Methuen has just completed its collective bargaining process with the Patrolman’s Union. During the course of that negotiation the Patrolman made the point to me that their line cars had become exceedingly old in terms of mileage and engine miles. With some of the budgetary problems of the past few years we have gotten away from the regular purchase of cruisers. I made two promises to them based on their complaint. 1) I said that we would produce a Capital Improvement Plan this year in which we would try to identify need and determine what budgetary tools (middle term bonding?) could be used to satisfy some of the overdue equipment that this city needs to purchase. This C.I.P. would deal with D.P.W. and Fire as well as Police. 2) I would attempt to provide a short term solution that would mitigate some of the worst problems facing the patrolman this year. Shortly thereafter I authorized D.P.W. Director Raymond Difiore to go to an auction to see what might be available. I authorized $20,000 as the ceiling amount. Mr. Difiore came back with 4 used cruisers (app mileage of 70,000) for $1000 each, a total of $4000. We formulated a plan to take the low mileage cars driven by Police Superiors and place them on the line for our Patrolman, and give the thousand dollar cruisers to the superior officers. Since new cruisers can run to about $35,000 we produced low mileage cars for our line at a savings of about $136,000 to the taxpayers. At the time of the announcement all parties (including the union president)agreed that this was a great plan deserving of support. Unfortunately the Union President changed his tune and launched a political attack which used this issue to cover his real agenda, which is objection to management changes at the Police Department. I consider the negotiating committee of the Patrolman’s Union to be gentlemen with whom I have developed a strong relationship. That relationship remains strong. I look forward to being invited to the next union meeting to set the record straight with the fine men and women of the Patrolman’s Association and refute point by point the outright distortions made in the Eagle Tribune by Joseph Aiello, Union President.
Read the Tribune story at this link.