Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

A spending czar. Really?

By

Herald reports:

Gov. Deval Patrick has tapped real estate executive Jeffrey Simon as the state’s spending czar to oversee doling out the Bay State’s portion of the $790 billion federal stimulus.

Simon, who will earn $150,000 and report to Patrick and finance chief Leslie Kirwan, was chosen because of his experience on several large, complex infrastructure projects including heading up the redevelopment of Fort Devens, the governor said.

Now, I don’t mean to be difficult, but (a) is now really the best time to be adding new state positions that pay $150,000, and (b) isn’t there already someone in state government capable of doing this kind of thing?  It’s not as if the state has never received federal money before.

Patrick recently contracted with accounting firm Deloitte & Touche for $400,000 to help dole out the federal cash as well.

My head hurts.

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Comments

  1. The Gov probably figures it’s worth at least $150k so that he doesn’t have to be the guy to say “no” to every dipshit with a proposed pet project.

  2. We need to get outraged about this, the gas tax, and the
    inspection sticker chip.  I have so had it with these out-of-touch politicians.  They are so unrealistic, and that is what the problem is.  I’m sure there is someone or a group of people with qualifications who are already on the payroll that can handle the process. (They probably just sit around for half the day anyway. Or they’re on 3 hour lunches.)  

  3. Aren’t you suggesting that we be pennywise, pound-foolish?

    <

    p>If this state gets billions in stimulus money, money that should be quickly moved to wherever it needs to go, isn’t a project manager, even one at $150k, a smart idea?

      • … limited.  And even they would have to add personnel to process all that funding.  It doesn’t just come in one door and out the other without some work done in between.

      • …I think they wouldn’t be involved in most of the stimulus anyway.  They handle mostly buildings and facilities.  I think MBTA, MTA, and MassHighway stuff wouldn’t be crossing their desk at all.  

        <

        p>Knowing that there is a certain amount of work that goes into developing and submitting an RFP and then more in reviewing the bids, it wouldn’t surprise me at all that people would need to staff up or outsource if an administration suddenly had to deal with triple the volume.

  4. … reasonable, but as I think about it I wonder.  Is it the case that the overhead infrastructure for these funds is already in place?  I’ve got to imagine that there is a certain amount of overhead for state budgetary concerns already, but doesn’t it follow that current budget(y) + stimulus(x) requires overhead(y) + overhead(x)?  

    <

    p>When I fantasize about winning the lottery, the first thing I do in my dreams is get advice from professionals.

    • My initial reaction was not favorable, but as I think about it, I think it’s a good idea to have someone new, someone who does not exhibit incipient signs of chronic Vogonomics exposure, to manage the money.  

      <

      p>Or, to put it another way, would I really want one or some of the Vogons who work in the rarefied heights or the dank dungeons of  our state governmental structure managing all that money?  I think not.  

      <

      p>

      • The job of lavishing goodies on good boys and girls.  More like this guy. With a pension.  We’ll call him the Spending Ho.  Czar, so passe.

        <

        p>

  5. $150,000 is a modest honorarium for Simon, a competent real estate developer who’s built large projects (Memo to all you public sector folks: junior project managers working on $250 million real estate project don’t make less than $150,000.)

    <

    p>And can you imagine the political pressure if a STATE EMPLOYEE was made responsible for doling out these funds?  He’d be threatened, bribed, harangued, and threatened, did I say threatened?

    <

    p>Heck, Simon should give himself $500 million for funding his own projects.  That would be a more honest, and a more efficient, use of the money than have it swallowed up by the usual public sector layabouts.

    • <

      p>The appointment is bullshit.

      <

      p>It reeks of the cluelessness to the the plight of the average taxpayer in the Commonwealth.  Kirwan, Bump, Bialecki with some oversight pointers from Coakley can’t figure this out?  Can’t the Governors just get together and figure out how to manage this problem in a streamlined, consistent administrative manner?  D’oink!

      <

      p>Lazy, bullshit.

      <

      p>Local governments get creamed with mandates constantly and have to adjust within the current structure.

      <

      p>Nope, it’s rain’ paper in House.

      <

      p>It’s obscene.

      • Can’t the Governors just get together and figure out how to manage this problem in a streamlined, consistent administrative manner?

        <

        p>No.  

        • Let me just share with you a little tidbit…arrogance is insulting and in this case clearly a veil for ignorance.

          <

          p>The addition of a high paying position when teachers, EMTs, firefighters, police, carpenters, social workers, etc. are being laid-off with freezes on employment everywhere, is egregious.  It bemoans a very troublesome disconnect.

          <

          p>The families with 60% less income this year are figuring out how to manage their problems…the administration should do the same.

          <

          p>Lazy, bullshit.

          <

          p>No clue.

          • I mean, if this guy is so rich that he might just as well flush $150K down the crapper as accept it as salary, why not avoid the problem by taking a salary of $1?  Problem solved.

            • So quit taking a big steaming dump on me just because I categorize the hustle money heading to Mr. Simon as an “honorarium.”

              <

              p>Furthermore, I think it’s rich for Heartland to mistake my cynicism as veiled ignorance.  You’re pissed off at wasting $150,000?  How do you think the $2 billion coming MA’s way will be spent?  Carefully and judiciously?

              <

              p>And then you try to exonerate your own poor choice of political party and its standard bearer by professing your concern for the common man in these tough times.  Save your outrage for later, after the $2 billion is picked over by politics as usual.

              <

              p>Heartland and David own this whole thing, Mr. Simon and his $150,000 government kiss, and the anticipated pissing away of the $2 billion on its way from Washington.  

              <

              p>Your man, Deval Patrick, is spineless and needs the political cover which Simon brings him.  I didn’t vote for him, nor the current drunken sailors in the White House and on Capitol Hill.  You did.  So get off my back.

  6. I think the outrage is a little misplaced.

    <

    p>This is a lot of money coming down the pike, more than we’re used to or have the infrastructure for, I think.

    <

    p>You need a cooler head (and more of them) to sort through and manage this. Make sure the money is spent well, and continues to provide value as it’s spent.

    <

    p>Even just managing my little business, I know that much…when you start getting the checks flying in on top of one another, it’s almost harder to manage than when they come in as a trickle and you gotta go chase the next one in order to make any kind of living.

    <

    p>Just sayin’.

    <

    p>(And I’m NOT complaining about having too much work, either.)

    • I also think Our Obedient Servant, Peter (sorry, I always liked that signature) raised a good point: what happens a year or two from now when the stimulus goes away?

      <

      p>Barring another massive infusion of cash, I think the position should be set to expire.  If we spend 150k to allocate the billions well, that’s a steal at twice the price.  If we keep spending 150k indefinitely…that’s another story.

  7. The state is getting $2 billion practically overnight. Given recent history, maybe it is not a bad idea to have one person oversee an infusion of that much cash in such a short amount of time?  

    • Spending Co-ordinator: Billy Bulger
      Public Relations: Tom Finneran
      Washington Liaison: Paul Cellucci
      Archivist: Charles Flaherty
      Events Co-Ordinator: Richard Vitale
      Auditor: Dianne Wilkerson
      Corporate Partner: Bechtel

      • You are so right… that is exactly why we should be worried
        and noisy about it.  We, the voters, should at least help to provide some oversight for this money.  How?  By speaking out and letting them know we are watching. I just hope Simon doesn’t come to the table with his very own
        personal agenda, and a personal financial future his decisions will be targeted toward.  (Sorry, still suffering from post Dick Cheney traumatic stress syndrome.)

  8. PLease give the Governor credit for setting up a site to monitor the disbursement of the new federal stimulus funds. (This followed a 3 month process of pulling in stakeholders to set up some guidelines) Ready access to information, the decision making process is an opportunity to influence the decision. And frankly I’m glad we have an experienced project manager in charge.Worth every penny as long as we keep an eye on him.    

  9. WTF?  Deval was still in high school when Simon first stuck his snout in the public trough.  Where do we find these guys?

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