TOWN HALL: The poor are not City Hall's problem (poll)
Mayor Steve Bach says the leader of a local charity for the poor earns way too much money, which is one reason he wants to stop city funding of Homeward Pikes Peak.
Bach has given us less city government. We are free of city-sponsored sobriety checkpoints and spy cameras that hand out traffic tickets. Ranking city employees, who treated taxpayers as subjects, are gone. He is slashing special-interest funding and watching out for the cause of just plain folks who get by and receive no special assistance. He has asked all department heads to reinvent the way they do business in order to better serve the public.
So it is fitting for Bach to extract government from the business of managing the homeless and poor. This should be the mission of great charities, such as the Marian Soup Kitchen, which are in surplus in Colorado Springs.
The homeless and poor have as much God-given dignity as the wealthiest among us, and our community should never leave them to suffer. But let’s never confuse our community with local government. Our community is the composition of individuals, businesses, churches and charities, all of which should take responsibility for the poor and homeless. City government raises money with taxes on those who are homeless and poor or on the verge of poverty. Charity, by contrast, raises money from those who choose to give and can afford it.
That’s why we support Bach’s plan to eliminate an $80,000 annual subsidy to Homeward Pikes Peak, which coordinates a variety of charities that cater to the homeless. Bach gave the organization’s CEO, Bob Holmes, one-year written notice that he plans to recommend elimination of funding in 2013. City Council will have final say.
“The old way is that you go to city government and ask for money, because it’s easier than writing a grant proposal,” Bach said, in a conversation on Wednesday with The Gazette's editorial page editor. “We can’t do things that way anymore. Everyone thinks the city has a pot of gold. Barring a miraculous recovery of the economy, we will run out of money.”
Bach sent nearly identical letters to six other organizations, asking them to seek private funds next year, including: Accessible Coordinated Transportation; the Small Business Development Center; the Regional Economic Development Corp.; the Technology Incubator; Rock Ledge Ranch and Friends of Cheyenne Cañon. He offered to help raise funds for Homeward Pikes Peak and believes he can come up with more than $80,000 in short order.
Should taxpayers fund Homeward Pikes Peak, an unbrella organizaiton for charities that serve the homeless and poor? Vote in poll to the right. Must vote to see results.
“One of my concerns is that Bob Holmes takes a $120,000 salary,” Bach said. “Maybe that’s the old way. We’re putting in $80,000 a year. He’s taking all of that, plus an additional $40,000 just to pay himself. I get $96,000 as mayor, and I think I’m overpaid. So why are we paying him $120,000?”
Holmes confirmed that his compensation is $120,000, with benefits, but said his background and education (an MBA and doctorate) justify it. Maybe so, but that should be up to private donors and not a burden on taxpayers.
The poor will always be among us. City government cannot change this, and should focus on infrastructure and public safety. City Hall should not be the community’s social safety net.
That's our view. What's yours? Please initiate or join in a Facebook discussion below, and vote in poll to the upper right.
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