Great idea from a reader who I’m assuming wishes to remain anonymous (and if not, let me know, because I’d be glad to acknowledge your genius).
just came back from ogrcc … a little exercise for the dog… and for the third time this week, a town truck with two employees was ‘hidden’ behind the building for an hour, engine running, doing nothing. plate # 109 GW… might be a good feature of your blog to have ‘men at work — not’ with either photos or sightings of non-working greenwich employees. with the terrible employee supervision in town, the eyes of your readers might result in some minor improvement over time… or maybe even shame the town in getting half a day’s work for a day’s high pay. but get a food taster and remote starter for your car.
For What It's Worth 
…. not knowing the circumstances and trying to be fair ,maybe they were on a break. The unions demand so many breaks these days it’s ridiculous.
CF, I think you are onto something big. I see this kind of thing around town all the time including the terrible habit of police officers to talk on cell phones while driving. It is time to make town employees start working for us for a change.
After a prolonged strike in the summer of ’86, a staple of sweeps week local news coverage in Philly became “follow the municipal garbage trucks to see how much trash they actually pick up in a day”. Usually ended up being a guided tour of dive bars and strip clubs.
Can we also take pictures of the police who are too busy chatting with the utility workers or on their cell phones to bother pro-actively directing traffic?
What happen to work ethic and pride?
If it was a break, then the engine should have at least been turned off. That’s my gas they’re burning.
TERRIFIC IDEA! How is it Town employees who are in physical labor jobs tend to be heavy, even obese, but you never see a private landscaper or construction worker who’s fat?
this is hilarious. carry on
uh-oh…did I hear the creak of Pandora’s Box being opened?
Hey, give the guy a break — oh, I guess he gave himself one. He’s just worn out from watching Granholm’s rousing performance, and a little depressed and under the weather because instead of like 2008, this convention ended with no live bands, no Oprah, no balloons, a couple of confetti cannons that ran out of confetti after about 60 seconds, no yes we can, no hokey doke, just a dismal, abysmal, no sizzle, much fizzle, whimpering, fading into meaningless nothing, most unmemorable, what was that all about end.
Hey boss, I know it looks like I was sleeping, but I was just reaching over trying to get the change that fell out of my pocket into the crack in the seat without getting a kink in my neck ’cause I didn’t want to go out on disability.
They were having a pow-wow with Elizabeth Warren – without government we can’t succeed!!!
Your street just got on the list for the last one to be plowed, Mister!
How about the cops who are directing traffic around road work and they have their ipod headphones on? How safe can that be if they are supposed to be directing traffic and protecting work crews and town residents yet they have music or sports blaring into their headphones? I see this all the time, will send in a photo next.
In other RE news, prepare for the collapse:
http://www.businessinsider.com/prepare-for-the-coming-housing-collapse-2012-9
Bad news for you stereotypers…..A vast majority of Town employees are Republicans. Goes back to the days where the Republican machine wouldn’t give you a municipal job unless you registered elephant. This always perplexes us in the Democratic Party, but its your union, your sleeping employees, your Republican power structure that enables it.
They’re all from Cos Con and Byram and all vote Demmerrat regardless of their party affiliation.
Based upon the photograph accompanying this thread, looks like Tesei has put on a bunch of weight.
That’s nothing – I’ve seen a “GW” truck pass me at about 3pm TWICE ( 2 diff days) by the Danbury Mall – obviously finished for the day and living up that area. Aside from the fact that he only works half days, do I also pay for his gas back and forth to New Milford/Brookfield every day?
CF- need for a food taster and remote starter for your car will be the least of your troubles, if you start posting photos of the Police and DPW on the FWIW blog. You will soon learn this is a violation of the Patriot Act and we may never hear from you again. I’ll check the Gitmo logbook after 10 days.
My goodness Frank, who much kool aid did you drink last night watching Obummer?!!?!
Geez whiz you can spout some ridiculous stuff. Next up from FF, blame high income taxes on the republican party or the teachers union has always been in the pocket of the republican party.
Although I usually take the other side from CC, he’s right that what’s wrong splits down the middle, more or less.
In advance of the Tesei “State of the Town” speech next week, consider the magnitude of the following problems:
Pension under-funding. If our 50-50 BET approved a 2% annual salary pension in life-long perpetuity for each each of service, then all employees receiving this benefit need the tax-payers to put up the money. If the pension fund earns only 2% over the long-haul, then every employees salary 100% cash-equivalent must be bank-rolled, err “invested”, from taxes as a capital carry cost of that year’s employment. (Where can I get that deal?)
Contamination of Town Property. The mandatory tax-payer funded clean-up of Holly Hill, Cos Cob Power Plant, and all the schools will double the Town’s debt. It must be done and paid for by the taxes on private property.
Medical liability from student, teacher and Town employee illnesses, disabilities and deaths caused by said contamination.
This is not a problem exclusive to Town Republican politics (although not a bad point-of-beginning in the blame game.) As to magnitude, this approaches the “B” word in consequences. On the other hand, the grand list is $30 B, so I guess Mr. Tesei kicks the can down the road for another year.
When I was in college, I worked for a local Parks and Rec Maintenance Dept. Sometimes they’d have a truck drop me off in an area with a bunch of road medians and tell me to mow them and they’d pick me up at lunch. My first day, I was dropped off in the am and finished an an hour or so. I walked to a deli to call for a pick-up and so they could send me somewhere else. The crew was really mad at me because they’d stretched the time out that was expected for completion of the job over years. My supervisor said that I wasn’t being kind to the men who had to do my job all year. He said something like, “Soon you’ll be off to college, but they’ll still be doing this, you’re not impressing anyone – you’l be ruining things for them.
Now, due to the economy, I can never get a job like theirs, but you be sure I’ll have to pay my taxes so the crews can get health benefits for the rest of their lives.
This was not in Greenwich.
This is a great idea!!!!
We shoulkd demand return of tax dollars when waste is found. Foolish Greenwich people have been paying excessive taxes forever.
Citizen audit,
I assume you’re kidding with that comment or ill informed. Greenwich has the lowest taxes by a huge margin than any town in the tri-state area.
Check it out
You’re quite right (and don’t mention this to Fudrucker but it’s one of the few cities around here not ruled by Democrats). I believe the concern is with the trend-every year more great ideas how to spend more money, more generous pensions awarded by arbitrators (there are those Democrats again!) and so on. Fixed income people who now, thanks to Bernake’s free money for bankers policies earn nothing at all on their savings are being nailed . That’s a good thing for realtors-force the old codgers from their hors do webcam sell them, but not do good got grandma
Can we get competitive bids to run Parks and Recreation?
What is orange and sleeps 3.
Good thing Baba Booey is on the Parks and Rec team now, He’ll get to the bottom of this,
low tax rate does not mean town is well run or expenses well controlled. we have the highest per capita taxes and highest per capita spending in the state. our low tax ‘rate’ is a function of very high real estate prices. our very high per capita spending is a mark of BET incompetence.
Patrick: Greenwich is RAPIDLY losing its tax advantage.
Our historic low tax rate has been correlated to the multi-BILLION Grand List run up from the last 30+ years. Greenwich, bar none, has the highest Grand List in the entire state. With the economic meltdown the last 5 years that golden egg of an ever increasing Grand List is pure and simple yestrerday’s fact.
We also have a FS (as our Democrat Governor) too weak to take on the unions by cutting headcount when they don’t work with us on compensation. And look at the lack of productivity and accountagbility with the employees we got with CF’s picture diary…..geez its pathetic the lack of controls.
If we don’t change our trajectory of spending—we will SHORTLY be in the same place as our NY and NJ neighbors in taxes and spending.
High spending, debt, and residents that continue to ask for GRANDIOSE public capital projects—clearly, our tax advantage is slowly being withered away putting at risk attracting new young families and keeping the ones we got.
Great idea CF…..a picture is worth a thousand words.
…but why stop on the streets…..Town Hall, schools, Nathaniel nursing home……all should be included!