City Council members' status as part-time legislators, which allows them to earn as much as they can from outside jobs in addition to their six-figure government salaries, could soon be on the chopping block.The council is beginning talks this week to determine whether its members should be considered full-time representatives restricted from holding outside jobs.
Council Members May Face Limits on Outside Income
The talks also will focus on the use of council stipends, which add thousands of dollars to council members' $112,500 base salary for leadership positions and for heading committees. Only a handful of council members miss out on the stipends.
Civic groups have criticized the council for the hefty stipends, which are considered tools the speaker of the council can use to reward political loyalty and stamp out dissent. A mayoral commission studying pay for elected officials found in 2006 that the council's stipend system was "ripe for reform."
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Council Member Lewis Fidler, who represents parts of Brooklyn and may have led the council in earnings from an outside job last year, taking in between $140,000 and $345,000, said he didn't think there would be significant support from other council members to prohibit them from earning outside income from second jobs.
Of course support for this change would not be coming from other council members - they are getting rich on the backs of the peopl, with interests that directly conflict with council buisness of representing their districts. PT jobs at 100k? They should have zero outside employment or not run for office to begin with period!
Council members should not hold outside jobs. For the salaries they are raking in, on a part-time basis, they should concentrate on serving their constituents. Maybe if they are banned from other employment, they can FOCUS on important matters for the people they represent. Government should also ban them from political contributions from developers. The developers are destroying the character of the outer boroughs. This needs to be done immeditely.
Perhaps the law should be that we elect these morons to the council, then, the just-elected members use the election results on their resume for a full time jobs. A job that consumes so much of their time and energy that leaves no time for voting on or handling council matters. (Not very much different from the status quo.)
Thomas Paine said: "That government is best which governs least."
So, let these "Council Members" get their kickbacks by cheating private employers. Let's see how long it's tolerated by people who love profits.
There are a bunch of part-timers. But there is a full-time deadbeat named Dennis Gallagher occupying the seat for District 30. He is a full time lobbyist for developers.
It's about time these lazy privileged bastards
put in a full day's work like the rest of us stiffs!
How in the hell can you govern
without being in the shoes
of those you are governing.
Walk around
in your constituents moccasins for a while....
and you'll better understand our plight!
Look at C.M. Gallagher, for example,
employed by NYC and a lobby group
simultaneously on a part time basis!
Idle hands make for an idle p---s......
giving him too much free time
that enabled him to abuse a grandmother
in his district office on taxpayers' money!
Fidler is a prime example
of a bloodsucker
(or whatever other unmentionable fluid)
that should never be allowed
to represent anyone !
Thomas Jefferson once said something like.....
democracy can only be trusted in the hands of
enlightened voters.
H-m-m-m......
in the end.....it's WE who voted for these bozos.
Maybe it's time we all wised up a bit.
But.....alas.....the clubhouse wants us
dumb and barefoot in the kitchen.....
too busy with a bunch of demanding brats
around us.....so they can go about
their dirty work unhampered!
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