It's Even More Bush League Than I Thought!

During the HPD portion of last week's Informal Common Council meeting, Police Chief Mishanda Franklin told the council and the public that she was interviewing candidates for the position of a parking enforcer since an enforcer had "unfortunately quit" last month.  While Mishanda didn't mention if she had posted the job opening on the city's website, she did mention that she had posted it on Indeed.com.  Of course, Indeed is not free.

The position Mishanda is trying to fill is not currently, nor has it ever been, posted on the city's own website.  According to the difficult-to-find JOBS & VOLUNTEERING page found on the ABOUT HUDSON page of the city's website, the only currently available position at City Hall is that of a dispatcher at HPD, a job that apparently still remains unfilled after at least 8 months.  It is not unusual of late to call HPD and be greeted by a regular police officer, though I'm pretty sure that one new dispatcher was hired recently.  Whatever the case, that posting has been up about as long as the Missing Person Advisory flashing at the top of the main page.  Welcome to Hudson!

In response to a rare question from a council member at the meeting, Mishanda explained what the basic qualifications for the job were.  Another council member then asked if the position was full time.  "No," Mishanda replied, "it's part-time, per diem. 24 hours a week."  The council member did not ask Mishanda why this was so, but you'd think she would have just offered the reason anyway.  So, I decided to put the question to her myself. 

Is this a viable position?  Who will this attract, if anyone?

I asked our police chief why all four parking enforcement officer positions were part-time and why none were full-time.  Mishanda had difficulty answering my simple question.  In fact, she failed to answer it.  She initially said, "That I don't know.  The city changed that a long time ago."

"What do you mean the city changed it?  Officially?"

"I mean years ago, probably over twenty years ago, there were full time parking enforcement officers.  But sometime between then and now that's changed."

"I'm asking if it changed officially.  Are you saying that it can't change back to full time?  Is that what you're saying?"

"I mean, it's possible it could, but that's not a decision I make."

"Who would make that decision?"

Long pause.

"Any ideas?"

No response.

Tom Depietro:  "Next question, Bill."

This is what it has come to at council meetings.  A police chief who either offers non-answers or simply refuses to answer simple questions.  Isn't it rather odd and suspicious that the person hiring employees won't reveal, or actually doesn't know, why the positions she is regularly trying to fill are only for part-time work? Of course it is!

According to SeeThroughNY, Mishanda Franklin took home $129,960 in Hudson taxpayer funds last year.  And she doesn't know, or won't say, why the parking enforcement officers working for her department who she hires can only be hired as part-time employees.  And she acts surprised when one of them quits after not even a year on the job.  It's so "unfortunate!"   Really?  This is how to run a city properly and sustainably?   It's nothing but BUSH LEAGUE!

The enforcer who recently quit was a friendly fellow, and fairly young as parking enforcers go (retirees love part-time work, especially if it involves lots of walking!).  One day early this year on Warren Street, I asked him why he thought his position was part-time.  He told me what I already knew:  "They don't want to pay us benefits, so they limit us to 24 hours per week.  That's what the other guy told me.  The two other guys are retirees, so they already have their benefits and pensions.  Not me."  He then told me that he was looking for a full-time job because "no one can survive on part-time work."  In other words, if the City of Hudson had employed that enforcer full-time (with benefits, of course), he might still be with us and might have even stuck around for a long time.  Alas, I doubt that he was around writing parking tickets for HPD for more than 8 months.  

Why are we still paying our police chief
to hire and supervise parking enforcers? 
Does she really have the time for it? 

Rather than two full-time enforcers, there are typically four part-timers (now just three).  It's just the way it has always been done and always must be done at HPD.  Don't ask why!  You will be wasting your time!

But it gets better!

For my next question at the meeting, I asked Mishanda if she was okay with her parking enforcers jaywalking to issue tickets after seeing flashing meters from across the street, something enforcers regularly do.  I asked her if jaywalking was allowed by the enforcers even though it is not frowned upon among the general public.  

"If they get across safely, yes," she actually replied.  I stifled a laugh.

"So you allow them to jaywalk whenever they like?" 

"I mean, I'm not out there watching them as they walk on the street."

"Is jaywalking allowed by your officers, chief?"

"If they're not interrupting traffic..."

"Just yes or no, chief, and I'll be done." 

"I've already answered that, Bill."

Tom Depietro:  "Okay, thank you, Bill, and thank you, chief." 

It is as if Mishanda Franklin and Robert Perry read the same book, titled "How To Avoid Answering Questions From The Public and Get Away With It."  

Things continue to get truly dumb and fugly at the Hudson Common Council meetings.