Local Town Successfully Privatizes Services, the NYTimes Enthusiastically Approves, My Head Explodes
I'm pretty sure I read this article in the NYTimes. I mean, I read it online, so maybe my computer was hacked. But yesterday's NYTimes reported on the California town of Maywood, which was in real trouble. The town's government was stung by corruption; the police department was a dysfunctional, lawsuit-riddled disaster; the town was headed south.
And then, suddenly, they did an amazing thing. They fired everyone:
The school crossing guards were let go. Parking enforcement was contracted out, City Hall workers dismissed, street maintenance workers made redundant. The public safety duties of the Police Department were handed over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The result? Success. City workers are now on "contract" -- meaning, public employee union deals have been tamed. And the police?
...others said they have seen an increased police presence in the last few weeks. “The deputies are there right away,” said Maria Mendez, who has lived in Maywood for most of her 73 years. “Before you used to wait and wait for the police.”
Let me repeat: this article was printed in the New York Times. The last word in the piece was this quote from a local resident:
“Remember the Soviet Union?” said Hector Alvarado, who heads a civic advocacy group. “They had a lot of bureaucracy, and they lost. Maywood was like that. Now people know if they don’t work, they will be laid off. Much better this way."
In the New York Times! Which is where I read this article. Where people talked about outsourcing and privatizing and how corrupting and inefficient public unions and bureaucracy are. In the New York Times!
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May '10
Re: Local Town Successfully Privatizes Services, the NYTimes Enthusiastically Approves, My Head Explodes
Now watch the legislature quietly move to block this sort of solution. They'll claim it a way of "protecting the public" from untested or unscrupulous contractors. They've used that argument to block similar education reforms like vouchers and charter schools, and for the same reason.
Attention from the NYT, remarkable as it is, may not be a good thing if it invites a counter attack. Sometimes it helps to stay "under the radar." Then again, perhaps the time is right to fight this battle again. There are plenty of municipalities that are not yet bankrupt but would be interested in following Maywood's lead.
May '10
Re: Local Town Successfully Privatizes Services, the NYTimes Enthusiastically Approves, My Head Explodes
Rob Long:
In other words, they passed the buck.
In this case, at least it's clear that they're paying for the labor that another government entity is doing. But taxpayers are still picking up the tab and government's still behind the wheel. This isn't what I'd call an inspirational story.
But, yes, it's nice to learn that the New York Times sometimes forgets itself and allows disparaging remarks about the Soviet Union.
Re: Local Town Successfully Privatizes Services, the NYTimes Enthusiastically Approves, My Head Explodes
Hey, I'll take what I can get. If one town in California realizes that the only way to survive is to oursource services, and another town in California provides the services -- at a cost -- that opens up an entirely new concept of customers and competition, and I'm happy.
But you're right: I'm a cheap date.
May '10
Re: Local Town Successfully Privatizes Services, the NYTimes Enthusiastically Approves, My Head Explodes
Aaron Miller
In this case, at least it's clear that they're paying for the labor that another government entity is doing. But taxpayers are still picking up the tab and government's still behind the wheel. This isn't what I'd call an inspirational story.
But, yes, it's nice to learn that the New York Times sometimes forgets itself and allows disparaging remarks about the Soviet Union. · Jul 20 at 3:52pm
It's better than you think. Lots of small municipalities contract with larger city or county police departments to provide then with law enforcement. It's often much less expensive to do that than to hire and maintain your own police force. Cops, and all the support staff and incidental costs that comes with them, are expensive.
As well, I'm betting that they're getting a good bargain from their sister city for parking enforcement and whatever else Maywood provides. There are still necessary services government must provide, but there's nothing that says it can't be provided by less expensive contractors. This is a good thing and we should encourage more of it.