Catching Up on the Dispatch Issue

The Town Clerk has reported that Mr. Carroll has submitted a petition recalling the Town Council's order to contract with Cumberland County Regional Dispatch Center for emergency dispatching services. The number of signatures exceeds the 15% registered voters threshold required under the Town Charter. Like all petitions, the Clerk needs to verify the authenticity of the signatures prior to certifying the question eligibility for inclusion on the June town meeting ballot along with the race for Gary Fosters Council seat.

This whole matter might have been avoided had the Council used a bit more effective salesmanship in its deliberations. Politics and public policy is a matter of salesmanship. Corporate board room decision making works well in the private sector, but often plays poorly in the public domain.

Now we will have the public debate we could have had in October.

Define Irony

As a Gray voter, you must be prepared to run the gauntlet of citizen petitions that invariably guard the exit of New Begin Gym. Over the years, that’s where I signed several petitions, including TABOR (there or Augusta) while spurning hunting bans, Maine Yankee closures, and other nonsense. This year, the pickin’s were thin. I fully expected to find the Gray Dispatch petition booth, but was drop dead stunned to find a competitive booth set up by our Council to convince the public NOT to sign the Gray dispatch petition.

This has got to be a first! With no petition in tow, why was it legitimate for the Council’s booth to be there in the first place? The Town Clerk/Town Manager made Andy Upham take down his original signs because they did violate state law. No matter, any public decision will be based on the merits of the case.

Besides smacking of desperation, the literature the Council was passing out was amusing in its inaccuracy and historic revisionism. Most hilarious of all was the proud proclamation that Portland Press Herald supports the closing of Gray dispatch.

The Portland Press Herald?????

Wasn’t this the same Portland Press Herald that recommended the public reject TABOR-while our Council stumped the state in its support? Our three male councilors were staunch supporters of Chandler Woodcock. Wasn’t this the same Portland Press Herald who endorsed John Baldacci to the exclusion of the only candidate that supported TABOR? Wasn’t this the same Press Herald that has historically endorsed just about every Democrat running at the state and Federal legislative level, and has consistently supported the big government approach to solving Maine’s problems, including a revitalization of a more expansive County government?

And isn’t this the same Press Herald that has repeatedly demonstrated to have NO daily interest in Gray matters. This Council has privately and publicly dismissed the credibility and the objectivity of the Press Herald. But now, in a moment of need, the Council has actually embraced the opinion of this otherwise discredited paper.

We now have a new definition and benchmark of irony.

Follow the Money

“Closing Gray Dispatch will save $100,000 a year”- Councilor Skip Crane 10.17.2006

On a per capita basis, each citizen will save about $14.25 per year- equal to a 9-piece chicken bucket at KFC. But do you think that you will be receiving a rebate check on your tax bill for this year, or a reduction in your tax bill next year? Don’t be waiting by the mailbox.

To handle the medical billings, administrative duties, fire permits, and a host of other duties previously performed at the Fire Station by Dispatch, Deb Cabana has had to hire back one dispatcher.

ChaChing! “Closing Gray Dispatch will save $65,000 a year”In his most current blog addition, Chair Gary Foster has confirmed what the Town Manager has stated…that another administrative assistant will be hired at the Town Offices and the position may be offered to another dispatcher.


ChaChing! “Closing Gray Dispatch will save $ 30,000 a year”
During the discussion on October 17th, Vice Chair Andy Upham stated

This [ contract with County] will allow us to put some money back into the Department to take care of some retention problems the Chief had brought to our attention ( Did the Vice Chair actually cite a sum of $70,000?)


ChaChing! “Closing Gray Dispatch will save $0 a year”

It’s clear that Council wants to redirect monies allocated to a local dispatch center to other areas of the budget that they deem important. And that is not an evil or irresponsible act if such the same level of public service is achieved by contracting with County. But we all know now that the same level of service cannot be achieved. More significantly, there would be less of an outcry if the Council had let us all in on the grand plan and sold it to the citizens before the vote. But this three bid charade for a wired bid just spun a web of suspicion that was unnecessary.

So as the petition to reinstate Gray Dispatch gets into swing over the next month and you hear the manta that closing Gray Dispatch will save the taxpayer money, do what Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward:

“Follow the money”

If you can find it..