Deval Patrick: He’s the Devil in Your Details

By | Boston Daily |

1218035834Sniff. Sniff. We promised ourselves we wouldn’t get emotional, but we’re just so proud of Gov. Deval Patrick. Late last year, it seemed like “yes we can” was shorthand for “yes, we can run roughshod over the governor” as House Speaker Sal DiMasi ruthlessly killed Patrick’s casino legislation.

But today, we’re prouder than parents watching their baby take his first steps. Patrick is playing hardball with the police unions, and it looks like he might have them beat.

Local police unions had quietly started negotiating with cities and towns to exploit a loophole in the governor’s plan that would have allowed police officers to remain on low-speed, low-traffic construction sites if their contract or local ordinances required it. Once the governor got wind of this, he decided to eliminate the provision.

The move was so ballsy, it caught union officials completely off guard.

“You’re kidding me,” Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said yesterday when told of the regulations. “This is a complete surprise to us.”

If the governor isn’t closing the damask drapes in his office and doing a spirited victory dance to “We Are the Champions,” he should be. Many governors that came before him have failed to end the detail practice. While it may cost him valuable union support should he run in 2010, Patrick’s newfound willingness to tighten spending may make voters less likely to repeal the income tax in November.

The move also sends a valuable message to Patrick’s would-be foes. As Freddie Mercury once said, “I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I’ve come through.” And this time, the governor has.

Photo from Mass.gov

  • Tim

    The reality is this. One of Govenor Patrick’s campaign promises was he was going to put upwards of 1,000 new cops on the streets. Since he taking office cops are being laid off all over the place. To take it a step further he has vilanized police officers making these public servants the subject of negative front page news. Govenor Patrick has done a horrible diservice to the entire profession.

    Police earn anywhere from $30 to $40 an hour while on detail with the average probably falling somewhere in the middle.

    a 10% surcharge is added which goes into (in most cases) the city or town general fund. Most department are fairly small and the 10% a very imporant part of their budget.

    When a police officer earns his detail rate he gets the $ only. It does not count toward retirement or anything else. The officer gets the cash & the transaction is ended.

    Govenor Patrick’s proposal as spoken by Tranportation director Bernard Cohen seeks to retrain existing MA highway employee to be flagmen. They will earn between $31 & $38 per hour (as explained by Mr. Cohen) depending on the location of the detail.

    As MA highway employees the state will surely have to provide benefits, pay insurance, overtime, sick time, vacation time, etc. Also, in the winter months when traditional road construction slows I would imagine these employees would be laid off & paid to stay home.

    A Flag man would earn far more then the 40k or so starting salary most cities / town typically pay.

    Also, i am severely tiring of the argument “MA is the only state in the country to use Police for road details”. If you drive 95 from MA to FL you will see cops on construction details in every state. It is a common practice with many states preferring the use of police.

    As for the “talking on your cell phone” or “drinking coffee” argument . . . How do you know what those calls are? Often they are the PD calling for any number of legitimate business reasons. Sometimes it is your wife asking to pick the kids up on the way home, or sometimes the kids.

    If we put a highway beside each & every working persons desk & had the general public comment (without truly knowing the detail) on you how would you be rated? Do you ever get a call from your spouse? Does a co-worker every call from another extension? Do you every venture out for a smoke break (gross habit by the way) & if so how much time do you spend smoking each day at work? Do you check your personal e-mail? Do you ever surf the web? Do you ever eat a sandwich or go to the bathroom while at work? Do you ever laught with a co-worker?

    Are there cops that are complete asses with respect to the above? of course there are but they are a small minority & certainly no indicative of the masses just like at your work place.

    In the end the bulk (by far) of details are paid by private industry who in turn pays 10% extra to the city or town which hosted the detail. The cities & town make money of the details which are key to their budgets. Cops make lousy salaries & the city & towns are able to keep them because they can supplement by working details. Cops are needed at details. Drunks, fleeing felons, people traveling at ridiculous speeds, & accidents are common place in & around details. Cops are trained pro’s who handle these thing daily & they should be right where they are now.

    There saving will be zero if going to flag persons. The cost will be far greater in terms of dollars & so many other ways.

    Police Officers command respect & have the power to write tickets, truly slow traffic, & arrest if the situation calls for it.

    In my opinion this has much to do with the Boston PD not supporting Gov. Patrick’s bid for office. The public response has been largely due to most people’s interaction with the police being their getting a ticket. They simply want to get back at the guy that wrote them up.

    As for the argument the phone, cable, or gas bill is higher because of police details do you really think verizon is going to send a “good news . . . we are reducing your bill because we no longer have to hire cops”?

    Govenor Patrick has been a huge failure. This state should have a casino or two, slots at the racetracks, & anything else that bolster our ecomony by putting people to work. Gov. Patrick has to kknow his chances of re-election are next to zero.

    Support you local police. They are there for you 24/7 (night/weekends/ & holidays) for a base pay of probably 50k on average.

    If your kid were playing in the road (obviously not a good idea) would you want a cop keeping watch on them or a flag man?

    Thanks for you time,
    Tim