Observers of New Rochelle politics have become accustomed to Noam “Find Me a Higher Political Office” Bramson flogging phony economic development schemes. The somnolent local daily press and what passes for broadcast TV news coverage have always allowed the widest of “berths” to his illusory progress claims in carefully staged media events and windy state-of-the-city presentations. His math just doesn’t add up. Never has.
Have you ever considered his economic “team’s” sales tax projections? They regularly and repeatedly count on phantom consumers spending phantom dollars at phantom retailers. The actual annual proceeds always fall short, way short of budgeted projections. It sometimes seems as if City Hall swizzles its business theory/practices from the same fountain as our Community-Organizer-In-Chief sitting at Washington, DC.
But what else are we to expect from a member of the professional political office-seeking class? This is what such careerists typically do. In their minds (and in the minds of the loyal lever-pulling automatons of New Rochelle City Council districts 5 and 6) this is what they were put on this earth to do; compose economic development “dreamscapes,” and when the fantasies don’t come true, blame the nearest capitalist or taxpayer, or the free market system in general. Serious-minded observers should not be surprised when left-wing devotees of fiscal stimulus and “public investment” do and say whatever is necessary to buttress their statist objectives; and fatten the coffers and enrich the political action funds of cooperative builders and sympathetic merchants (the “developmental-industrial complex?”) in the process.
No; what is really troubling about these financial flights of fancy is the willing participation by City Hall’s supposed professional staff; that is, the City Manager’s office and the Department of Finance and their respective heads. In order to comprehend their departure from professional standards and common concepts of impartiality, all one has to do is to look at the presentation concocted by City Hall staff during last year’s budgetary “silly season.” If you attended any of the public hearings, citizens-to-be-heard sessions or financial “fashion shows” offered to neighborhood associations and political clubs, you most likely were treated to some elements of a carefully composed Power Point presentation represented in full on the City Hall web site.
At one such dog-and pony show offered at the American Legion hall, the finance director offered the typical justifications for our financial woes; unexpected volume of commercial certiorari proceedings; numerous residential tax hearings (3900 or so just last year); depressed real estate market; global, national, regional recession; with statistical graphs/pie charts made available if illustrations were needed – absolute dollar and proportional budgetary impacts offered to any questioner.
However, when the director was asked for comparable graphs/pie charts/dollar figures and/or relative budgetary impact analyses concerning the effect of real estate/sales tax abatements/zoning variances/memoranda of understanding or other fruits of City Council or IDA (Industrial Development Agency) “deals” made for the benefit of favored developers, all the bureaucrat could offer was an enfeebled “Oh, I don’t have those figures. No dollar amount or relative impact on the budget.” Just like a politician however, he did volunteer that New Rochelle gains “many intangible” and tangible benefits from these projects.
But, he was asked, doesn’t New Rochelle benefit when homeowners get a break on taxes? By such means, aren’t common taxpayers, by saving a little money to provide for the maintenance of their abodes, now contributing to the economic welfare of the community and creating a more pleasant and prosperous-looking community? Further, he was asked, doesn’t the tax certiorari process enable some of our economically endangered local, family-owned businesses to remain viable and survive against national, big-box retailers? To this, the bureaucrat had no response.
So; one can accept a politician acting like a politician. All politicians do THAT. But what is the harried New Rochelle citizen/stakeholder to make of his supposed non-partisan financial/managerial professionals parroting the excuses of their political-class overseers and bosses?
Has political advantage-seeking reached this far? Have commonly accepted standards of financial and administrative independence been so compromised? Who will stand up for budgetary integrity and competence if not the professionals historically entrusted with these responsibilities?
And can New Rochelle citizens believe anything that the operating department heads ever say again now that they have taken on the non-statutory task of partisan flacking for their elected bosses?
Current Ceremonial Mayoralty games.
Bramson can play ceremonial Mayor when he chooses and he can manipulate the system and be the strong Mayor when he chooses.Count the votes 4-3 and they will go to great lengths to preserve this majority. He has the best of both worlds while being able to hide when he chooses.
If he is truly ceremonial let him cut ribbons and marry people and if he is strong let the cards fall for what he does. Right now he manipulates and hides at will. Problem is Strome is riding the fence which continues the games. For me I would like to see them both tar’d and feathered and run Barry and Marrianne out with them.
Unfortunately the frustration continues to grow.
Doesn’t what you describe really come back to the form of city goverment we have? Aren’t city employees subject to the possible firing by the City Manager? A while back there was a referendum for a strong mayor form of government but it was rejected by the voters. Would they now have second thoughts? Can a City Manager manage professionally or is he prevented from doing this by a political majority of the Council? Isn’t another piece of this puzzle the redistricting which is done to maximize the majority party in office. Wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air if we could have non-partisan redistrcting and truly professional city management? Can New Rochelle be managed fairly? Your article seems to point in a direction that it cannot.
“Bramsonomics” and New Rochelle
I think you are absolutely right (even though I hadn’t intended to make the point that you have generously ascribed to my post!).
I believe that the Manager form of government is probably the best form in terms of “professionalism” and independence from crass politicization. Its chief shortcoming is an outgrowth of this feature. That is: the uncertain mechanism of politically-related accountability endemic to this type that is the cornerstone of representative government.
This debate is far from over and there are “forces” in town that have offered to raise the “form of government” issue again some day. That will be interesting, but unfortunately does not help those unfortunate travelers who would like accommodation when they want to do the right thing and use public transportation today (like myself just last night).
The easy answer to the dilemma we face in New Rochelle’s budgetary process is simply for “professional bureaucrats” (I am not being political here; just reporting their status) like the city manager and finance executive to refuse to “play politics” at public meetings and simply present fact, and not to muddy the waters by staging verbal power point presentations or engage in other overtly partisan acts; and in the present case, to not tally the economic costs of one factor favorable to their political boss’s cause (in the present case, the expense of taxpayer certioraris and assessment reviews), without tallying the economic costs of another factor unfavorable to their political boss’s cause (in the present case, the expense of IDA and City Council grants of tax abatements and other benefits).
Let us hope this all gets resolved at City Hall tonight (?).