Police blast Gallagher for 'reckless' wage cut plan

The Colorado Springs Police Protective Association is blasting Councilman Tom Gallagher for proposing pay cuts for city employees next year to help balance the city’s budget.

Robin Rogers, the association’s executive director, called Gallagher’s comments about the across-the-board proposed wage reductions “reckless,” saying they wouldn’t solve the city’s long-term financial problems.

“For Councilman Gallagher to play politics with the public safety and trust of its citizens is nothing short of absurd and borders on negligence,” Rogers said in a news release.

“Mr. Gallagher has chosen to subsidize nonessential city services on the backs of police officers and firefighters,” she said. “His proposal will do nothing but further erode the citizens’ trust in our local government and make our city less safe.”

Rogers said Gallagher’s proposal will cost the city millions of dollars, not save money.

“The city will be forced to reinvest in a Police Department which will be demoralized and depleted at the expense of our community and its citizens,” she said.

Responding to the association’s broadside, Gallagher said his suggestion is intended to save jobs, particularly if voters reject 2C the ballot measure in the Nov. 3 mail-in election asking for a property tax increase.

“What if 2C does not pass?” Gallagher said. “We should be looking at how do we preserve what we have. Failure is not an option. Come Nov. 4 the sun is going to rise and we’re going to have to deal with it.”

Gallagher said the police association has misinterpreted his motives.

“I’m not out to get the public safety folks,” he said. “That is my sacred cow.

“They tell me I have to lay off 70 police officers. What does that do to the safety of the guys still on the line? The big fat paycheck doesn’t do me any good if I’m dead.”

Gallagher said he only wants to initiate a discussion around pay cuts, which he estimates would generate $16 million in savings in the 2010 budget.

“Even the state implemented furloughs,” he said. “The question is why should our city employees be immune when everybody else has been impacted? Nothing says that it’s a permanent thing. I firmly believe that this economic condition is probably going to linger another couple of years, but it’s far from a permanent condition.”

Gallagher also said he’s received at least 30 e-mails today about the proposed pay cuts. He said only one was in opposition.

Gazette reporter Carlyn Mitchell contribted to this report