Free rides continue in Schenectady Despite new city policy, no employee has lost use of a take-home vehicleBy Lauren Stanforth
Published 09:24 p.m., Wednesday, June 27, 2012
SCHENECTADY – City leaders made a big deal out of possibly curtailing use of employee take-home vehicles — even bringing in department heads to explain why their workers need to have cars during off-hours.
But after a new policy was adopted last month, no employees have been stripped of their rides.
The policy says employees must get approval from a department head or the mayor to take cars home, and that all other vehicles are to not leave city limits unless given the green light by their bosses — a move to reduce gasoline and maintenance costs.
Mayor Gary McCarthy confirmed no cars have been taken away, but he expects to do make changes after July. He was vague about how it would be determined who keeps their vehicles and who doesn't.
"Part of the policy is: how do you have it adapt to the changing needs?" McCarthy said, adding there are some employees who no longer need a car but other new workers who might — like building inspector Eric Schilling, who took over for retired building inspector Keith Lamp, who did have his own vehicle.
Last year, McCarthy made former Mayor Brian U. Stratton's Jeep Grand Cherokee a public spectacle when McCarthy parked the vehicle in back of City Hall with a "for sale" sign on it.
At the time, McCarthy, an acting mayor who was campaigning to win the permanent post, said the move was meant to signal he would no longer tolerate unnecessary spending. McCarthy drives his own vehicle for work.
An estimated 28 take-home vehicles are assigned to employees, including the four assistant police chiefs, water maintenance supervisor and two sewer crew leaders.
Police Chief Mark Chaires said he's waiting for direction from McCarthy on how to proceed in his department. In addition to himself and the assistant chiefs, police cars are assigned to Commissioner Wayne Bennett, two detectives, four evidence technicians and three K-9 officers, who are with their animals around the clock.
Chaires, who will retire by year's end, said he's willing to give up his city-owned ride. "I'm not laying out the crime scene tape," said Chaires, who has an eight-minute commute from his Scotia home. "I can stop at the station and get a car." He said he's also agreed with council members to take cars away from Assistant Chiefs Michael Seber, who lives in Clifton Park, and Jack Falvo, an Altamont resident, because they do administrative rather than investigative work.
City Council President Denise Brucker said council members are giving McCarthy room to implement changes — but they want them to happen soon.
She added the council can always go a different route to reduce the take-home fleet by saying "no" to vehicle purchases. Recently, the council refused to honor a police department request that evidence technicians receive new Chevrolet Tahoes. "When requests come in to buy new cars, we'll deny it," Brucker said.
For City Council member Vincent Riggi, the lone non-Democrat on the council, all the discussion about the importance of reducing the take-home fleet appears to be for nothing, he said.
"I was under the impression we were going to do something about it," Riggi said. "But apparently it's the mayor's call."
Read more:
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Free-rides-continue-in-Schenectady-3668341.php#ixzz1z5rvTMYR 
Logged
Then that is all the Gazetto would print. It's all lies. Always has been. From phony jobs McCheese/Death Ray/Fat Morris created, to "renaissance", to City home sales/values, to crime, pit bulls and gangs. The City free fall continues and the DEM morons in City Hall are picking on the carcasses of the remaining trapped taxpayers. Thank you TU for once again telling the unvarnished truth. 
