By Alexander Macinnes
Herald News
PASSAIC, N.J. — The highest-ranking employee in Mayor Alex D. Blanco’s administration said Friday that the city is in such stable financial shape that there is no need to demote three fire officers -- a move that could save city taxpayers $54,000 a year.
“Budgetary-wise, I don’t need to,” said Anthony Iacono, the city’s business administrator, adding that the city made enough spending cuts to make it through this budget year. “Financially, we’re in a stable position.”
Although $54,000 is a fraction of the $52.8 million taxpayers must shoulder this year, Iacono’s comments come after he pushed through a 2010-11 municipal budget that calls for a 5 percent increase. That budget process was one of the most dramatic in recent city history and resulted in the city laying off 18 police officers, squeezing salary concessions from firefighters and forcing City Hall employees to accept 12 unpaid furlough days.
At issue is Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost’s insistence on keeping a deputy chief to perform administrative duties at headquarters, and promoting a captain to cover a vacant deputy chief position on a combat tour. Because that captain is promoted to an acting deputy chief’s position, the department must also promote a lieutenant to cover that vacancy, and a firefighter to cover the lieutenant’s opening.
Those extra salaries cost taxpayers $1,049 a week, according to city payroll records.
While not addressing Iacono’s statement directly, City Council President Gary Schaer said any city official, no matter the municipality, who thinks he doesn’t need to cut costs “needs to have [his] head examined.”
In October, Blanco directed Trentacost to end the practice, but it continues because the chief was able to convince the administration that he needs to keep an administrative deputy chief in headquarters for “maximum efficiency,” Iacono said Friday. Trentacost maintains a five deputy chief structure.
Trentacost did not return calls for comment, but one firefighter said keeping that deputy chief, Kenneth Martinez, in headquarters is an insult to firefighters who agreed to forgo their contractually obligated 4 percent salary increase last summer.
“He has no business being in the office,” said Lawrence Dostanko, president of Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association Local 13. “We don’t need him. He doesn’t serve any purpose, but it’s business as usual.”
Dostanko blames city officials for failing to cut costs where they could.
“We did what we had to do on July 1, by giving back our 4 percent raises, but why didn’t the city do anything?” he asked. “The department did nothing.”
Former Mayor Marge Semler said the continued practice of keeping a captain, a lieutenant and a firefighter at a higher rank, and Blanco’s failure to force Trentacost to demote them to their original ranks, is an example of wasted opportunity.
“God forbid they try to save money every day rather than just trying to reach a final budget,” she said.
Copyright 2010 North Jersey Media Group Inc
All Rights Reserved