Council Pushing Pre-K: Mayor Adds Funds For Cop Vests, DAs

Council Pushing Pre-K

Mayor Adds Funds For Cop Vests, DAs

By HOWARD MEGDAL

Mayor Bloomberg proposed a $52.7 billion budget May 4 that included a plan to equip all city Police Officers with improved bullet-proof vests, though other additions to his January spending plan fell short of those desired by City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and many union leaders.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG: Gives in on some items. The Mayor set aside $12 million to equip 18,000 city police officers with Level 3A vests, which provide further protection for the neck and arms. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly asserted that had Police Officer Dillon Stewart been wearing such a vest during a chase last year, his wounds might not have been fatal.

Kelly: Vests 'Optimal'

"To the best of my knowledge, no other department in the country has these vests," Mr. Kelly said shortly after the Mayor's press conference. "When we tested these, their performance was optimal. I've tested them myself - they are comfortable, and offer a higher level of protection." Mr. Kelly estimated that half of his 36,000-member force currently has the new vests, and that the entire force should have them within 18 months. The Level IIIA designation is the highest rating offered by the National Institute of Justice for vest protection.

PATRICK J. LYNCH: Quinn deserves the credit. Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch also praised the new program.

"Upgrading all police vests to the Level III, maximum coverage vest is a good thing and we are grateful to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for shepherding this important funding need through City Hall," Mr. Lynch said in a May 5 statement.

Next Step Warranties?

He said that he would push for "a program that will replace vests when their warranties expire" as part of his ongoing contract negotiations with the city.

Also included in the executive budget was $21 million for the Mayor's proposal to add 800 Police Officers and 400 civilian employees to the Police Department by June 2007.

The vests had been part of Speaker Quinn's proposed alternative budget last month, and she noted that "never before has a Mayor taken an idea [from a Speaker's proposed alternative budget] and directly incorporated it into an executive budget.

RAYMOND W. KELLY: New vests are life-savers. "I believe it is an important step," Ms. Quinn said of the vests May 4 in City Hall's Red Room. "It is a potentially life-saving step."

She pointed out, however, that the Mayor had not incorporated most of her other suggested additional spending, which totaled $338 million.

"I have to say, I'm disappointed that it hasn't been done," Ms. Quinn said.

The budget does include an additional $17 million to the city's District Attorneys that the Speaker requested last month, along with $26 million in overtime expenses for the Fire Department, $82 million in additional funding for Administration for Children's Services, $38 million to cover higher energy costs, and $224 million for the Department of Education. The Mayor maintained that the relative austerity of his spending, despite a large surplus, was due to indicators that the good times might not last. In an effort to protect the city against future deficits, he took $3.4 billion of the current surplus and applied it to next year's budget, along with $1.8 billion toward future pension obligations for city retirees and the elimination of other city debt.

CHRISTINE C. QUINN: More add-ons possible. But both Speaker Quinn and United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten were critical of him for failing to fund a full-day Pre-Kindergarten initiative. Ms. Quinn included the measure with an estimated cost of $45 million over three years in her alternative budget, while the UFT leader has long been a champion of the program.

Some Good Steps, But ...

"The Mayor should be commended for using some of the surplus for retiree health benefits and to reduce debt," Ms. Weingarten said in a May 4 statement. "But we're disappointed that programs like lowering class size and adopting Chris Quinn's proposals for full-day pre-k didn't make it into the Mayor's executive budget. Those are things that would immediately benefit our students."

Mr. Bloomberg warned that spending was still spiraling out of control, noting that non-controllable costs, such as city pensions, continued to mushroom.

"This city still, on average, spends more than it takes in," the Mayor said, calling the surplus "a result of temporary windfalls" such as the recent housing boom.

He cited projections by his Office of Management and Budget of deficits reaching $3.5 billion, $4.2 billion, and $3.5 billion in Fiscal Years 2008-10 as a reason to hold the line on many new programs.

Those deficits are based on projections that called for similar raises to city employees' current contracts, despite the fact that many city unions' deals have either expired (such as District Council 37) or are set to expire next year (such as the UFT).

Labor Picture 'Fluid'

"Pattern bargaining is a reality in this city," the Mayor said. "We've assumed that the unions will get pretty much the same as what they got last time around."

He did allow that the labor situation is "fluid, with a degree of unpredictability." The Mayor's budget will now undergo the scrutiny of the City Council, with hearings set to begin May 17. The two sides must have an approved budget before the end of the fiscal year June 30.

Mr. Bloomberg appeared to dismiss Speaker Quinn's calls to "end the budget dance" and fundamentally change the process.

"The Speaker and the Mayor will appear on the rotunda to announce the final budget," he said. "The difference will be, the last Speaker I shook hands with - this one I'll probably give a kiss to - and you'll see democracy play out on a responsible basis."