misstia

so he can't bring the APD up to full staffing and now they'll be first hit by layoffs??? and wasn't he bragging during the recall that other city's faced layoffs but not akron??

here's a couple ways to save money: stop flying all over the world with an entourage and get rid of some of the deputy mayors!

I'm surprised it has taken this long. Akron has done very well at this point to not have laid anyone off. It is most unfortuante, but we are not unlike other cities or employers. Everyone has taken a hit. All we can do at this time is to endure and try to fight thru the situation until things get better. And they will get better.

Cruisemeister drinking the Kool Aid. The Mayor said he was hring 40, then 21 officers before the recall. Now he is laying them off. HaHa Akron, you got what you voted for. More thug beatings in Firestone Park, North Hill, Ellet, West Side, East Side ... Those who can are voting with their feet by leaving Akron by the thousands. The Canadian Beacon Journal remains silent.

 misstia

and don't forget-during the recall campaign the mayor said he GENERATED enough revenue for 100 police officers! obviously generating isn't the same as hiring or retaining....

and we've all seen the increased crime in the city...so get rid of police???

@north hiller: I might drink the lemonade, but I not smoking what you are smoking. I have lived or owned property in North Hill my entire life, and I can think of only a handful of times that I needed the police. So let's get real about this, remember Don had an idea sometime ago to hire more safety officers, but the same people the rean the recall, are the same ones that were against the tax.
Remeber something has got give, you can;t have your cake and eat it as well.

So let me get this straight the fire dept. is already short, we agreed to back you and you said no, and now you are threating to lay us off. Didnt you come in the leaking urinal and sasy Akron was good, and there would be no more layoffs. Oh I didnt see the big picture, let me geuss contract nego. are about due , time to scream poor good job maybe a few more people will lose enough, to reconsider keeping the current council next time!!!! How sad. My father-in-law always told me if a politician is moving his mouth he is lying, wow was I stupid!!

Not exactly right Cruisemeister. The last tax hike was $1 milion for police, $1 million for fire, $25 million for "generating business." Not really what I'd call a police or fie levy...

Hitting the police and fire departments first....ah yes...that is where the public will see first and be hurt the most. It was like when a school levy was trying to be passed when I went to school...they would turn every other light off in the hall, turn down the drinking fountains and make the children copy all their assignments off the board instead of making copies...all the show things first instead of really making the real cuts...in the administration. Would the mayor and other city officials take pay cuts to help balance the budget???

I got it get rid of the 9 deputy mayors the 6 dep. fire chiefs and the 6 district cheifs and there goes the deficit, I am sure apd could get rid of some high law!!!

@ Angel9952 Mayor and city council take pay cuts?????
BWaAhahahaah Hahahah Hahahah!!! Your too funny!!!

 akronite51

Hey, I have an idea! Let's cut out the entertainment at lock 3 altogether. It's a money loser. And that money he's wasting on the Y-bridge could pay the police salary.

It's time to demand that ALL elected officials work WITHOUT PAY untill this mess has been cleaned up. C'mon Mendenhal, get behind this.

 mischief

Don't worry folks, the king will look like a big hero when he saves the day for the potential laid off employees. This is nothing but a smoke screen, contract negotiations are coming up.

 misstia

ah, thanks mischief....so don is saying there might be layoffs before contract negotiations and then people will take concessions they might not have before and then these layoffs might not happen....

i do have a feeling though, having studied the city's budget that is a valid possibility...the city has some serious budget issues and holes in it's funding....

How much could the City have saved if Mendenhall would have just ran against the Mayor instead of forcing a recall vote? He should be ashamed of himself!

Maybe the Mayor should be the first to take a buy out?

@ MomOf4Mutts: We could have saved enough for one of the Don's trips to China...Almost enough anyway

@Joey Skins...I hope you recognized my comments as sarcasm...they were brimming with it!

@ Angel9952 Yep, sure did!!! That's why I was laughing so hard!

cut lock 3, then clubs would have live music on the weekends again downtown, LOCAL BANDS, not out of town copy bands that just , well, SUCK

Misstia,
Once again you see what you wish to see, as do some others on here. The Police and Fire are being targeted because they are the biggest expenses in the city (the article clearly said they take up 60% of the general fund). If you do a small amount of math, you would see that getting rid of 10 officers (maybe with enough time to retire, but have not) who make $40,000/yr, you could hire 13 younger officers at $30,000/yr. Hence more cops on the streets, isn't that want you have spent MONTHS complaining about?

Well I cannot say I didn't see this coming, it was just a matter of time. Maybe we could close the city pools and golf course, and dump this whole community center thing. I bet that would save money, well not enough to make Misstia forget about a $5,000.00 travel expense I am sure.

City services and regular citizens will suffer, and people will complain more.

LET THE ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACKING CONTINUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 misstia

cut the pools??? that's one of the few places for kids to gather!! and akroncitizen, once again, YOU see what you wish to see...$5000 in travel? you have got to be kidding....last years travel was over $100,000, same as the year before...

yeah, let's loose the golf course-how much has the city pumped into that??

we need MORE police...how about the mayor cuts things that are not in the 'general fund'??? how about his staff? how about his travel? how about the mayor stays in AKRON for 60 days??? bet he couldn't do it...

Keep the prowl cars on the streets,not in the garage.People are getting killed walking down the street in broad daylight,getting robbed at the gas station,again in broad daylight,women getting raped while patronizing downtown establishments.WTF?? Get rid of the fat where the pencil pushers are,not where we have to have them...in the street!
Although I wasn't a fan of the recall,it's time for Donny Boy to go.This city is quickly turning into one big ghetto.
Oh yeah,I forgot to mention the 30-50 black thugs the beat down a white family and 2 of their friends.Yeah Donny...take the coppers off the street,nothing happening on them anyway.

Mayor Donny Boy is a liar, pure and simple. You Akron voters get what you voted for in the recall. You gotta ask yourself why you voted to keep this loser in office?

Think crime is bad now? Oh boooooy! Cut the PD some more and it'll be the wild west.

Maybe Don & his girl can travel to Asia on the city dime and get some ideas on what to do.

 whocares

What they need are the people that are eligible for retirement to retire. I know their wallets are probably just as thin as everyone elses, but at least they are guaranteed some sort of regular income after they leave. All the rest of the employees would be in trouble, maybe get enough money to cover them for a couple months, but with the job market as it is, they will be hurting. Hopefully the city gets the stimulus money to pay for more police and hopefully any employee that does get laid off.

Maybe the mayor can shut down the sewage plant! I mean Akron is already being fined something like 28,000 dollars a day anyway. Why not just dump the sewage into the river untreated? He can save money that way. Just think, if Don got his way and leased the sewer plant, the city of Akron would just now be putting a dent in the capital improvements that were required in the lease. Those capital improvements would have cost well over 200 million, so be happy that there is a special place in Hell for those of us with enough brains to recognize that stupid idea and shoot it down!

This is the best idea The Don has ever had, lay off more cops so the criminals can get a break. Glad I don't live in Akron anymore.

 historybuff

The politicians will be the very last to go. They've
seen to that already. Why are we paying city council
members over $32,000 a year to attend one meeting a week in which they discuss stupid ideas that waste our
time and money? They could also stop buying properties
at exorbant prices and selling them to developers for
$1. The city downtown is looking nice, but with little
to attract people to stay here, like jobs, in the near
future we'll have a nice looking city with no one to
see it, except the human vultures and parasites.

So here is a question for everybody:

Why was there not all this condemnation for Russ Pry when the County went through a similar process just a few months ago?????

Maybe all the "need for change" really is/was a personal vendetta against a person and not a process.

Misstia,
As for the pools, it is not a "necessity" to have a pool, it is a luxury. I know that there are few options for kids, but when I was young they closed the pool near my house, and we found other things to do. But then again my parents asked where I was going, who I was going with, and when I would be back. Different times and different priorities I guess.

 anonomous

We deserve the leadership we have in this city. He's going to be in there for life.

Misstia - How much city money have you wasted this year? With the city money tight why do you currently have over 500 document requests? You are wasting our money with reckless abandon! The worthless recall you helped wage cost the City over a half a million dollars! So if city workers get laid off you deserve some of the blame!

Russ Pry was honest from the begining. The Don lied to avoid recall and then dropped the bomb after saying everything was great in Akron because he had already trimmed the work force through the years. Keep drinking the Kool Aid.

 warnermendenhall

@FirestoneParker. The Mayor is costing us more in EPA fines every week that the recall cost. You really are drinking the Mayor's kool-aid if you think the recall cost 1/2 million. The Board of Elections claimed the recall would cost $175,000 at most. The Mayor lied about the cost of the recall, he lied about bringing the police force up to full strenght, he lied about the fiscal situation of the city.

Warner,
If he really did lie about all of the things you just listed, then he is the BEST POLITICIAN EVER!!!!! ALL politicians lie, that is what they do. Stealing candy from baby's, while kissing them on the cheek.

Warner - $175,000.00 for what happened on election day. What about the Mayor and his staffs time? Being pulled away from important issues to battle a worthless recall? If you add in the different costs it's well over $175,000.00! You know it I know it! Have you paid your tax's yet? Also, how can you call anyone a liar? Your whole campaign was ran on half truths and lies! That's why once again the Mayor and the Akron citizens spoke and overwhelmingly put you in your place!

 Wayne In Akron

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FParker posted:

What about the Mayor and his staffs time? Being pulled away from important issues to battle a worthless recall?
==================

You mean like John Valle running around, checking out the condition of the anti-recall yard signs?

There's no cure for 'stupid', especially when it comes to Plusquellic and those who ride his coattails.

Wayne/Warner/Misstia - What world are you guy's living in? You and your views lost Every Akron ward and every ward precinct! Yet, your still at it! I don't know whether to applaud you for your diligence or feel sorry for you for your loyalty to such a worthless cause.