Theresa Stehly mentioned on B-N-B show this morning that she requested the amount it costs to follow the mayor around with a camera for press conferences and Listening & Learning sessions. The finance director could not give her a solid number saying they really don’t keep track (in other words buried in the CityLink/Media budget.
Huether fancies himself as a great and prudent businessman. He has a director of finance (Turbak) who pretends to know what he is doing controlling the town’s cash. This director of the cash doesn’t know the cost of videoing the mayor’s events?
An astute businessman would know how much it costs to:
  1. buy all the equipment needed
  2. send a guy out with a camera
  3. return to the office to upload
  4. store the recordings
  5. how much it costs to replace the equipment as it wears out
They both complain about the cost of recording but had no idea how much it would cost? This proves how bad the city finance system is when they do not understand the basics of cost centers. This is actually a very easy number to generate. To a real cost accountant, this could take minutes to figure out. As for a guy who has worked in the media business for over 20 years, if I had to do a quick educated guess, just to record the press conferences and L & L sessions, it would be well over $100,000 a year. This does not include the entire CityLink budget OR the independent contract hosts like Madeline and Jolene.
There is a strong belief the lack of recordings is not a cost issue or to protect the board members. This effort to stop recordings is to protect city staff from being recorded giving bad advice the board members have to follow. There is no attempt to protect the members only city employees. Our videos show this time and time again.

4 Thoughts on “What is the cost to follow the Mayor around with a camera?

  1. Score Again on January 27, 2017 at 3:01 pm said:

    Oh, if you aren’t right on again! MMM wants to spend the money to promote his image and agenda, but let’s not be too transparent because problems may be revealed and the public may be alerted too soon to the plans and intentions of city departments.

  2. What working for subprime credit card company.

  3. This is a little bit off topic, but let me just say that is not unusual for there to be a double standard on many issues raised by our political leaders. They often live in a bubble and show signs of path qualities….

    Do you all remember early in the Obama presidency when Sarah Palin was trying to make an issue out of the fact that she thought President Obama had too many chefs on Air Force One, even though the number was no greater than previous presidents?

    Now speed forward to 2017 and just think for a moment about how much more is being spent to protect Trump’s real estate assets in New York City and Florida compared to other presidents and their private holdings.

    Maybe President Trump should not only sell off his assets in order to be in compliance with the emoluments clause of the constitution, but also to help the Federal government save some money with its security costs….. Sarah, what do you think?

  4. The D@ily Spin on January 29, 2017 at 9:07 am said:

    Print and broadcast media (as a class) could use Sunshine Law to request video of all city meetings. The city not complying should pose another lawsuit similar to the Argus EC siding case. It seems the only way to make the city public is to twist their arm. There will be transparency after some bruises. There’s been a rash of constitutional city court cases. At some point, state Supreme Court must realize the charter must be replaced. They have the power to supervise city government reorganization.

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