When Fred Capone asked his colleagues on the council to consider his motion to strip the mayor’s longevity payment of $40,000 Monday night at city hall, the reaction of most of his colleagues on the council was something to behold.
In a frenzied instant, Capone’s measure was given the rough equivalent of ridicule and contempt by the majority of his colleagues who basically support the mayor and his wishes and whims.
In this case, 6 out of 9 of Capone’s colleagues opted to bury the issue for weeks in committee rather than to discuss the reality of the situation, which is, the mayor is receiving four times what he should receive for a longevity payment.
Councilor Anthony DiPierro, who would jump off a rooftop if his cousin the mayor told him to do so, was first to urge his colleagues to bury this issue – an issue that is of more than passing interest to many taxpayers wondering how such a situation is allowed to exist.
Capone wasn’t grandstanding. He was urging his colleagues to act.
They willingly, excitedly dropped the ball.
What DePierro doesn’t understand is that if he wishes to achieve power in the community of his birth, he needs to do this on his own by showing independence.
Voters know the mayor owns DiPierro’s vote.
This translates simply – that if the mayor goes down, DiPierro goes down with him.
Councilors at Large Mike Marchese and John Hanlon and Councilor Capone showed any spine.
Kudos to them for showing strength in the face of one of the mayor’s most obvious scams.
According to the City Charter, the mayor should be receiving $10,000 in longevity.
In reality, the mayor is receiving $40,000.
Councilors need to ask themselves about this and then to act to correct this.