Mayor continues to hire more City workers!!!

Contact: Jonathan Tracy FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: (503)502-3101
E-Mail: Jonstracy@hotmail.com

***MAYORAL CANDIDATE KEVIN MCCREA REVEALS 165 ADDITIONAL CITY HIRINGS MADE BY MAYOR MENINO***

Despite “chicken little” calls by Mayor Menino that there needs to be massive layoffs if he doesn’t get his additional tax requests by the State Legislature, in actuality Mayor Menino has continued to hire new people and increase the city budget. The 2010 Fiscal Year budget shows that despite a supposed ‘hiring freeze’ and regular attrition, the City of Boston has added 165 more jobs from January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2009. This despite an identified $33 million deficit projected in the budget for Fiscal Year 2010. In the face of threatened layoffs to vital teaching and police jobs, Mayoral Candidate Kevin McCrea points to these numbers as a further example of the Mayor’s dishonest budget numbers.

“These numbers show that the term ‘fiscal responsibility’ is not in the Mayor’s vocabulary,” says McCrea, “Especially when the Mayor has been threatening to fire teachers and police officers. Somehow he has found the resources to make these new hires while still claiming that we have to make huge cuts. These inconsistencies make it painfully clear how dishonest the Mayor has been when discussing the budget.”

The City of Boston’s numbers show that 165 new positions were hired for in the last year, well over what was planned for in the budget. These numbers represent a net gain. Many of the new positions have included custodians for the school department. This has not stopped the Mayor from discussing huge layoffs of teachers and teacher assistants in the public schools. Kevin McCrea finds the situation outrageous.

Says McCrea: “How could we make these new hirings knowing we had at least a $33 million hole to begin with back in June of 2008, in one of the worst financial crisis of our lifetimes? When I am elected Mayor I promise to be straightforward with the budget numbers and tell the citizens of Boston the truth about how much money we have and what we are spending it on. And I will never cut or threaten to cut the jobs of our most important public servants: teachers and police officers without cutting other areas first.”

To view the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget numbers that show these new hires please view http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/02%20Summary%20Budget_tcm1-3878.pdf, specifically page 19 of the PDF. To view the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget numbers please view http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/02%20Summary%20Budget_tcm1-3878.pdf, specifically page 20 of the PDF.

Information about Kevin McCrea’s full platform can be found on his website, www.kevinmccrea.com. His campaign manager, Jonathan Tracy, can be reached either through e-mail at jonstracy@hotmail.com or phone at (503) 502-3101 or (617)267-2453.