Hudson’s Sewer Votes Highlight Hypocrisy

Here is something interesting from the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer Board that proves voters got it right by electing Jim Frazier over Mike Hudson for AD-11.  It proves Mr. Hudson as a phony during his campaign while it also provides yet another highlight of what is wrong with sewer boards and special districts.

According to an article in yesterdays Daily Republic,  Board members decided to end the automatic, 5 percent annual increase to the pay they receive for attending meetings. That means the board will have to vote each January if the pay, presently $149.53 per meeting, will rise.  When the board enacted automatic annual increases in 2008, the per-meeting pay was $112.50. A 5 percent annual increase is the cap under state law.

The vote was 6-3, with Fairfield Mayor Harry Price, Fairfield City Council members Rick Vaccaro, Catherine Moy, Pam Bertani and Suisun City Council members Mike Segala and Sam Derting voting yes and Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez and Suisun City Council members Jane Day and Mike Hudson voting no.

Funny, Mike Hudson ran as a fiscal conservative but voted to keep the 5% pay increase in place while not protecting taxpayers one bit. This is par for the course as Hudson also voted himself a 118% pay raise on the Suisun City Council.

Next up, the Board discussed its travel where Bertani and Moy wanted a limit of one board member per conference, with Bertani saying she didn’t see the financial justification for more to go. One member could go and educate the other board members on the topics upon returning, Bertani said.

This is where Hudson again decided to vote against his campaign motto of fiscal conservatism values by voting against the proposal and allowing travel to continue to run a muck.  Since 2003, collected receipts showing the conferences have cost local taxpayers more than $250,000 since 2003. Meanwhile, District officials have said the conferences are valuable for education, networking and the chance to influence state and federal policies–I highly doubt that.  It’s unfortunate that the Board majority does not understand that by limiting one board member per conference, its financially responsible. They can then bring back all that information and educate other board members.

Hudson was rejected by voters and rightfully so considering he preached one thing and did another in order to continue to fund his pocketbook at the expense of taxpayers.

Meanwhile, this is what is wrong with special Districts such as this which had an annual 5% increase–note, locally Ironhouse Sanitary District is paid $160 per meeting (up to six per month).

Both special districts have limited travel restrictions that protect the taxpayers. For Ironhouse, typically General Manager Tom Williams and a board member or two attend conferences which travel receipts will back up this statement.

Ultimately, voters got it right by voting in Frazier over  Mike Hudson!  With these recent votes, Hudson is back to his old tricks of self-funding through taxpayers and is a perfect example of do as I say, not as I do.

At least Catherine Moy can stand behind what she preaches, Hudson faked it!

By Michael Burkholder

Source:
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield/fairfield-suisun-sewer-board-addresses-pay-conferences/