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This week, Ron N. Hyde and I are eating at the Marketside on East Market Street.
"There's a table over there, Ron." We maneuver our way to a far table.
"Listen to these people," I murmur to Ron. "Pot holes, pot holes, pot holes--that's all people are talking about."
Ron shakes his head in agreement as he spots the waitress. "Thank God! Here comes the coffee."
"I already know what I want," he says. "Let's order." He wants the Sal Maglie Special. I counter with an eggbeater omelet with hot peppers, tomatoes and onions.
"I hear the council is considering another resolution to remove the parkway," I say. "Some council members are suggesting that the broken-up concrete from the parkway removal could be used to fill potholes."
Totally ignoring my sense of humor, Ron changes the topic.
"Without any prior discussion with the council, the administration cut the 400 lines in the budget by 10 percent. Councilmember Accardo asked for a legal opinion. Councilmember Iusi gave one right away. She said that at Tops, they do it all the time. Councilmember Accardo reminded her that at Tops, the money belongs to Tops. This money belongs to the taxpayers. The level of funding in any line sets the level of service represented by that line."
I agree with Ron. He knows that this is one of my favorite subjects. "That's an area of the budget everyone seems to agree on--the council sets the level of service," I say.
"The department heads are earning their pay this year," Ron says with a smile. "Those town hall meetings the Mayor is having are putting them to the test." He continues with another tidbit of information. "Another battle may be brewing between the Board of Education and the city administration," he says. "The administration wants the Board of Education to start paying for garbage pickup."
While we are on the subject of the board, I ask if it's true that the administration wants to charge the school board for the use of city facilities during the upcoming school board election.
It's true, he says, and adds that he heard that this past week, the city changed the locks at the new stadium.
"If that's true, then it's the second time those locks have been changed," I say. "I wonder how much that cost?"
"One bright note," I continue. "It's nice to see that the firemen settled their contract."
"You know?" Ron says. "Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, something else happens. I hear that the minority community is becoming very concerned about some issues. The lack of minority hiring is one big issue. Human Resources is going to be in the middle of this one. Another issue is that a number of people have made some council members aware of alleged poor treatment they say they have received from some police officers."
Sharing his concern, I say, "Mrs. Dolson spoke at a council meeting about five or six weeks ago. This past council meeting, Mr. Street spoke about his treatment by a police officer. I tell you, Ron, what this city doesn't need is more divisiveness or lawsuits."
He agrees. "Our situation is so critical that a lawsuit could really drive us into bankruptcy." Ron continues, "Vince, as a Union man, you'll like this one! Apparently, during last year's budget deliberations, one of the city union presidents approached some council members and offered to help to decide which jobs to cut. In return, he wanted reassurance that one particular job be saved. Now that the story is out, he's going around City Hall saying that this never happened. At least two council members say that it did happen and would be glad to name the union Judas, I mean president."
"Hey, Joe D'Angelo seems to be heading in a new direction. And it looks like Joe wants to be a Democrat," I say.
"Fine!" Ron counters. "How is that going to change anything? The two councilmembers the Mayor depends on the most are both Democrats. Mayor Elia made it known a while ago that she wants all new faces on the council. Joe must have seen the handwriting on the wall. The day after the last budget came out, the Mayor started her campaign to replace all the incumbents that are up for reelection this year."
Ron reflects back to a few months ago during the budget. "I think Joe's been taking a beating for a while," he says. "A couple of times, during last year's budget sessions, Mayor Elia had him cornered in the hallway and she seemed to be scolding the young councilman. A number of us witnessed the very intense scolding Joe received out in the parking lot one night. It was after a budget session."
"Hey, let's go," I say to Ron. "It's too nice a day to be sitting inside. See if you can get me that information on the budget next week."
Next week, Ron and I are meeting at Mom's Coffee Shop in La Salle. Maybe we'll get some questions answered about the city budget.