Show Me The Money, DPW Workers Scheduled for Furlough During Snowstorm





     Go Brown!  The pictures to the left are of parked UPS trucks.  They are parked in the lane of traffic on Prospect St. and another on Quimby St. due to loading zones blocked by snow.      
     Vehicles attempting to pass these parked trucks narrowly missed a head on collision with oncoming traffic. 
     Is the Town of Westfield willing to compromise the safety of the travelling public due to mediocre plowing?      Have you taken notice of downtown Westfield?  The weekend blizzard that dumped nearly 30 inches of snow in our area has wreaked havoc on commuting, and most notably, shopping in Westfield's downtown central business district. 

See related story at tp://westfield.patch.com/articles/plowing-to-continue-wednesday  where Mayor Skibitsky states he spoke with other Mayor's and they are experiencing the same difficulties with regards to plowing.    ***Mayor Skibitsky, are you referring to the furlough day DPW workers were scheduled to take as a result of previous contract negotiation givebacks?  That furlough day couldn't have come at a worse time,  Monday, the day after the storm.

     The snow, which usually is removed and carted down to the parking lots of Memorial Pool for storage, until it melts away, is here to stay at least until the town signs a contract with Mother Nature to have it removed.  No worries about a pay raise, collective bargaining or arbitration with Mother Nature, her contract is free....let it rain!

     This week’s rising temperatures coupled with forecasted rain for the weekend, will probably turn the downtown itself, into a municipal pool. 

     Apparently, there is no money to pay DPW workers to remove the snow.  Call out the E.S.U.!

     Some are saying the lack of snow removal is the town's way of collecting more parking fines.  If the snow is left piled over the marking meters, unsuspecting shoppers will assume "free parking" only to be surprised by a parking ticket for not putting money in the meter.  So, along with the windshield scraper and brush you carry in your car/SUV, store a shovel as well to dig out the parking meter.  Help out the town, lend a hand?

     To all you local shoppers, commuters, business owners, etc., ....ask Westfield’s Town Administrator James Gildea, Mayor Andrew Skibitsky, and Westfield Town Council members the following.....

............Why is there no money to have snow removed?  Tell them..."SHOW ME THE MONEY" 

 
There was/is money for…….

…….Westfield Town Administrator James Gildea, Mayor Skibitsky, council members and department heads to attend the League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City this past fall. go to http://www.goleader.com/10nov25/10nov25.pdf and scroll down to bottom right corner of the first page to view photo of contingent that travelled to A.C.

…….gas to be pumped into take home vehicles driven by employees of the Town of Westfield including the Chief of Police John M. Parizeau’s town owned Dodge Durango that has made weekend treks to  Vermont and to Massachusetts to visit a “friend”

…….vehicle insurance for those same take home vehicles

.........cost of repairs to those vehicles

…….a $130,000 + (includes salary, health coverage, other compensation) police officer serving as a parking director


…….a $110,000 + (includes salary, health coverage, other compensation) police officer to do the duties of a police department secretary


…….the purchase of boots and socks by the town, (in the past paid for by the officer) for  all police department officers, above and beyond the contractual allotment of “uniform allowance”

........The construction of another new office (3rd) for Westfield Police Captain Dave Wayman.  What was wrong with the first one....small, the second one....don't know, the third one....waste of money but closer to his own personal bathroom. 

 We can continue but we think the point has been made.  The mismanagement of tax dollars continues and the mismanagement is shielded by those responsible.

 

To contact Mayor Skibitsky and Westfield Town Council members go to:  http://www.westfieldnj.gov/index.asp?Type=B_LIST&SEC={587D10E2-279D-47BB-BAC8-F4DEF802A63D}