In July, 2010, Glendale City Manager
Jim Starbird, after first learning about former Chief
of Police Randy Adams’ entanglement with the city of Bell, commented that Adams
was “gaming the system”.
When Chief Adams left the Glendale
Police Department, he left with no disability on his record. In September, 2010, City Manager Starbird was informed Adams had struck a deal with former
City of Bell Administrator Robert Rizzo that guaranteed the incoming chief a
disability retirement because of injuries he had sustained years earlier. With a disability upon retirement, Adams would
not have to pay taxes on half of his projected pension income of over $200,000
annually.
Starbird said he had counseled Adams in spring, 2009, not to work for Bell
because of its history of corruption. Starbird asked “why Bell”? Adams said “the package was too good to
refuse”.
Chief Adams learned how to “game the
system” from his former employer, Jim Starbird, where
Starbird used a million dollars in the past few years
giving bonuses to his favorite department heads and managers. Hence, a “spike” in their
salaries. Because of the spike in
salaries, these individuals would, therefore, receive a higher pension payout
throughout their retirement years. Like
a good TIMEX watch, the “bonus spike” would be a gift from the City Manager
that keeps on giving.
Mr. Starbird,
the trusted appointee by the city council, never informed the City Council
members. By circumventing the city
council and the people of Glendale the City Manager has put the public in
additional debt for pension
obligations for years to come.
The message to the hard working
general employees of the city of Glendale is to ingratiate themselves with your
city manager, so they too can receive a higher pension courtesy of the Glendale
Taxpayers.
One should be asking oneself the
following question. What did the City
Council do upon knowing the system was being “gamed”? All five of our elected city council members
gave Mr. Starbird a pay raise and then our city
council had the audacity to cut
the salary of 1600 general employees on November 2, 2010.
The Glendale city council keeps
saying we are not like the city of Bell. They are right! They are just more sophisticated than Bell.
Mike Mohill,
Friendly City Watchdog