Few speak up at city budget hearing

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June 23, 2009

By Paul Leighton The Salem News Tue Jun 23, 2009, 05:00 AM EDT

BEVERLY — With city councilors set to vote on a $97.7 million budget, taxpayers finally had the chance last night to tell them how to spend their money.

Councilors didn't have to listen for long, because only five people bothered to speak up during a public hearing on the budget at City Hall.

Two of the speakers, Elliott Margolis and Gail Burke, are running for office this year. The three others, Rosemary Maglio, Mary Rodrick and George Binns, speak out regularly at City Council meetings.

Margolis, who is running for councilor-at-large, used sarcasm to make his point, urging councilors to vote for the budget "as is."

"If you do," he said, "all of the candidates running against you will have a much easier time getting elected."

Margolis criticized the 2 percent raises for the city's union workers at a time when many in the private sector are being laid off or taking pay cuts.

"How many people in this room can go to their bosses and say, 'You know what, taxes went up, so I need a raise'? The answer is, only the city employees."

Burke, a School Committee candidate, criticized the $10,000 raise given to Superintendent James Hayes.

Binns praised the plan to consolidate city and school maintenance and said the city should go one step further and combine the finance functions.

"There's no sense in keeping two sets of books for the same city with only one revenue source, us taxpayers," Binns said.

Ward 3 City Councilor John Burke criticized Mayor Bill Scanlon, who was not at the meeting, for saying he has presented a budget with no layoffs.

Burke, who is running for mayor, said some of the 14 early retirements being taken by city employees amounted to layoffs because they were told their jobs would be eliminated if they didn't retire.

Ward 6 Councilor Judith Cronin asked Burke to identify which jobs would have been eliminated. Burke said he asked the mayor to provide a list and the mayor did not.

"At least one of those 14 people was told they would have been eliminated had they not retired," Burke said.

The City Council will discuss the budget tomorrow night and take a final vote on Thursday. Both meetings are at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Budget highlights

$44 million — School Department

$16.9 million — Retirees' pensions and insurance

$8.6 million — Debt payments

$6 million — Police Department

$5.3 million — Fire Department

$3.5 million — Public Services Department

$1.65 million — Libraries

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Few speak up at city budget hearing

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