In “City finances near the brink”, Lancaster City Mayor Rick Gray is quoted as saying “Police and firefighter union contracts, which comprise the highest portion of the budget for salaries, will both increase 3 percent…Though these increases may seem relatively small, when couple with prior increases, they have a compounding effect, which results in a substantial increase in costs.”
WATCHDOG: Gray is mistaken to categorize a wage increase of 3% as “small” during a year when the nation is experiencing deflation of over 1%.
Wage increases during a typical year of say 3% inflation might be 4%, which represents a 1% increase in ‘real’ added buying power after correction for inflation. A 3% increase this year amounts to a 4% increase in ‘real’ buying power, a virtually unprecedented raise.
He didn’t characterize it as small. He said that might “seem” like a small percentage to the uninitiated.
Who are the city police accountable too for their use of funds?
Ironically Chris Erb [detective] is the union chief ever complaining of lack of funds.
This is the same Chris Erb who spent untold hours and unlimited manpower investigating and pursueing charges against me.
One time I was charged for demonstrating at a political rally (unnecessary horn blowing and unnecessary stopping)
The then DA Totaro advised Chris Erb on another occasion NOT to pursue charges and actually refused to provide an ADA to prosecute me but no problem – Chris himself kept it going and got me convicted anyway.
Chris worked with the “Captain of Detectives” John Flemming on charges against me though as you see on film I was attacked and was in fact the victim. The police report was longer than some homicide investigations produce.
Not just that one but on many occasions they spent amazing amounts of money to prosecute me in an attempt to stop my filming. The point is these cops can set out on a “personal” mission and spend money like drunkin sailors on prosecutions which have no merit.