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Digging deeper into that absurd idea of a full-time Franklin mayor

Posted by Kevin Fischer on June 15, 2009

Franklin Common Council President Steve Taylor is leading a chorus of one that Franklin’s mayoral position should be full-time. Currently, it’s part time.

Taylor wants the change because he wants to be mayor. The only argument he offers is that Franklin is a growing city. Actually, Franklin has already survived its biggest growing pains, and it did so with a PART-TIME MAYOR.

Albeit unscientific, the current poll on FranklinNOW on this very question shows overwhelming opposition to a full-time mayor. The “no” responses are in the two-thirds zone. The “Who cares? Franklin is doing fine as it is” responses, in my book, are as good as a “no.” So, close to 80% say the full-time idea is full of it. That doesn’t really help Steve Taylor’s batting average when it comes to brilliant proposals (Gotta put those horses on dog leashes).

In a previous entry, I asked Alderman Taylor to submit to me a guest blog explaining why Franklin needs a full –time mayor. In the past, many other Franklin officials and candidates have taken me up on my offer of guest blogging, including former mayoral candidate Basil Ryan. Taylor, for the record, is the first to fail to respond to get his message out on my popular blog. Yet another bad move by Mr. “Gee, if only Franklin was more like La Crosse.”

Of course, I don’t live in Taylor’s district. So in his view, I am not that important. That doesn’t speak well for a guy who dreams of someday representing all Franklin residents, and guess what Steve? That would include me!!

Since Alderman Taylor won’t shed light on his very own high falootin’ notion, allow me to offer some analysis for you to ponder.

Let’s just begin with a simple, honest, common sense question. Just what in the hell would a full-time Franklin mayor mean and entail?

Would the full-time mayor have to be at City Hall, every day, all day?

What would the working hours be?  8:00 start? 8:30?

When would the official working day end? 4:30? 5:00?

Here’s a beauty for you, Franklin taxpayers, especially those who answered “yes” on the FranklinNOW survey that the mayoral position should be full-time. How much do we then pay the mayor?

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooohh! I bet you hadn’t thought of that one, didja?

$60,000?

$70,000?

$80,000?

$100,000?

Ol’ Steve Patz is sitting there in his office (laughing) running a school district of 4,080 Franklin School District students at a compensation of $236,573 (SUCKERS!!!).

Using that formula, the mayor of Franklin’s roughly 35,000 residents should demand a salary/benefit package totaling $2,029,323.00.

Just what is the proper salary to entice someone to give up their real job to run for Franklin mayor? You tell me. I haven’t a clue.

What would the job qualifications be for a full-time mayor? Sorry to ask such a tough question but just what would he/she be required to do to earn that full-time salary, whatever the hell it is?

OK,  so now we make the mayor full-time. What do we do with our full-time Director of Administration? Dump him? Demote him? Keep him full-time? If so, why?

Has Steve Taylor answered any of these questions?

Better yet, has Steve Taylor even THOUGHT of any of these questions?

The answer is NO.

So is the whole foolish question of whather Franklin should have a full-time mayor.