Sleeping Watchdog

Democrat and Chronicle editorialists today congratulate Mayor Richards and Police Chief Sheppard for cutting their budgets through steps such as reducing employee cellphone use, leaving vacancies unfilled, reducing travel and similar measures.   Good steps to take.   Well done, Mayor and Chief.

If Rochester had a quality daily newspaper, the editorial might have asked, "What took City government so long?"

The Mayor and the Chief now have done what most towns in Monroe County, and the County government itself, did years ago and continue to do regularly.   The County cut cellphones and cars about the time County Executive Brooks took office, and continued the by then established practice of leaving positions unfilled.   Most towns have done the same.

Yet, apparently the D&C, self-proclaimed "watchdog" of the public interest, lay asleep at its dinner bowl at the time.

We don't recall laudatory editorials about the County government or the towns, back when they cut the same costs, praising "needed changes that must become standard in managing taxpayer dollars" in places like the City.

Even more praiseworthy would have been that the County and most towns implemented these savings in budgets that didn't raise tax rates.   Whereas the City's budget that draws the paper's praise today increases the homestead tax rate by 2.8% and the non-homestead rate by 1.3%.

A noteworthy disparity in watchdog praise.   Explained by the fact that the County and most towns are administered by the party our biased watchdog doesn't much like.   They cut phones and cars and staff and don't raise taxes but get no gushing editorials.   When the City government finally catches up, and raises taxes while doing it, our watchdog wags its tail.

In an especially amusing touch, the paper praises the Police department for "using creative strategies ... to get around rules" in order to preserve a racially discriminatory hiring program.

Were a Republican County government found to be "using creative strategies to get around rules," our watchdog would be baying for investigation by the attorney general.

A sleeping watchdog, and a mangy one.