Re “The Truth About My Contract”
After reading City Manager Mark Scott’s response on Monday, I felt like Gary Silbiger at a City Council meeting when Mr. Scott would let him know who was boss.
I guess I should apologize to Mr. Scott.
I never intended that the information I was giving was what Mr. Scott would receive in his retirement.
Based on the facts as I know them, I have given estimates of what Mr. Scott might receive. My articles never were directed at Mr. Scott. Instead, they were information for the citizens of Culver City so they could be better informed in these bad economic times.
I stated that Mr. Scott was eligible for the Golden Handshake. He said he never would put himself on the list.
Yes, that is true.
If Mr. Scott does not request the Golden Handshake, he will not receive it, and if he does request it, then the city must give it to him. For the citizens of Culver City, I do my research and I speak from first-hand knowledge on some of these issues. I did contact PERS and obtained Government Code Section 20904 that regulates the CalPERS Golden Handshake Program.
He Could Be in the Program
In my opinion, the city resolution is poorly written. It leaves the program open to all miscellaneous employees in the city, including Mr. Scott. Culver City’s resolution appears to be similar to the sample resolution that I obtained for the PERS Golden Handshake. It’s still my opinion that Mr. Scott qualifies for the Golden Handshake retirement benefit.
If Mr. Scott or anyone in the city is interested, I refer you to a story in the Desert Sun News in Indio on Feb. 4. Headlined “Indio City Council OK’s Golden Handshake”, the story said Indio anticipates 20 to 25 employees will take advantage of this program, including their City Manager, 58-year-old Glenn Southard.
As far as the number of years Mark Scott has in PERS, I do not know.
I have to rely on what he has stated in his article and what has been reported in the press. He reports 26 years in PERS (.525). Besides his years in the city of Beverly Hills and Culver City, the Fresno News reported additional years with the city of Clovis (1972-1978).
Clovis is in the PERS Retirement System, but I do not know if they were PERS in 1972. We do not know if Mr. Scott took advantage of buying five years of air time from CalPERS, or if he is eligible for the Golden Handshake. Mr. Scott is right when he says his retirement is public record. Long after he is gone, we will be able to see what his PERS Retirement is.
Questions About Details in His Contract
Mr. Scott’s Public Document Employment Contract can be found on the city website, attached to the 03/30/2009 City Council Agenda. I did not need to know from Mark Scott that this was a Public Document. I had already seen it. The only thing is, I am not sure now that this is the final contract.
You see, in a recent article, Mr. Scott’s salary was reported at $226,000 for the first 9 months of the contract. The contract I saw was $233,044 plus $12,000 in Redevelopment money for a total of $245,044 for the first 9 months. At the end of 9 months, he would no longer receive the $12,000 Redevelopment money, but his salary would increase to $263,044 per year plus his $2500 per month housing allowance would go away and be included in his income, bringing it to $265,544 per year.
The other thing that is not clear is:
What is the date the contract was signed?
What is the date Mr. Scott became an employee of the city?
The contract statesit must be executed before June 1, 2009. Mr. Scott first appears on the City Council agenda as City Manager on May 26, 2009. Former City Manager Jerry Fulwood’s retirement agenda item was in April 2009.
What does it really matter?
If Mr. Scott became an employee in April 2009, or early May 2009, and he wants to stay until after the election in April, that will give him one year at Culver City, and his PERS retirement will be based on that year.
I do not know what the official hiring date is for Mr. Scott, and I would not like to be accused of exaggerating the numbers again.
I stand by my opinion that the city is spending money it doesn’t have to pay for a program for employees no longer working.
I have to strongly disagree with Mr. Scott’s statement that I think every management employee at Culver City intends to work the system for their own personal gain. That is very far from the truth.
The city has many outstanding employees. Their loyalty has always been to the community.
I have a lot of very close friends in city management. They know that I am one to put what is best for the city above what is best for the individual. My loyalty during my 31 years with the city has always been to the community first. My co-workers knew it. The city leaders knew it. And my enemies k new it.
In fact a lot of my enemies were those same people Mr. Scott talks about, management employees intent on working the system for personal gain.
Mr. Smith, a retired Culver City police officer, may be contacted at scsinvest@sbcglobal.net
