THAT WAS QUICK

Our Boys & Girls in blue may soon have a contract.

The city and the Police Benevolent Association are only “steps away” from a finalized contract after more than three years of police officers working without an agreement, city officials said Tuesday.

The contract must be ratified by the PBA’s membership and then approved by the city council 30 days after that, and PBA members could vote on the contract as early as next week.

It's only been three years. What's the rush?

When the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Corporation Counsel and DPW Commissioner determined that they needed raises they got it done in weeks, not years. Why did it take three years for our police to get a contract? You know, the people who put their life on the line?

Screw it.

The interesting part of the proposed contract is the residency requirement waiver.

The contentious residency requirement issue is also resolved in the new contract with members having the option to live outside the city provided they accept a one-time penalty of giving up between 13 to 15 days of pay.

Right!

Our position on residency for the police is well-known. We're against it. We also know, or surmise, that a majority of residents support a residency requirement for officers. That said, a word of advice: Don't pay the City one minute of your time until the Mayor submits legislation to the Council that amends....the law!

The residency law is not enforced. Why? Some people say (not us) that there's no enforcement because the Mayor lacks the political oysters* to enforce the law (Ok, it was us). That doesn't mean that it won't be enforced at some time in the future. This contract provision will not protect you and you will have paid something for nothing.

If contracts could nullify laws then there's a number of contracts we'd like to negotiate with the police. One such contract has to do with a certain mother-in-law (she knows who she is) but we can't go into specifics right now.

The City Council can still approve the contract. The residency provision will be null and void. That's right, not just null but also void. If you've ever voided you know what we're talking about.

The odd thing is, it was the Administration pushing the residency provision, not the police. Our guess is that the oyster-less Administration is trying to punt the issue back to the Council. And it looks like they ain't taking the bait. Enough mixed metaphors.

Chet Hardin has more.

*For those allergic to shell fish insert the word "stones"