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Mayor: ‘Despicable’ move for health benefits won’t stand
WARREN, Mich., Nov. 19, 2019 (AP): City council members in a
Detroit suburb granted themselves lifetime health insurance
coverage, but the mayor said the perk won't stand.
Warren City Council
unanimously voted in September to pass a measure allowing
current and former elected officials, who served at least eight
years in office, to be vested for lifetime health insurance
provided by the city.
Warren Mayor Jim Fouts
called the move ``probably one of the most despicable,
underhanded actions that has ever taken place'' in city
government.
``This is the ultimate in dirty tricks based on one thing:
greed,” said Fouts.
Six of the seven council members who voted to pass the measure
left office after the Nov. 5 election. Warren council members
are paid $31,000 a year, among the highest salaries in Michigan
for a part-time council job.
Former council member Scott Stevens said Monday that he and his
fellow members were prepared to vote on renewing health and
dental coverage for city employees on Sept. 10 when
then-secretary Robert Boccomino introduced an amendment
to the measure that secured the lifetime benefits shortly before
the meeting started.
``It was one page, but the print was very small. ... I remember
it being very hard to read, and it was lengthy,`` Stevens said.
``I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. ... My mistake. I
should've objected to it being implemented or given out at the
table, but (other council members) had done that so often over
the last eight years, where everything was last minute.``
Council member Ronald Papandrea, who held onto his seat
this year, echoed Stevens.
``I didn't really think about it,`` Papandrea said. ``I made a
bad decision. I should have realized this could have
ramifications. ... We're all human. We all make mistakes,
sometimes with good intentions. I'm sorry I voted for this.``
September's meeting offered a reading of the resolution's brief
description listed on the meeting agenda before council members
approved the measure without discussion, according to video
footage posted on the city's website. The outgoing council
approved the measure in 29 seconds.
City administrators maintain that they were not aware of the
perk.
``We will never implement this,'' Fouts said repeatedly during a
conference call interview Monday.
Council member and president Patrick Green said Monday
the issue will be discussed during the council's regular meeting
Nov. 26.
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