Lawyers and stuff

After a vote to give the part time Fall River School Committee attorney, Bruce Assad, a $32,000 raise, Assad now makes ($77,500) approximately double the median income of Fall River (for a PART TIME CITY JOB). I am not begrudging him for trying to get the most money he possibly can, I would probably try to do the same thing; BUT damn you School Committee for allowing this!! I hope when teachers are paying for classroom supplies out of their pockets, they think of you.

I think this quote from Tim McCoy, in support of Assad's raise, sums up the egregiousness of the raise pretty well, "...he is a guy that has spent several hours in negotiations during the past couple of months."

I am additionally frustrated because, on the city side of things, co-mayors Torres and Flanagan are about to add ANOTHER attorney to the legal department. I distinctly remember Flanagan selling the city a bill of goods that included cutting the costs of the "overpriced" legal department under the Correia administration. The city clearly survived all these years on one full time attorney and 2 part time attorneys....why do we now need 3 full times and a part time? On this subject, the law department proposes to pay the new Assistant Corporation Counsel $47,000 for a full time job. How does that reconcile with the $77,500 for the part time Assad?

These people are in the "public service" sector.....I always thought that meant they served the public, but it seems like it is the other way around.

Robert Correia's Rules of Order - updated

Earlier this year when Bob Correia joined this School Committee, the committee members had a discussion at their regular meeting about Robert's Rules of Order and agreed that they would use that source as guiding in their parliamentary procedures.

At a recent School Committee meeting, Kevin Aguiar tried to make an amendment to a motion using Robert's Rules of Order. Bob didn't appear to like this, as it would have delayed something he was trying to push through - this is when Bob decided to change the rules to use "tradition" rather than the previously agreed upon Robert's Rules of Order "because that is the prerogative of the chair." This is clear and egregious evidence that Bob changes the rules as he goes to favor his position.




UPDATE
Thirdmate at HMS Impossible posted a great blog discussing this topic in more detail