Time to Open the Mail Bag

The Massillon Review is opening up the mail bag today and will answer a letter from a reader.

This one is from a Mr. Mike Loudiana, who was responding to the post "Taxpayers snowed under," where Massillon Street Superintendent Mike Stevens racked up 80 plus hours of overtime during the recent snow storms, despite plowing no snow.

Mike Loudiana states, "Regarding your overtime comment for Mike Stevens, are you aware that under Federal Law states that you must pay overtime after an employee works 40 hours? Mr. Stevens is not a Union Member therefore he cannot drive a snow plowing truck!"

Thank you for confirming the fact that Mike Stevens did not plow any snow. Let's try this again. If he can't drive the truck and plow any snow, why is he racking up this unbelievably high amount of overtime? This could appear as a very poor expenditure of our tax dollars. Let's review this one again when the city claims it is short on making its budget again this year.

We ran this one by our crack Massillon Review legal department. As the Superintendent of the Street Department, a City Department Head, Mr. Stevens is exempt from overtime under Federal Law.

Unfortunately, it appears that our Mayor for Life is allowing his department heads to receive overtime they really should not be receiving, as they are exempt from overtime. One could speculate that this practice is designed to make these department heads extremely loyal to the Mayor, and more willing to trumpet the administration's talking points.

Let's look at Parks Director Kenn Kaminski. Director Kaminski claims our parks are in deplorable shape because of "vandals," not because there is no money for basic maintenance and upkeep. The fact that our parks money is being used to subsidize the golf course has nothing to do with a lack of maintenance at the parks. Director Kaminski racks up significant overtime, even though under Federal Law, he would be exempt from overtime. One can only speculate if this clouds his judgment.