REPEALED!!!!! 5-2 WHAT SAY YOU?

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE

Did you think the Omaha Fire Union were going to take David Nabity's group's punches lying down? Well starting this weekend the Omaha Fire union will be coming out with their own commercial to attempt to have the council save the minimum manning ordinance that is on the books. Click on the link below and watch their commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTg3epLreLU


We want to know what you think. Will the people of Omaha succeed in the repeal or will the Omaha Firefighter's prevail. What say you Omahans?

SUTTLE WATCH EXCLUSIVE: TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION:

We here at Suttle Watch have to goods on the Mayor's secret weapon to get his tax hike through. This past week Mayor Suttle has tried to secure a city attorney's opinion to bypass the city council and the public on his property tax increase. Suttle is attempting to use Omaha City Charter Section 5.06, which states in part, "After the hearing the Council may revise the expenditure side of the budget by increasing, decreasing, inserting, or deleting appropriation items, except that it shall not reduce appropriations for debt service." Jim Suttle believes this is his trump card on the council. He is wrong!

1) The charter provision addresses debt service. The taxes Suttle collects without a vote are not for next fiscal year but for debt service in 2011. The city's debt service fund is solvent for 2 more years. Jim Suttle is banking excess funds for future use.

2) The Nebraska Budget Act requires public hearings for taxes to be levied. Suttle's unilateral taxation would deprive the public of the hearing for them to weigh in on the tax.

3) the Council has the inherent authority to approve expenditures. Suttle's tax hike deprives the council of their ability to review the mayor's decision.

It is pretty clear that Mayor Suttle has become a dictator down at city hall.

What say you Omaha taxpayers?

THE ENABLER!!!

Sometimes you need an ace in the hole!!! STAY TUNED!!!!!

INTIMIDATION!!!!

How many Omaha Firefighters does it take to man a fire truck? ...4. How many Omaha Firefighters does it take to discuss their budget in front of the Omaha City Council? 3?...4?...5?......10?....12?......TRY 17!!!! Yes today at the Omaha City Council budget meeting Fire Chief Mike McDonnell brought 16 Omaha Firefighters to the meeting all dressed in their Blues and Stripes. At the time of the Omaha Fire Department's presentation 16 of McDonnell's squad filed in one by one and flanked the Chief. As one long time city employee stated, "I have never seen this many firefighters here for a budget presentation."

Well we think it's pretty transparent what Chief McDonnell is up to. The firefighters are drawing a line in the sand after the failed 3 to 4 vote that was taken the week before to repeal the minimum manning ordinance for the Omaha Fire Department. Their budget is Suttle's sacred cow and the Fire Department wanted to show who runs this city.

Here at Suttle Watch we believe this thuggish behavior needs to stop. Mayor Suttle needs to decide whether his Chief represenst the citizens of Omaha or the Omaha Fire Union? The Omaha legislative chamber is a place of dignity and not a German beer hall full of uniforms circa 1930.

What say you Omaha Taxpayers?

Oh here is a little Dramatization of what happened at the City Council Budget Briefing. Enjoy!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6DORwBzuA

OMAHA'S NEW TOM DENNISON??

New project for you readers of Suttle Watch. In your comments, compare and contrast Omaha's Fire Chief Mike McDonnell and former city resident Tom Dennison. We at Suttle Watch feel history repeats itself and the eyes of Omaha's electorate will be closely following both the mayor and the Omaha Fire Department in the coming months.

Have at it Readers!!

UNQUALIFIED????

It seem Mayor Suttle is up to his old tricks again by violating the city charter again!!! Omaha's new and highly overpaid planning director, Rick Cunningham, lacks the qualifications listed for the position in the City Charter. The city charter provides that the planning director must have at least five years of experience in a “city planning post.” Cunningham has never worked as a city planning employee for any municipality.

Apparently the Suttle administration's take is that Cunningham's related experience is sufficient and that the city's charter can be broadly interpreted. We here at Suttle Watch don't think so. Any law student can tell you what "Shall" and "must" means. The Omaha city charter clearly states the planning director shall have at least five years experience “in a responsible city planning post as shall qualify the Director for the duties of the office.” If you couple that with other charter provisions that allow the finance and human resources directors to have their experience experience come from either public or private fields you have a clear directive that the planning director must have five years "city planning post"experience.

Luckily Councilman Chuck Sigerson and Jim Vokal have raised questions regarding this hire in today's Omaha World Herald article. How does the Suttle Administration respond? Well in the same article in the OWH, Suttle's weatherman is interviewed and the following was written, "Gerard said Suttle did not waive the city charter and is proud to have hired "the first African-American planning director in Omaha history.”“Insofar as the Mayor's Office is concerned, Rick is qualified for the job.”

So the Weatherman makes this a race issue and not on their hire's qualifications! Why was Cunningham's race injected into this? We at Suttle Watch think this comment is a smoke screen to cover-up that the mayor hired a friend of his and pay him way over what the position paid previously.

What say you fellow Omahan's?