Warren’s financial crisis underlines council race

The city of Warren is in such dire straits fiscally that the administration of Mayor Michael O’Brien has secured approval from the unions representing government employees to withhold the final pay of the year because there won’t be money to cover the checks. It means the city will have to come up with two pays at the start of the new year.

With this reality confronting Warren, the need for the mayor and city council to work together on an economic recovery plan has never been greater. And, given that the three at-large members of council, along with the president of council, are elected city-wide, as is the mayor, these officeholders are the key to city government’s future stability.

On Nov. 3, the names of all three at-large lawmakers will be on the ballot. But there also will be a fourth candidate in the race, an individual who is well-known to Warren voters: Daniel Sferra.

Yes, the former member of council and mayor is making a bid for what could be his last political hurrah. Sferra says he isn’t doing it for the money — he is on government pension — nor for the glory. After his tenure in city government, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives. The reason he decided to come out political retirement is because of the fiscal crisis and his belief that his experience, knowledge and relationship with the unions could be helpful in forging a new direction.

Sferra, along with incumbents Helen Rucker and Dan Crouse, appeared before members of The Vindicator’s editorial board and a reporter as part of the endorsement process. The third incumbent, Bob Dean, did not attend.

But even if Dean had made an appearance, Sferra’s presence in the race would still have prompted us to judge whether each of the council members offered a compelling case for re-election.

We believe Rucker, who is completing a second term in the at-large post and had previously served three terms as 6th Ward councilwoman, and Crouse, completing his first term, certainly have a solid understanding of the city’s financial problems, their root causes and what it will take to restore stability.

Sferra, who was less-than-impressive several years ago, when he appeared before Vindicator writers during his re-election bid for state representative, came across this time as a man on a mission. It is clear that he has not forgotten much about city government even though he has been away for some time and has thought about what needs to be done in the short and long terms.

Pushing for a plan

Rucker says she has long advocated an economic recovery plan for the city, and while neither her colleagues nor the administration gave it much thought in the past, council is finally taking the lead.

“We can’t go much further without it,” the councilwoman said, pointing out that not only is the last pay of the year being delayed until January, but the city has also put off making a payment to Worker’s Compensation.

One of her main goals is to streamline government though combining jobs, initiating central purchasing and, most importantly, looking at the police department, which she says has been top heavy for about six years.

“We need patrolmen ... those who have been laid off,” Rucker says. “We need to cut the brass, captain, lieutenants ...”

Crouse, who has been office just two years, pointed out that last year he warned the administration “we were spending more than were taking in.” He came to that conclusion, he said, when money from the general fund reserve was used for day-to-day operations.

The administration’s response: The general fund is in balance.

Today, the reserve has all but disappeared, which means difficult decisions must be made to return fiscal sanity to the city.

Crouse believes negotiations with the unions to save money are absolutely necessary. All the contracts expire on Dec. 31.

The councilman said the city should seek higher co-payments on health insurance from the employees and also put the health plan out for competitive bid.

In addition, the city should explore ways to cut its energy costs, by consolidating the various offices into a limited number of buildings and to explore technology to convert sludge and other waste into electricity.

Crouse noted that council believes the time has come for the city to hire an outside firm to conduct the negotiations with the labor unions.

Legislation to pay for the firm has been prepared.

Both incumbents believe the city should work with the sheriff on ways to cut police costs, such as having one dispatching center.

They pointed out that the city’s equipment is antiquated and it cannot afford the millions necessary for replacements.

Working together

Sferra noted that the relationship between the administration and city council is not good and something must be done to get the two branches of government working together.

He also said that while he was mayor, the unions never once went to arbitration for contracts, but since his departure arbitration has become standard operating procedure. And that’s a mistake, he said.

The Vindicator believes the re-election of Rucker and Crouse and the return of Sferra are important to Warren’s well-being.