I called Blunder Boy for a comment, actually called all three of his phone numbers and left messages as well as an email, but received no communication back.

He's too busy trying to get his neck out of the noose he put himself into.

and would virtually guarantee Scrivner ascent to higher office.

No higher than state assembly where he can only become part of the statewide problem.

Trying to talk with Zack is like beating your head agaist the wall. Unless it comes down from "The Puppet Master", he does not want to hear it. To see what a great job he is doing just drive around his Ward 7. Almost new housing tracks becoming ghettos, graffiti at every turn and some of the worst crime in the city. I don't think Mr Schrivner has to worry about obtaining higher office. He has already demonstrated his inability to handle this level of government.

Thank you Lois for seeing through the Tandy/Scrivner diatribe of lies, Zack cares only of Zack, he lacks the maturity and experience to understand problems and has no skills to deal with  the mess he help create. For  Zack to say he is the "shot caller" is a complete farce. He, as well as other council people have been kept in the dark about what was included in the city's offer to the police. The city's " last, best and Final offer " was 12% over 3 years with 3%@ 55 and with a bump in the medical. Zack's stated 8 % never happened. Now zack wants the city to impose the 2 @50 and 0 % raise. Talk about regressive bargaining? Give me a break. Zack is just stumming his political guitar to Abernathy party politics.

Funny how Mr Scrivner did not mention 300 other agencies in the state had 3%@50 before BPD got it and even at that they gave up ALL pay increases for several years to get it.  It was really the only way they could continue to compete for good candidates for the job.  Plus the plan kept the cities contribution at next to nothing for the better part of 9 years for all fire and police employees allowing them to either set some aside(which they did not) or SPEND SPEND SPEND(which they did!).  How typical, when the politicians mismanage our money, to come after the people who contribute the most and work the hardest.   So BPD gets no raises for 3-4 years to get a retirement plan the rest of the state already had just so they could compete with other agencies for qualified candidates, the city benefits from that for almost a decade by having all that retirement savings to spend on projects, now the BPD is suppose to give up the plan while the rest of the state STILL has it with no compensation for all the years of raises they did not get.  Sound fair to anyone?

I havent seen any cuts in project spending by the city council, projects are being completed, full speed ahead on all re-election boosting/resume padding pork...first sign of budget woes go after the civil servants.

I don't want to hear politicians going after the pay and retirement benefits of the hard working civil servants until they have made serious cuts to...No...STOPPED.... their wild spending.   I wonder if Mr Scrivner realizes that taking pay and benefits from hard working people while continuing the spending on community projects is socialist at its core.  I wonder if he is really a socialist in disguise as an incompetent city councilman.

Hammerhead: The government taking rescources spent one way and reallocating them to be spent another way is not socialism, its just rebudgeting.

SteveMcqueen187: I don't agree with you, Ward 7 has some great neighborhoods. Also, to say that an almost new housing track becoming a ghetto is the fault of a city councilman is probably exegerating a bit.

I like Scrivner. When i see the council meetings on TV he is always well prepared and has quality comments.

Thats great baknative, I'm glad you picked the one line of my post that was satire to make a response to.  I'm sure everyone thanks you for that explanation.  Now stop licking the wallpaper.

WOW, personal attacks hammerhead. There is no need for that.

This is so typical of somebody that's over his head. I think enough is enough! Lets not forget how he feels about the employees that serve our country in a time of war.....lets not forget about how he got caught double dipping insurance benefits from the State and the City. Let me mention that while he was double dipping, he was on the insurance benefit comittee, and was doing such a terrible job that other council members had to intervene...pubilically. His public politics are so one dimensional that his image appears nothing more than vindictive. His ward needs to get organized and get him out of office. There are people who are putting there lives on the line for this community and deserve better. If he can't see beyond the pension issue, then he is too incompentent to be in a position that effects so many.

Baknative; every ward has some nice areas. More than half of ward 7 is unsafe to walk in after dark and some of it at anytime. I bet Say Youll Kwon would differ with your opinion, if he could.   http://www.turnto23.com/new... 

I bet the store clerk at Panama and South H Street would also find your opinion in error.  http://www.bakersfieldnow.c...

Check out the property crime stats for Ward 7. I could go on and on. The main priorty of the city council and the city manager should be public safety. If all the parks turn brown and the grass goes uncut, it doesn't matter, until the streets are safe. The city police department is understaffed by more than a 100 officers just to reach mininum safe levels. Whats going to happen when the jail releases 600 inmates and the DA stops prosecuting many misdemeanors. Get your head out of the sand.

With the State making the money grab from the counties, the City of Bakersfield not wanting to pay for fire and police protection for the tax paying residence, I have a couple of  suggestions.  Go buy a really big gun or two.  Buy as much ammo as you can afford after spending a lot of money on your guns.  Start filling up your sand bags a prepare to defend YOURSELF!!!!  The City is not going to do it.  The County can't do it and the State never wanted to do it.  Might want to buy some ear plugs also, it might get a little loud around here.

Schrivner makes it perfectly clear he does not support public safety.  Whether it be military, police or fire.  Your safety is ZERO concern of his.  Ask him about his benefits and retirement plan.....ask him about his pay compared to others in his position around the state............ask him about the last raise he had.  Hypocrisy at its best. 

JMitchell is right. If you don't own a gun, go buy one, and learn how to use it. Seriously, the "bad guys" all have them. If things get much worse at least you will be able to protect yourself and your loved ones. The city won't give you a CCW to carry it legally but it's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Hey and the DA's not going to be prosecuting much in the future anyways.... lol

Oh Baknative, that wasn't a personal attack, you said you like Scrivner cuz he looks and sounds good on tv in the council meetings.  You ignored three paragraphs of factual substantive information in my post and responded to the one line of satire. One can only assume you are amused by shining objects and probably spend a lot of time trying to taste the shnoz berries.  If I am wrong I apologize but I can only go off what you posted.  My deepest sympathies if any feelings were injured.  I will be more careful with you in the future.

Now if you would like to defend Scrivner's policies and tactics feel free to do so, as Perot would say :I'm all ears".

BPD is hundreds of officers short, the Fire Department has the same number of firefighters as they did in 1983.  Both are among the lowest paid in the state, and have worse benefits than the majority of other agencies.  The PERS 3 @ 50 is the only thing in their entire benefit package that is competive with other agencies.

Crime is high, fire loss is way up, on your way to the gun store to buy a gun make sure you stop by a hardware store and buy a new fire extinguisher also.  Last year we had 2 fires that burned more than 7 buildings each.  That is unprecedented in modern Bakersfield.

Let's face it, Scrivner/Weir have no interest in public safety, and view every public employee as basically a welfare recipient.  What they forget is that without the essential govenmental services, there really is no need for a city council.  All we need is someone with a gavel to run a glorfied home owners association meeting, and they can continue to collect huge contributions from out of town developers. 

It's definately time for Bakersfield to shed it's small town mentality and boot these guys out.  Send them to right wing radio show land where they belong!

Great post DesertSledder!