WCM really needs your help

RE: WCM really needs your help

Matulaitis — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:41:33 GMT

The City of Menlo Park's Burgess Aquatic Center is operated by a private entity headed Tim Sheeper, a very popular coach of triathletes and swimmers. I believe Tim's original interest in this concept was generated by the need for pool space for his master's group. This eventually led to Tim offering to run all the activities at the pool for the City. They are currently in the third or fourth year of this arrangement. WCM might take a look at how this works as a possible model.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:40:07 GMT

Mandrake- You do a whole lot of assuming. I know exactly what's going on. I am up in arms because a very good friend of mine, and the program he has spent 30 years building, is being summarily dismissed. This will leave him with no medical coverage. He's only 52. We pay our dues in December. It's May and I am a very busy person. When I pay for something it's done. I wasn't aware that you needed exact numbers. If you care, I will send them to you. And no one is using the sentimental arguments you mentioned about Kerry as a tactic. Everyone is using cold, hard facts. Sending Kerry into an ethics investigation, are you kidding? There is nothing hidden about his job to the city. They know full well that his salary is supplemented by our team. How is that a violation of ethics? Kerry's mission is not to make money off of masters. Maybe it should be. I'm guessing you don't know him. The city mgr. I mentioned is long gone and doing very well elsewhere. BTW, again you assume incorrectly, that the information I got about his payoff was from him, it was not. I know a lot of people who work for the city. The only thing I got from his wife and his son were that they were sad they had to leave. I remember them living in an apt as their house had already sold, and the city mgr. had to begin work in the new city. The mom and my student stayed behind to finish out the school year. A very nice family. I am not in the habit of calling people names in public, but I make an exception in this case. I am beyond sick of politics and the toll it takes on peoples' lives. I could really care less if they get wind of it. I'm sure he's been called worse. The city manager is quite hated throughout the city and me adding my opinion isn't going to change anything. If only I had that power. The only thing worse than messing with my family is messing with my swimming family. If I come off too strong, that's because that's how I feel. And I won't apologize for it.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:31:54 GMT

stinkwater makes some valid points in his post. Bill*, This is the smartest thing I have ever seen you write. Good job.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:03:03 GMT

Politicians and bureaucrats are fond of launching 'ethics' investigations in their endless (and fruitless) quest to find out what the word means...

RE: WCM really needs your help

ColoJoel — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:19:01 GMT

Reading this with interest -- I grew up in Lafayette where my parents still reside, and now live in Colorado Springs. This morning in the locker room after master's I heard that our aquatic center, closed at end of March, will reopen in September. Supposedly a 'swim school' of sorts is taking over operation of it and 3 of the outdoor city pools (which are basically summer only). Don't know anything more than that; how they arranged for it, but I heard Colo Springs was subsidizing our pools to the tune of over a million per year, but now this 'swim school' may end up paying the city?

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:45:25 GMT

Mrs. Duggan, Mr. Mandrake has raised a couple of a valid points. Kerry should privatize. I'm sure that most of his team would follow, even with a modest increase in dues. He can still receive medical benefits, however, he will need to pay for it. Instead of a pie in the sky idea of building a new facility, perhaps the effort should be in relocating. Yes an ethics investigation is possible, depending on how pissed off you make the Mayor. I hope that WCM's books and Kerry's records are in order. I saw this as a problem when you first mentioned it. Politics can get ugly and vindivctive. Name calling ego bloated humans has no positive effect. They are used to it. It doesn't help your case. Kerry has served the city and community well for three decades. Maybe now is the time for him to move on and make some money off of masters swimming.

RE: WCM really needs your help

DPC — Fri, 14 May 2010 04:53:37 GMT

Mrs. Duggan, Yes an ethics investigation is possible, depending on how pissed off you make the Mayor. I hope that WCM's books and Kerry's records are in order. I saw this as a problem when you first mentioned it. Politics can get ugly and vindivctive. An ethics charge would only be valid should Kerry have charged his WCM coaching time to his city time sheet. The city is his employer and his timesheets are kept by them and they have to maintain those records according to state and local laws, and should be auditing them. If they use revenue generated by the fees that WCM pays to pay him and the city allow him to participate as their coach there is most likely no ethical breach on Kerry's part - he is only doing what his job description and his supervisor allow. If the city is paying him as a part time employee with the acceptance that WCM will pay the other 50% then, again he is not violating anything. If the mayor wants to open an ethics investigation - he/she may certainly do so, but this would most likely expose the city and look like a witch hunt should the investigation be determined to have been undertaken as a retaliatory act. The precedent may have been set as this seems to have been a long-term relationship, one that has benefited all parties.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:42:39 GMT

I understand your points. Although I still don't see the ethics investigation. We will just have to see how all of this pans out. I must say that I do appreciate you taking the time to discuss this. While it probably doesn't matter to a lot of people about a "swim coach", it does matter to our team. Thanks guys. :angel:

RE: WCM really needs your help

aquageek — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:37:22 GMT

As much as it pains me, stinkwater makes some valid points in his post.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:28:37 GMT

I still don't get this. I'm confused that you are so up in arms, but don't seem to know what's going on. You say that you KNOW that the program runs in the black, yet you don't know your team membership numbers, your team dues amounts, nor your team or facility overhead. Without actual facts it's hard to make a cogent argument to the city. "Kerry's a great guy" and "Walnut Creek Masters is awesome" isn't going to cut it. If you have actual data we could use PLEASE share it! BTW, how do you not know what your team dues are? Think of it this way. If you have approx 440 members and they are willing to pay approx $1000 each per year you are CRAZY not to rent space and have the team pay Kerry! You could rent all the pool space you could want for less than $150k a year. That would leave $250k for coaching salaries and benefits. How is this not a self sustaining business? Kerry should take over the program and begin making $200k a year including benefits! Separate yourselves from the fiscal headache that is (and will continue to be) the city of Walnut Creek! If you stay with the city they are only going to want more and more money and leave you with less and less control. Also, you will want to tone down the rhetoric and vitriol against the city and the city manager. Calling him an A$$#@LE on a public website, and mentioning people's kids, doesn't do anyone any good. I would expect them to get wind of this discourse and not be too happy about it. You're going to end up sending poor Kerry into an ethics investigation due to taking money from a private group to do city work. This is seriously frowned upon! Remember, you can catch more flies with honey....

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:21:57 GMT

Kerry has had vacation time, sick leave, all of it as an employee. Our dues are less than $300 I think. Here's the latest thought: we just found out that nearby, state-of-the-art Cowell Pool in Concord, CA will now be closing for the three cold months this coming year (Dec-Feb). That effectively eliminates the Terrapins USA-S program. They now need to find a new place to train. Some of us are thinking, and I said this originally to my husband when all of this started, that the City of WC is trying to close down our pool. If you take away the most successful program at the pool (WCM) you will lose about $200K/year- a huge loss of revenue. Then you would surely have a reason to close the pool. I think they are just using this "your program needs to be the same model as everyone else's" as an excuse. I really hope I am wrong, but I'm kinda thinking they are after the pool to close. Our best, last hope is to convince the city council to tell the city mgr. that he is way off base. Luckily, some of us know the city council members. I hope that helps.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:02:55 GMT

Our dues are less than $300 I think. Has anybody suggested doubling your dues? If a study was done about comparable fees in other masters programs it wouldn't favor your case. How many members are residents of the City of Walnut Creek? Perhaps that is why the mayor doesn't care. Non-residents can't vote. Since local property taxes are probably paying for the pool, he can make an argument about being fiscally tight. You have a tough battle.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:18:33 GMT

Mr. Ninny- I don't know the exact demographics of our team. I don't have a roster with me that lists everyone's complete address. I could find out. I know in the past, that glancing down our roster, most of our team does live in WC. We have about 440 registered swimmers. I know of about 30, personally, that do not live in WC, myself included. (My mom still lives there and is a voter). I'm sure there are more, as I don't know everybody on the team. Most of the people I don't know swim at 5:30am! And if I have to go to that workout to meet them, well, I'm sure they are nice people... To swim for WCM, all total with pool fees and dues it is a little less than $1000/yr. I don't think it's the mayor who doesn't care, it's the city manager. And property taxes are through the roof. I would venture to say that the average home price in WC is about $500-600K. And that is with the market crashed. My mom's home (about 2000 sq ft recently appraised at $750K). Real estate is nuts here. And with all of the "stuff" going on in our fair state, I'm giving serious thought to moving in three years when my husband retires. I don't want to move as I was born and raised here (and love the weather, the landscape, and the people) but things are just literally crazy here. And things don't show any signs of improving anytime soon. :badday:

RE: WCM really needs your help

DPC — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:28:47 GMT

Since numbers are what numbers are, he went back again and said they couldn't do it. (I had his son in my class). Even the voters voted twice not to build this library. The city council fired that city mgr and brought in this new guy whose background is in performing arts. He told them they could build this library (shocker). In CA it is "normal" for people to retire from one agency with a pension and go work for another agency. I know of a police chief who "retired" from WCPD for a 3rd time- he already had 2 other pensions as chief from 2 other agencies! What a racket huh? He's now making FAR more retired than he ever made working. Uggh!!!!! That's the adage about figures don't lie, but liars figure. Numbers are what they are - it all depends on who is looking at them and through what lens (this one is probably green). In MA if you retire from a city/state job with a pension you can only work a max of 960 hours per year and still collect, and you further can't make a total of more than what your salary would have been(IIRC) Some tried to skirt the issue by becoming "contractors", but this activity is getting a lot of attention now. Seems like your new city manager wants to build a monument to himself. Keep up the good fight - remember the ballot box can be a powerful voice.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:58:36 GMT

DPC- Here is a little more information on city doings: A few years ago the city council (and I don't think these are the same council members now) wanted to build a new library. The then-city mgr told them that financially they couldn't do it. They told him to go back and try again with the numbers. Since numbers are what numbers are, he went back again and said they couldn't do it. (I had his son in my class). Even the voters voted twice not to build this library. The city council fired that city mgr and brought in this new guy whose background is in performing arts. He told them they could build this library (shocker). The interesting thing is that to get rid of the old city mgr they paid him off for his remaining 3 years at $180K/year !!! All to bring in a new guy who would give them the answers they wanted. Nice use of taxpayer money. I know I appreciate it :confused: In CA it is "normal" for people to retire from one agency with a pension and go work for another agency. I know of a police chief who "retired" from WCPD for a 3rd time- he already had 2 other pensions as chief from 2 other agencies! What a racket huh? He's now making FAR more retired than he ever made working. I find myself daily now wondering at how the completely stupid are making decisions for the rest of us. (I guess they're not that stupid if they got elected though, huh?) Sigh.

RE: WCM really needs your help

DPC — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:45:04 GMT

Instead of modeling the mediocre programs after the one Kerry has built, he will destroy Kerry's. I am extremely sad that someone like Kerry, who showed up to work day in and day out for 30 years, and built a program that is a model for the rest of the country, is being relatively dismissed. Mind you he already collects full retirement and benefits from a city that he used to work in, plus his current salary of about $180K. Typical of someone who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. I've been a "public employee" for almost 18 years now (am I gettting that old???) and I've always been a budget/finance manager. I hate guys like this - first one at the feeding trough, but is only looking for ways to cut out others to make himself look better. If anyone has a conflict its him - collecting a city pension and working a public sector job, must be from out of state or you need to change your pension laws. I'll bet he's angling for a big bonus/raise if he reduces the city budget enough - you should FOIA his job performance goals. The ramifications will come in the out years - 3-4 years down the road and they will be masked by increases in revenue as the local economy gets better - but the quality programs no longer exist. I would think his actions regarding the "white letter" border on collusion, at a minimum ethically questionable. Is there an underlying feeling that the mayor-council can be swayed to look at the value of the program versus the "cost"?? Is it a matter of time before the manager just starves the program and Kerry out??

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:54:52 GMT

Here's the latest. Kerry met with the city manager yesterday, who continues to perpetuate the repuation of being an @$$%0!e. He said that given all of the information that he will still recommend to the city council to cut Kerry's position. Not only that, but he is now having the city attorney look at Kerry's job as a "conflict of interest" as he also gets paid by our team. I cannot tell you the expletives that came out of my mouth. I am far beyond disgusted. What it comes down to are two things: the guy is the aforementioned expletive, and he wants WCM to fit the model of all other city programs. He doesn't care that this is the only city program that runs in the black and is therefore self-sustaining. He wants it to be mediocre like everything else. Instead of modeling the mediocre programs after the one Kerry has built, he will destroy Kerry's. We don't know what we will do as a team at this point. Several options have been tossed around, and none of them are ideal. I am extremely sad that someone like Kerry, who showed up to work day in and day out for 30 years, and built a program that is a model for the rest of the country, is being relatively dismissed. Please write letters to our city council, as they are the only ones (being the city manager's boss) that can save Kerry. mayor@walnut-creek.org I've already written two, my hubby has written one and posted on Claycord.com, and I will write another one today (it will NOT be pretty, I assure you). Some further background info on our city mgr. He is trying to get this thing called a 'white letter' sent to all of the city mgrs. in CA. Basically, what it does is screw all public employees. How? He is trying to get all cities to make the same massive cuts, and by everybody cutting, then the employees can't leave their city for a better paying job in another city. For example, several years ago many police officers left for better paying jobs in other depts. This yo-yo is trying to make it so there is no better place to go! Mind you he already collects full retirement and benefits from a city that he used to work in, plus his current salary of about $180K.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:25:42 GMT

Mrs. Duggan, It is very strange that Kerry's salary is paid half by the city and half by the WCM, yet the city picks up all of his health insurance, and retirement. I wonder about his vacation, sick leave, industrial disability and other benefits afforded to most permanent city employees. That is a huge red flag that should have been dealt with long ago. I don't expect a young man (as Kerry was when he started the program) to think 30 years into the future. It is a shame that this issue wasn't addressed 20 years ago. It seems that Kerry has been getting screwed by the city and the people who he has helped for 30 years. How much are your dues? I hope that the city will find other employment for a higly skilled and dedicated public servant.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:39:11 GMT

I didn't say it would be nasty, but it will state the facts as they are, again. I guess what is so frustrating, is that it is starting to look like no matter what, Kerry is screwed. And that is not right. People who have no idea about this situation are ignoring the facts and making life altering decisions that don't need to be made.

RE: WCM really needs your help

jroddin — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:07:30 GMT

Please write letters to our city council, as they are the only ones (being the city manager's boss) that can save Kerry. mayor@walnut-creek.org I've already written two, my hubby has written one and posted on Claycord.com, and I will write another one today (it will NOT be pretty, I assure you). If you are confident writing a nasty letter will help your cause, all the power to you.:confused:

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:12:26 GMT

Mrs. Duggan, I am curious about Kerry's city retirement plan. Specifically medical benefits. My understanding is that Kerry has well over 20 years of service, making him a vested city employee. Many cities allow vested employees to retire at age 50. (yes I know, at a reduced income, but medical is usually 100% after 20 years) It seems that Kerry could retire and collect his monthly check, including medical coverage. Not an ideal or fair solution, but not the grim picture you paint. Normally when restructuring in government occurs, long term employees in good standing, are shifted to another position, allowing good employees to maintain employment and keep the medical till retirement age. Of course the City of Walnut Creek may not have the same retirement package as many of the cities I have delt with, but I find it hard to believe that an employee with that many years of service wouldn't have a pension with benefits comming his way. I hope that is not the case with Kerry. I sympathize with your fight. Good luck.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Former Member — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:36:37 GMT

Kerry will only get 3 years of medical if he retires now at $9K/year. Mrs. Duggan, That is a travesty. Remember Kerry when a fat, balding, drug addled radio talk show host blathers about those "horrible, greedy, public employees."

RE: WCM really needs your help

swimmj — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:25:45 GMT

Mrs. Duggan, That is a travesty. Remember Kerry when a fat, balding, drug addled radio talk show host blathers about those "horrible, greedy, public employees." No kidding. Could not agree more.

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:14:41 GMT

:bump: If you are interested in writing a letter to sing the praises of Kerry O'Brien and the program he has built, please e-mail: mayor@walnut-creek.org We still need your help to keep Kerry as a City employee so he can keep his medical benefits. Thanks!

RE: WCM really needs your help

Karen Duggan — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:55:20 GMT

Kerry will only get 3 years of medical if he retires now at $9K/year. Yep, that's WC, looking out for their own after 30 years of service. Not to mention he has built the most successful program that the city has ever had.