City Council Pay Raises: A gloved slap in the face

I happened to read the news about the City Councilor's pay raises over at Daily Worcesteria and while, “It was the right thing to do. How could we do otherwise in this incredibly difficult time?,” says Councilor Kate Toomey. I had to write a response on Daily Worcesteria as well as post my response here on Worcester Is MAJOR!

The playground dubbed "The Grand Hustle" goes back to a meeting held on February 27, 2008, and written about on Worcester Is MAJOR! on February 28, 2008. Read that post here. Also, here's another post titled "The Great Divide" from October 16, 2007, so that you may get-up-to-speed on the history regarding the playground.

This is somewhat good news to read and hear, but when we have Councilors such as Paul Clancy pushing through, on the sly, the approval of $300k for a playground at Providence Street School, I guess not taking the pay raise is only a velvet-gloved slap in the face.

The amazing great act was played out prior to Christmas when most folks were still reeling from the ice storm and the snow storms that hit us all hard.

Mayor Lukes and the entire City Council should be ashamed, because in tough times, a playground is the last thing we need. There are good folks loosing their homes, struggle day in and day out to put food on the table and they have the audacity to approve a $300,000 playground?!

It's no wonder why Worcester is known as 'Wormtown'.

All the good people of Worcester have to get involved and call City officials to be responsible, especially when spending with reckless abandon is not the course we need to take during these lean times.

As in Latin, we must demand and expect Magis.