But...But....We Could All DIE!!!!

The Mayor of the City of Brookfield has proposed that management employees of the City actually use their own vehicles for commuting to and from work.

But without saying so, the aggrieved and offended managers have pulled out the old "If We Can Save Just One Child" defense:

Employees keep a myriad of equipment and tools in the take-home vehicles so they can respond without having to stop by City Hall to pick up equipment, he [Grisa] said.

"We want to provide the best service we can to the public, which means a timely response, a well-equipped response and an economic or efficient response," Grisa said Wednesday.

Ald. Dan Sutton noted that some managers, such as the wastewater treatment plant manager, were estimated to have responded to only eight calls a year after-hours.

"Heck, I'd give him a buck a mile" and save money over providing a car, Sutton said.

Grisa responded Wednesday that the frequency of calls was not the only factor; the severity also was important.

A single call for a siren at the treatment plant could involve potential environmental damage or a spill of partially treated sewage into the Fox River, he said.

A call about sewage backing up in a resident's home may be rare, but when it happens, it's monumental for that resident, who wants a rapid response, Grisa said.

Uh-huh.

The City of Brookfield has a LOT of fleet cars. Drive past the backyard of the City Palace (Bloomberg Monument) some day in the winter, a couple of days after a snowstorm. You'd be surprised how many City cars are back there with snow covering them--that is to say, unused since the snowfall. And the Fire Department's always-brand-new Denali---we could go on.