And, ACTION
Credit: Edzo Facebook
Scene one takes us through the meteoric and apparently pre-ordained ascension of “Edzo” from embryo to the Jupiter of Jakes.
He is fairly begotten, not made; a super-hero descended into our midst.
In the telling he smotes both fire and city hall even giving birth to Martin Walsh, current mayor of Boston.
Scene two is owned by the supporting characters, a Greek Chorus of local officers and district vice presidents who apparently know the future when they see it.
Leaders from Chicago, Seattle and New York sing the praises of the “Edzo.”
Even Danny Todd puts in a cameo appearance from Memphis.
By the way, is his hair real?
Scene three is where the plot thickens.
All Checks, No Balances
Edzo tells us we need democracy implying we have none now.
He’ll get no argument from me there but the executive board shares a substantial share of the blame for their self-interested and cowardly behavior.
He also talks of bringing “integrity” and “checks and balances” to the IAFF.
Again, who could argue with that?
However, he creates a confusing twist in an otherwise predictable plot when he trots out Father Time, also known as Mike Mullane, Third District IAFF Vice President and senior member of the current executive board.
Dear Old Mike says the IAFF “desperately needs checks and balances.”
Really now?
Father Time has backed every single Schaitberger play wherein any semblance of accountability has been shredded, exploded, annihilated.
He has repeatedly given Schaitberger cover when he needed it, including on the house purchase conflict of interest.
He has weakened our ethics.
He even supports spying on IAFF staff.
Edzo should have Mike Mullane name one time when he fought for a meaningful check or balance against Harold Schaitberger.
There would be complete and utter silence.
Speaking of Father Time, where he is concerned, it’s all checks and no balances and they are made out to, and endorsed by, him.
Mike Mullane knows a travel per diem when he sees one, be he travelling or not.
Mostly not.
(Note to Father Time: driving 1.8 miles from your house to 718’s office does not qualify for an $80 travel per diem.)
Having Mike Mullane as your ethics spokesman is like having Jack the Ripper narrate a date rape prevention video.
Jupiter Jake needs to find another “checks and balances backer upper” and be damn quick about it.
Some Relevant Questions for Jupiter Jake
Has the audited financial position of Local 718 and the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts improved during his tenure as leader of both organizations?
Provide audited reports showing a breakout of salary and expenses for the last three years in each office.
Has he ever served as a trustee on a pension board?
If so, provide audited investment returns for the years he was trustee.
Provide a list of travel and travel expenses while a board trustee.
Anyone running for General-Secretary Treasurer should prove their specific fitness for that office.
And finally, while he calls out the Schaitberger/Lee team for being long-in-the-tooth, crowing about being at Worcester and the Ground Zero Pile is utterly irrelevant, ancient history and frankly tacky.
If you feel the need to associate yourself with honored dead, don’t do it as part of a political campaign.
See you at the movies.
Edzo, the Movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7aVvnfx9A