!!" or, finding out what the town could save pairing up with Arcadia on the EMT, "You're killing people!!!"
Long road to real change and financial clarity, huh?
Sam, remember when Fay Angus proposed the library be on an assessment, and she gave a good speech about how that works, and how it has worked for some libraries in other towns. What made it really good was when she talked about how she was a writer who loved books. If that didn't make people feel calmer about changing the kind of money the library gets, nothing will.
Something that creeps me out about the library is that they have a pornographic web site sponsor type guy on their board. Great community leader/role model for the kids.
A library assessment district is nothing more than ANOTHER TAX. You pay it annually on your property tax bill. All non profits (Schools and churches) get a free pass. How much more are we to pay????
11:41, I heard that - but wasn't the idea that if we get the library funded by tax ("assessment"), then the 800,000 plus that we spend on it will be in the general fund for essentials? or something?
Wendy and Rob Stockley are trying to coordinate a "save the Library" demonstration at the 4th of July parade. Since when was the library in danger and who is threatening it. The budget just passed and it was taken care of. If Stockley is behind it....there's trouble in River City.
That is my topic for tomorrow. One of the most delusional things I've ever read.
11:44 It will give them $800,000 to waste on consultants and extra employees. The UUT won't go away. Government has a huge appetite for your money.
Tuesday night council meeting:
Mayor MacGillivray
Mayor Pro tem Watts
Councilman Kurt Zimmerman:
You were superb. You are are champions.
You truly fight for the residents of Sierra Madre. You always make us proud. Congratulations on the good results of your leadership this past year.
Joe Mosca and John Buchanan:
You were more than disgraceful at last Tuesday's meeting. I suppose the fact that you are being exposed and your great leader Bart is being exposed for being 100% pro over development and worse.......made you both a bit "testy" at the meeting?
Joe Mosca! It is not becoming to be rude to ladies, especially if the lady is the Mayor of Sierra Madre.
John Buchanan! You looked like you were going to implode after residents Barbara Leigh and Carol Parker spoke at the podium about an alternative approach to meeting our RHNA/SCAG numbers.You need to calm down. Take a deep breath.
Michael Bamberger, you need to either resign from the firefighters or resign from your church position. As usual, you were not only ignorant, you were rude and out of line.
To Bamberger's pals......you really showed off your lack of understanding the English language.
Mayor MacGillivray: I guess you need to talk down to these idiots as you would speak to a 6 year old. (this includes Mosca).
Hey maybe they can get Miguel Perez with his cumquat tatoo on his noggin as a centerpiece for a float!
11:52
That's a marvelous idea! Gee, Matt and Joe, you should have selected Perez as the parade marshal.
Love the Perez Cumquat Nogginmobile! Could we get BD Howes to be the driver?
I suggest a BART THE TITAN float. Karma Bell and Sue Lavoe as the TITAN QUEENS. LOL
He could have all the nice folks on the NO ON V list Sir Eric posted for us!
I'll volunteer to help build it.
Ooohh! Titanettes! They could do a can-can
routine to Elvis's "Jail House Rock!"
Off topic, but the governor of Texas just vetoed a "smart growth" program.
The BIA must be vewwy angwy.
http://www.planetizen.com/node/39353
Is Rob Stockly still beating that dead horse?
He's been riding the library for years. Making up ridiculous claims about its imminent demise one minute, then trying to get us to spend 15 million dollars the next minute to replace it.
Maybe this is a prelude to his City Council campaign for next April?
Rob hasn't had a new idea in years. He's a walking time capsule.
He's worse than a walking time capsule, 12:47, he's a walking stooge of Bart "The Titan" Doyle.
Last thing we need on the city council is another Doyle stooge. We already have two....Mosca and Buchanan. Just say no to these double dealing ex Mayors who supported No on V.
They were wrong then and they are wrong now.
The comments about the volunteer fire department have me remembering a few things. When Bart Doyle first ran for City Council he was opposed by many members of the Fire Department. The opposition was ascribed to the traditional adversity between fire departments (think safety) and building interests (think money). The story was that Bart approach some and told them that if they didn't support him, he would make sure they were run out of operation when he got elected. Great message. The details are not known and not too important--it established the extortion-compliance ethic. It could also explain why over the years that Bart and his devotees have been in office, the volunteer fire department has had severe cuts in its training budget, so much so that it is now considered inadequate and unwelcome at mutual aid fires, the morale is poor, management has been ineffective--it's become a shadow of its former self. The Bart extortion legacy lives on. It's a shame because the Volunteer Fire Department has many very dedicated members but drawing them into DIRTy politics was a mistake and it has only undermined their performance and future prospects.
Mr. Ray at 12:24?
I copied and pasted your link on Google, couldn't get it up.
Was the article in the Austin Chronicle?
I am very interested in this. Could you post a better link?
Thanks,
Old Kentucky
Well, we know what a butt head Stockly was to Alma Mays when she appeared at Council to complain about the lack of audits -- he boldly and rudely lied to her and the citizens saying the audits were complete when they weren't (it's on video)! And it's widely rumored that he invested heavily in the Howie's market debacle... and didn't he have a Citizen's bank connection with Greg Galletly's enterprise? It's going to take a bit to rehabilitate his image for a Council run although I'd love to see his Form 700 if he puts his name in the hat!
OK: I checked that link and it worked. Just type it into your address bar. Good story!
Wow, Doc Stacatto and Elephants Never Forget!
Good information.
Sir Eric, thanks.
When I first met Glenn Lambin, I thought he was a sincere dude, but later found out he was totally out of touch with reality, unless it was his own version of reality.
That's very true Dr. Staccato!
That's the reason Ed Tracy was harassed into retiring as Fire Chief, and replaced with one of Doyle's lackies, Roger Lowe.
When Ed Tracy was Fire Chief, Sierra Madre had one of the best fire departments in the state of California. Being a volunteer did not exclude someone from being professional and skilled.
Besides undermining Ed Tracy's authority, Doyle's hammer inside City Hall, Margie Tucker, refused to pay bills associated with the Fire Department, thereby causing suppliers and service contractors to stop doing business with the City/department.
Ever since Lowe, Heydorf and Bamburger took over, the Fire Department has become the laughing stock of California. And more importantly to all of us, has become so ineffectual, that our lives are in peril anytime there is an emergency.
I feel so ashamed, and sorry, for those individuals that have recently volunteered to be on the Fire Department. They mean so well, yet are constantly undermined by their own superiors.
I hope that Maryanne will keep her campaign promise to rehabilitate our volunteer Fire Department. It won't be easy though, with Mosca and Buchanan, constantly hanging around the fire fighters and filling their heads full of lies.
Let's all support Maryanne zealously, should she decide to take on that challenge! Our lives (and property values) depend on it.
Might I ask what salary our fire chief is making (public Record?). If I am corret it is $90,000 plus with a hell of a management & retirement package. What does he do for that salary???? Maybe we should look at the "AT WILL" positions salaries such as the city manager Elaine Aguilar, Public Works Bruce Inman, Community Development Director Danny Castro (& they are advertsing right now for a head Planning associate with high salary and why when that department is deader than a door nail and closes the counter at noon).Seems as though the planning department & the director would have plenty time and expertise to work on the General Plan and save the city $300,000 and actually earn their salaries (actually there is one planner in there that is pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable---she would probably be thrilled to assist with the General Plan). Building is slow and not much is going through that department and won't be for a while ...why not utilize our city staff!
Great posts!
2:01. Thanks for that info, because I heard about what an effective leader Tracy was & didn't know why he wasn't leading them anymore.
Dr. S, "extortion-compliance ethic" that sure sums it up nicely.
Elephant, do you by any chance remember a month or year of that video of Stockily lying to the wonderful Alma Mays? Maybe the residents' research team could get together a Stolicky review...
Heydorf has been ripping people off in this city for years. It's not surprising that he is the only Fire Chief in the history of this City to demand and receive a salary, for what traditionally was a VOLUNTEER position.
Hey 2:45.....you wouldn't happen to be one of the unfortunate souls that invested in Heydorf's & Child's brewery, would you?
If so, then I'm very sorry for your loss.
damn good stuff here today, sierra madre's got
some dirty dealin' goin' on. sounds like old bart
doyle needs to be run outta town.
Actually Arcadia Steve, it looks like his Karma might get him first.
Another Anon @ 2:43, I don't remember the exact year but I think it was the last year he was on the Council, before the Congregational Church co-opted George Mauer's retirement from the Council.
Another Anon,
I found it!
Sierra Madre News, January 2006 edition, Page 2, Editorial, entitled "Older Residents Not "Paying Their Fair Share?" Mr. Tesoro cited the December 13, 2005 City Council meeting.
Better than never forgetting is knowing where to find things! Great job!!
If you paste "Smart Growth Bill Vetoed" on Google search you find the Texas article as well as Florida's effort. There is also a site about smart growth. http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7129
Thank you again Eric for a great story.
Just found my stash of the Sierra Madre News, along with the one mentioned above.
It's no wonder why everyone wants to forget Salvatore Tesoro and his Sierra Madre News. There's a lot of damning information, just in that one issue alone.
3:29, fantastic.
As I look at the article though, I don't see anything about the audits. Was there a time when the audits were specifically lied about?
I will definitely try to check out that 12/13/05 meeting.
Nothing like teamwork, man.
I know we have plenty of fresh scandals to air out, but in November of 2003, when Bart the Titan was mayor, and Stolickey was Mayor pro Tem, the council awarded the construction contract for the YAC.
That was shoddy construction, yeah?
RRT member.....Teamwork?...seems like you want everyone else to do the work for you....lol
Ah, 4:09 lol, you must be the other person who's poured over hours of old council tapes, without the benefit of fast forward...
Remember when the fire dept flooded the YAC before it was completed? The fire alarm went off because of dust and instead of determining if there was a fire they went in with hoses full blast? The contractor was blamed but it was the fire departments fault for not following established protocol.
RE the FD competency. There was a fire on South Sunnyside a number of years ago. A woman died in her home in a fire that started mid-day. I heard the explanation that this happened because the Fire Department could not go into the house because they aren't trained (or possibly equipped) to disconnect the power which is essential when spraying water on a fire.
This problem has been part of a concerted effort to coopt the Fire Department: Getting rid of Ed Tracy and others who supported his type of work; undermining training by budgetary considerations--smoke and mirrors that make the fire department look more expensive than it is; buying the Fire Chief by putting him on salary--these are the obvious ways the Fire Department has been undermined and controlled.
Well said Staccato. I remember that fire on South Sunnyside. The elderly woman was found laying near the front door; apparently died of smoke inhalation. She might have survived, had someone knocked open the front door. What is sad is that, allegedly, it looked like she had been reaching for the door knob when she was overcome with smoke.
As far as the supposed lack of training, we can thank Roger Lowe for that, but. Everyone on the Fire Department at the time, who had served under Ed Tracy, had more than adequate training. Lack of training was a lame excuse for a terrible lack of leadership.
Unless they get their shinny new fire trucks, they won't feel loved. WAA WAA WAA
Sir Eric, would you please put an article or two on the Tattler regarding the history of the fire dept.?
This is the most shocking information I've seen on this website.
Starting with the scandal about Titan (Bart Doyle, Karma Bell are associated with).
Staccato and other posters who obviously know far more than the average poster here are filling us in with all the pieces to the puzzle.
This puts a new light on a lot of issues, I sure wasn't aware of.
It now becomes clear that Kurt Zimmerman, Don Watts and SMRRD were telling us the truth all along. Fortunately enough voters were smart enough to either know that or intuit it.
Shame on anyone who isn't connecting the dots here. The evidence is overwhelming that Bart Doyle has been running a reign of terror, nearly destroying our town.
Then you have the shocking Susan Henderson court case. How many of you have supported this woman or given her money? For what purpose, to aid this Bart Doyle run "mafia"?
Now we are being manipulated by SCAG, Joe Mosca and John Buchanan. I don't know how closely connected Mosca is to Doyle, but I do know John Buchanan and all the ex-mayors who supported No on V are very connected to Bart, with the possible exception of George Mauerer and maybe Clem Bartolai, but I'm not sure.
We need to know everyone who is connected to this man and NEVER elect them or appoint them to any commissions in town.
There needs to be a clean sweep of the dirts.
We need to return Don Watts and Kurt Zimmerman to the city council next year and Joe Mosca must be retired. We need to have another honest citizen to run.
Mayor MacGillivray, please take the advice of the poster who urged you to really clean up this fire department scandal. I don't remember you promised this during the campaign, but you need to now.
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