Posted on 05/05/2008 7:23:59 AM PDT by Puppage
New Haven (AP) -- Some New Haven aldermen are backing a "bad boy clause" as a city ordinance to punish city employees convicted of crimes by cutting off pension benefits.
The Board of Aldermen's Finance Committee is recommending the proposal under which the city would revoke or reduce pension payments and post-retirement medical benefits, The New Haven Register reported.
The idea was first proposed more than a year ago, but has gained much support in recent weeks.
Recently, former police Lt. William White was awarded a $91,000 annual pension as well as medical benefits although he has been convicted of corruption after an investigation by the FBI.
The Police Union president says the bad boy clause should be part of contract negotiations, not city law.
Hmmmmm.. I wonder if disbarred Bill Clinton could be considered a “Bad Boy”.
“Who you callin’ ‘Boy’?”
Tough talk coming from a sanctuary city filled with illegal alien criminals.
I vote no. No one/company should be able to mess over someone’s hard earned retirement.
Really? Even if it wasn't hard-earned? Why should the public pay a generous pension to a corrupt public official? If they've screwed the taxpayers, why shouldn't the taxpayers go right back and screw them?
I can see the possibilities of abuse - you take an employee who has worked hard all his/her life, then trump up some case against them in order to revoke their pensions, thus becomming a hero to the taxpayers.
In general I would agree with you, but I do have a problem with corruption of Police Officers. They have an inherent trust factor in their position and if they breach that trust, they deserve such punishment.
I agree with your concern, but in this case, the guy was convicted.
So the city council will impose a monetary punishment on top of whatever a court imposes. Right. They are looking at a pot of money they want to keep as much of as possible. No employer should ever have any control over employees pension. Enron comes to mind, along with these buggers.
Then remove the pension with due process, not "council fiat."
I don’t have a problem with people like Rowland not being able to receive pensions, but there is a vuge potential, even motivation for misuse. being convicted can happen in any kangaroo court, and CT isn’t any more exempt from this phemonena than any other state. it’s creating a truncheon to threaten any employee near retirement in order to enforce the will of hte powerful.
Billy Dale, anyone? He was hung up on trumped up charges, and thankfully NOT convicted, but he could have had the judge also been near retirement and vulnerable to pressure.
LEt’s try something like this: political appointees, elected officials, and agency heads would be covered, btu nto anyone else. Of course this could be a foot in the door approach (pony up cash to my reelection campaign or I’ll think up something to charge you with).
just how difficult is it to gin up charges? How hard is it to put porn on someone’s computer, for example?
Why are they even offered? Let the private sector provide these services instead of the taxpayer, like any other employer.
“recommending the proposal under which the city would revoke or reduce pension payments and post-retirement medical benefits”
Hope it applies to the mayor and alderman as well..New Haven dems are little more than disorganized crime.
The biggest problem is what if the corrupt person is the one trying to revoke someone else's pension.
I can see someone demanding political contributions from those nearing retirement by threatening them with arrest on false charges. if you don’t pony up the cash, someone will find porn on your computer.
with the way CT does things, it would burt the innocent far more than the guilty.
$91,000 a year PENSION? How many in ths country EARN that much? If they replaced pensions with 401Ks, they wouldn’t have this problem. You’d have to grandfather the current crop, but all Newbies would get an “up-to-6% match”, like most plans, and an into to the concept of “rollover” upon retirement. The taxpayer is then off the hook. Just think if we had implemented this 20 years ago.
How is “finding porn on your computer” a criminal offense? It is a firing offense in most companies, but it certainly doesn’t rise to the level of public corruption.
"Hmmmmm.. I wonder if disbarred Bill Clinton could be considered a “Bad Boy”. Well, Bill Clinton was not actually disbarred, his license was suspended from 2001-05, but I understand your thinking process on this.
This is already illegal in their Federal Court District.
Way to waste MORE taxpayer dollars exploring this option.
Not many. But if they had earned it, then they had earned it. And taking a pension away shouldn't be done lightly. And I'm betting that for these folks, a 401(k) plan wasn't an option so they won't have one to fail back upon.
If Billy White has been convicted of corruption (was this an incident involving money discovered in the trunk of a drug dealer and not inventoried but allegedly taken by White and a junior officer?), that can certainly be considered along with his very long (hence the size of the pension) and very successful career as New Haven's best street cop.
The loss of his badge would be punishment enough for a man like Billy White. Unfortunately (and this is Billy's fault) the community of New Haven is punished as well by losing his services. He should have run for mayor and then he could have kept the cash and the office. As it is, Billy gets the pension and New Haven citizens lose the protection that he generally provided to them with great competence. If he was framed BY criminals, that would come as no great surprise. As it is, he has been convicted apparently and the burden of proof has been met or has, at least, shifted to Billy White.
Note, I am assuming Billy's guilt only in the event that he was properly found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and then out of necessary deference to the jury system.
I was referring to 401Ks for FUTURE appointees, etc. With the current lush pensions + healthcare bennies, they don't need any alternate sources of income.
depends upon what kind of porn. child porn IS criminal. and the exact plant isn’t what’s important its the fact that if you don’t kowtow to the ‘ins’ then you get arrested. (Can you lose your pension if you get a traffic ticket? - wait)
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