The MSB manager seems to be very free and easy with regard to paying out “severance packages” to dearly departed MSB employees.
The MSB paid William F. Gamble $80,000 a few years ago…and today, via a Public Records Request, it was discovered that the MSB paid former MSB Emergency Services Director (Retired) Colonel Paul “Otto” Feather a bunch of money when he resigned in January 2019.
Col. Feather received a lump sum payment equal to 3 months’ pay – i..e 25% of his salary. Assuming that his salary was around 100K, the MSB gifted him approximately $25,000 when he left their (actually, our) employ.
Now – I am not blaming Col. Feather for accepting this payout, but I do think severance packages for government employees are a very bad idea.
There is absolutely no reason for a government employee who voluntarily resigns to get a big payout. And if a government employee is terminated for good cause, there is also no reason for that former employee to collect any money beyond their earned salary.
How can we solve this problem of the MSB manager freely spending tax payers’ $$ on severance packages?
The easiest way to accomplish this is to make all severance package payments subject to a public hearing and an Assembly vote.
However, for some unknown reason, the Assembly has ceded almost all authority to spend $ to the Manager (he can sign any contract up to 100K!) and we have zero transparency (No online checkbook etc.)
So, here is another (novel) idea:
This is the age old problem of “Other People’s Money.” It is very easy to spend OPM. It is much less easy to spend your own money.
If the Manager would like to pay out severance packages, the money should be deducted from his salary.
So, for example, if the Manager wants to pay out a severance package of $25,000, then the Manager’s salary of $200,000 will be reduced to $175,000. An $80K package? Fine, if the Manager’s salary is reduced to $120,000.
It’s actually criminal, acts the current Borough Manager John Moosey conducts. He came from a small rural County in Minnesota making $80,000.
Who or whom decided it was in the best interests of the Matanuska Borough to hire a NON-ALASKAN and pay him $200,000 a year plus unlimited credit card usage not seen until it was requested.
What has this Manager done to make the Borough better? Sadly I cannot name one.
But we have a Port that sees no ships.
We have a Rail System unfinished.
We sailed our Ferry along with it we paid the Government back for the loss we couldn’t manage.
We have school bonds that are crumbling.
We have a Ski Chalet “federal money for a bus station” we cannot openly use.
Who really is this man? What is he accountable for? Who sets his agenda? Who manages our Tax money?
Who is going to clean up the 8 almost nine years of unchecked abuse of power?
He conducts himself as if he’s a CEO of a for profit enterprise.
He has built his loyal empire with our money.
Who does he really answer to?
Life long Alaskan of 56 years, If I used my name I would be condemned by the current Borough Elite.
Respectfully,
I care.
His evaluation is on 6/18/2019 with the assembly.
We can assume his evaluation won’t be public? Executive Session this protects the public from hearing the truth. We can’t handle the truth, what would we do? Panic that our manager is incompetent and our very way of life he has managed for 8 years was all a lie? He will move on and his legacy will be what?
Exactly debt! He has failed at every venture he sold us!
Look at all the investors that have walked away from every project. Look at all the consultants that have lined their pockets with our tax dollars. Still the results are zero.
But wait a Railroad moving through our back yard crossing our Salmon streams hauling a foreign product! Wow wait till that cargo spills into the streams then the Cook Inlet.
I care,
56 year Alaskan