A tongue-in-cheek compliment was literally posted by the San Bernardino Police Officers’ Association when they bought a billboard in downtown San Bernardino that congratulates five of the city council members for making the City the worst-run city in the country. Some of the members pictured on the billboard took it as a compliment.
The POA’s billboard references a 24/7 Wall Street article that ranked the 100 worst-run cities in the country. San Bernardino topped their list. The methodology used by 24/7 Wall Street was not explained, but the report did cite statistics such as crime rates, credit rating, unemployment, and poverty.
However, the POA apparently hoped to target several specific decisions made by the council, including their decision to reduce public safety take-home pay by cutting benefits. Those reductions were made as part of a budget reduction package designed to cover a $46.5 million budget deficit. The City’s charter protects wages paid to public safety employees so benefits remained the only labor-side savings available to the City.
Councilman Rikkie Van Johnson says that the billboard proves his vote can’t be bought by special interests.
Read the full story at the San Bernardino Sun.