Fair and equitable - in Royal Oak!?

Royal Oak gets it. Fair, equitable, and just - with all parties playing ball. And, in Royal Oak at least, if you refuse to play nice, then you also say goodbye to reasonable adjustments, and you get treated like this.

How about in Troy? Well, if you're lucky to be in the Troy Police Officers Association, you get to hold tight to your contract and claim to be virtuously upholding your end of the agreement while an entire community is under siege and many hardworking, good folks are losing their jobs. I know, I know. Binding arbitration. And while some folks are getting fitted for permanent blinders, the library is getting measured for chains and boarded up windows.

Royal Oak has actually said no to their police union. Why? Because at some point citizens have to. Troy's negotiators couldn't muster the courage to tell the union no last time (2008), even though Troy had already been running a deficit in the general fund for seven consecutive years at that point. Who negotiates a sweetheart deal like that under such circumstances?

And what happens if our leaders say yes to police union demands the next time? The implications of this are truly terrifying to ponder. The TPD is slated to grow from a healthy 41% of current general fund expenditures to an outlandish 55% of expenditures in the next two years under Mr. Szerlag's Option 1. You read that right.

Why? Because it's apparently easier to play hardball with librarians then police officers. But isn't that why we expect our leaders to do the right thing and, you know, lead.

I want to be clear. This is not a call to attack our men and women in blue. They ride through our community 24/7, in all kinds of weather, sometimes facing danger most of us can't imagine. Knowing they're out there patrolling our streets while we're sleeping allows everyone to sleep better. But come on guys, get in the game. You know you can't sit this one out. One way or another you will end up paying. And 5% isn't going to cut it. That ship sailed and we all have to pay. Fair is fair.

Incidentally, that goes for everyone else on the city payroll who thinks their job and their full salary is safe. All hands on deck! Let's figure this out together.