Bartlett's red pen

Guest editorial: Mayor's recent budget proposal is 'short sighted and self-absolving.'

The industrialized world celebrates May 1 as International Workers Day, honoring the men and women who build and maintain society. Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett celebrated the day of the worker by announcing the elimination of 215 jobs and blaming most of his administration’s fiscal woes on unionized city employees.

The bulk of Mayor Bartlett’s savings plan will be carried on the backs of school children, theater arts and by elimination of existing unfilled positions. According to Mayor Bartlett his cuts would result in a 4.1 percent reduction in the city budget.

The Bartlett administration does not feel school crossing guards for the thousands of students walking to school on dark winter mornings is a core service. This is understandable if you have time to drive and pick up children every day without having your pay docked. Or, if children go to private schools that hire their own crossing guards.

The Clark and Heller Theater arts programs? Who needs them? The Mayor wants to raise water and sewer rates and extend taxes. This is interesting from someone whose re-election campaign was endorsed by Tea Party conservatives. Why announce massive cuts when there is a $350,000 job study by the Fox and Lawson firm that has yet to see daylight? How does Bartlett expect to champion saving money on the backs of employees when he spent over a quarter of a million dollars on a study he’s not using?

Where is the study? Why announce job reductions without making the study public?

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) believes the study shows Tulsa non-police and fire employees are paid thirty-five percent less than employees in cities of comparable size.

It is no secret that Bartlett and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) have been at odds since the day he took office. The FOP threw their lot with challenger Kathy Taylor in the last election, as did the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAoFF).

But, to specifically blame these unions for all the administration’s money problems is sophomoric in the extreme. After all, the city signed the contracts.

It is not the FOP’s fault their negotiators were sharper than the ones the city sent to the table. Perhaps a good place to start saving money would be for Bartlett to fire his negotiators and hire someone who knows what they’re doing.

Not to say the Tulsa Police Department couldn’t do with a little soul searching and vacuum cleaning in the personnel department. It could. Could the Fire Department use some reorganization and belt tightening? This can be said for any government agency.

Bartlett said nothing about single-source contracting or a review of administration positions. He seems much more concerned with unions, which are guaranteed by city charter.

Section 400 A(1) recognizes the need for unions, saying:

“Experiences in both private and public employment indicate that the extension of the right of employees to organize, bargain collectively and participate through labor organizations of their own choosing in decisions which affect them safeguards the public interest, contributes to the effective conduct of public business and facilitates and encourages the amicable settlement of disputes between employees and employers on issues involving conditions of employment.”

Bartlett’s budget message mentioned unions, public safety, police, and fire sixteen times in the first twenty-three paragraphs. Bartlett left no doubt as to his target. “Unfortunately, we were not able to apply more efficient management techniques in the fire and police departments due to the constraints of the union contracts with the police and fire unions,” he said.

Is the Mayor trying to balance a budget or bust some unfaithful unions? The Bartlett budget appears to have been written by people wearing aluminum foil hats. At the very least, it is short sighted and self-absolving.

Bartlett’s other problems? He calls to mind the southern philosopher and comic Brother Dave Gardner, “Kick thy own self.”

Richard L. Fricker is a career freelance journalist living in Tulsa. He has covered the courts and politics for a number of national publications. His latest book is "The Last Day of the War."