Moore: Elorza Shows Bravery by Taking on Firefighters

For far too long, the attitude around here has been, don't rock the boat. Go along to get along. Beware of powerful special interest groups.

That’s a great method for politicians to get elected and reelected. But that approach is what's led us to a stagnant Rhode Island that has among the highest tax burdens in the nation, which scares away prospective businesses from locating here and discourages the businesses we do have from expanding here, yet still doesn't have enough money to build beautiful new schools, or fix our crumbling roads and bridges.

That revolting lack of courage from Rhode Island's political leaders at all levels has stunted Rhode Island from reaching its full potential.

That's why the single most encouraging day of Mayor Jorge Elorza's short tenure occurred last Thursday, when he announced that he planned to rearrange the firefighter platoons from 4 to 3 per day. In doing so, firefighters would work shifts of 52-hours per week instead of their current 40-hour per week schedule.

Making a Tough Decision

The reform would save taxpayers millions an estimated $5 million per year. That’s because the shorter number of platoons would reduce the overtime and "callback" expenditures in the fire department. In doing so, Elorza has sent a loud and clear message to the general public that he isn't afraid to make difficult decisions and take on a difficult fight if he believes the decision will benefit the City of Providence as a whole.

Earlier this year, the town manager of North Kingstown, Mike Embury, followed a similar approach after finding that most other fire departments throughout the country operate on a similar schedule. The move will save his town about $2 million per year.

Naturally, there's a bill backed by the state firefighters association in the state legislature that would make the reform Elorza proposes illegal. Also, the Providence Firefighters Union opposes the measure, and has vowed to fight the matter all the way to court if they must.

Look: nobody wants to see the firefighters work longer hours for the same pay. But Elorza has said that he's more than willing, and actually prefers to negotiate a settlement with the union that would achieve the savings he needs to balance the city budget.

Elorza Stood Up For Taxpayers

There's this nonsensical notion out there that people who want to make the government more efficient somehow dislike unions or city workers. That's nonsense. The question is not what the taxpayers want to pay firefighters. Of course, almost everyone wants to pay the firefighters, the heroes that they are, as much as possible. (I personally think every soldier fighting our wars on foreign soil should be paid well in excess of $100,000 per year, at least.) Here's the problem: we can only afford so much.

And let's keep it real--if all of the firefighters quit as a result of Elorza's proposal, there would be at least 10 people coming forward to take the job of each person that quit. That's because the reality for most Rhode Islanders is that the job security, excellent benefits, and good pay of working for the City of Providence is hard to come by, and rightly valued.

Taking the Long View

But all of that is less valuable if the city is constantly facing a structural deficit. The sad reality is the city of Providence is drowning in red ink as far as the eye can see. Elorza predicts persistent structural deficits throughout his tenure that will reach almost $20 million according to a study he's commissioned. It will prevent him from making investments in things the city needs to become economically competitive--like schools and infrastructure.

And that fact doesn't even touch upon the staggering long-term financial liabilities of the pension and other post employment benefits (OPEB) that Providence has promised its retirees.

Be aware that it would be much easier for Elorza to continue to kick the can down the road, explode Providence's liabilities even further, raise taxes even more (maybe Providence would surpass Central Falls and become the state’s highest taxed community) and rely on one-time creative fixes to balance city budgets for years to come. That however, would only exacerbate the city's financial problems in the long run.

None of this is to imply that this reform will be some great panacea that solves all of Providence problems. To the contrary: everyone in Providence, not just firefighters, must share in the burden of righting the city’s financial ship.

Fortunately however, Elorza showed, at least last Thursday, that he's willing to stand up for taxpayers and take the long view of city finances. For that, I give Elorza credit. And so should you.

Related Slideshow: 10 Questions Elorza Has to Answer as Mayor

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Russell Moore has worked on both sides of the desk in Rhode Island media, both for newspapers and on political campaigns. Send him email at [email protected] Follow him on twitter @russmoore713.