we can do better, joe mckee for dhs city council 2013

Paid for by Joe McKee for Desert Hot Srings Council, FPPC No.: 1355689 1

WE CAN DO BETTERLeadership Vision Oversight

Jobs that pay wages that support familiesDevelop ernergy resources to entice industryPut in an educational center for workforce development

My Vision: How to do it:

Reduce crime before it happensReduce unemploymentIncrease programs/and parks for youthAttract cutting edge programs to deal with addiction and mental illness and co-ordinate with current programs already in existence

Balance the budget The present budget is out of balance by at least 2million dollarsSince we spend almost 40% more than like cities we must balance it with cuts and efficiency

Make Downtown work Create an anchor like an educational facility to bring traffic downtownFinish the construction

Joe McKee is running for a seat on the Desert Hot Springs City Council. Currently, he serves on the City’s Community and Cultural Affairs Com-mission as well as the Finance, Roads, and Milestone Anniversary com-mittees. Last year, he chaired the Parade Committee.

Joe grew up in Fontana, California and began visiting his parents in Desert Hot Springs when they retired here in 1978. He and his wife have made Desert Hot Springs their home for ten years.

Joe attended California State University, San Bernardino until enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1970. (He later completed his B.A. at Linfield College.)

Following the navy, Joe began a career in the food processing industry starting as a research engineer and going on to become a maintenance de-partment manager. He left the industry in 1990 and became a site engineer for Johnson Controls International in Saudi Arabia. Upon his return to the U.S., he operated his own small distribution company in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Getting Along

Leap Forward! Vote November 5, 2013 for Joe McKee for City Council!760-671-4150 [email protected]

Paid for by Joe McKee for Desert Hot Srings Council, FPPC No.: 13556892

Public safety is an issue on the minds of voters in every city, in every state, across the nation. People want to walk through the park, leave their garage doors open while unloading their groceries, attend their kids’ night sports event, and send their daughters off to prom night, without fear of assault, robbery, or a life threatening drunken event. Does a heavily armed and fortified police force make that happen? No.

In a functioning democracy, police can only respond to crime during or after it has occurred. To the questionable extent that their mere presence prevents such mayhem (think large crowd gatherings like rock concerts and sporting events) they may be a force for ensuring the safety of citizens. I do not believe that the Giants fan who was nearly beaten to death in the Dodgers Stadium parking lot or his family share the view that police kept them safe. Neither, I

suspect, does the elderly grandmother who has her purse snatched from her arm at the grocery store, nor the kid rolled for his iPhone as he walks home from school. I know from personal experience, if police happen to be in the vicinity of such crimes, they perform their duty with exemplary professionalism. That duty is to intervene, investigate, and arrest. In other words, police provide law enforcement, which may be perceived as a component of public safety, but it definitely is not the same thing.

Public safety is messier and much more complicated business than law enforcement.

I feel safer when I know my fire department is adequately funded and manned. If my next door neighbor’s house catches fire, I’m confident that firemen will arrive and try to save that structure before it’s destroyed and my own house catches fire.

We are not safe as a community when parents must work two or three, part time minimum wage jobs without benefits to earn a living that cannot support their families. We are not safe as a community when the unsupervised children of these families must confront the temptations and dangers that surround them on a daily basis completely on their own without the loving direction and support of adult wisdom. We are not safer as a community when a mentally handicapped person or substance abuser has no access to medication, counseling, and a safe place to live and is thrust out into the streets to make his way as best he can.

We must create good paying manufacturing jobs in Desert Hot Springs. Our city needs more than the retail, restaurant, and hospitality business model that is now the backbone of our economy. We need an educated and skilled workforce to fill those jobs. We can achieve this with a trade school to anchor our downtown that provides training in the skills for these jobs. We must care for the vulnerable among us. We are not safe as long as they aren’t. Let’s reach out to County and State programs for help in meeting their needs.

These are not law enforcement measures. They are public safety measures.

PUBLIC SAFeTy AND THe POLICe

JOe MCKee’S’ POSITIONSCRIME:

The present council has stated crime is down 47% from 2007. This is not true. According to the UCR F.B.I. reporting system violent crime is up and property crime is down.

Our problems are rooted in poverty, not a shortage of police. We need a plan to create good paying jobs. I will do this by using our strengths: energy, willing workforce, availability of land, and access to transportation. Next we need to train our residents for the jobs that pay well. I propose an educational center for remedial, vocational, and higher education. Finally, we need to develop programs to help those in our community suffering from addiction and mental illness. I will do this by approaching governments and foundations in search of cutting edge programs. My plan requires coordinated effort, not a piece meal, scatter shot approach. There is no single “silver bullet”.

BuDgET:

Our budget is out of control. We spend 40% more than comparable cities now. Although some still argue we have no problem, consultants

have warned of the mess we are in since 2009. What have we done? We have spent more. We have depended for too long on the influx of developmental funds rather than the taxes and fees we collect. Filling our general fund with these funds has perpetuated our lack of infrastructure. We lack sidewalks, proper sized streets, and parks because we have not used developmental funds properly.

We must live within our means. I will look at and borrow ideas from comparable cities to make our operations more efficient. Most importantly, I will balance the budget. There is no reason for our city to have as large a deficit as we do.

WEllNESS CENTER:

The Wellness Center is a world class facility. There is one problem: we have no money to pay for its operation.

OuT OF CONTROl PAy:

The city has reduced its staff from over 100 to about 60. However the cost per employee has skyrocketed. In 2005/6 before the reduction in

staff, we spent $57,000 per employee. Last year, according to Urban Futures our consultant, the cost per employee is $181,000. According to the present council a 6% cut is out of the question. As a matter of fact they have re-opened negotiations and added to the cost of personnel.

gENERAl MAINTENANCE:

We have spent millions putting in new roads, but have no plan to maintain them. I will insure we will keep the roads in good shape.

DOWNTOWN:

We need an anchor downtown. Right now it is empty and unfinished. The only downtown redevelopment projects I know of that have been successful have had an anchor that brings people to the downtown. An educational center located in the heart of the city will bring people to the businesses downtown, help train citizens for good jobs, and provide hope for our city.

We need new innovating ideas for our city. Vote for Joe McKee and put Desert Hot Springs on the path to greatness.

WEllNESS CENTER:

CRIME:

BuDgET:OuT OF CONTROl PAy:

gENERAl MAINTENANCE:

DOWNTOWN:

Paid for by Joe McKee for Desert Hot Srings Council, FPPC No.: 1355689 3

yOU MUST DeCIDe• Poverty creates a landscape of bad choices.

• Drug abuse, gangs, and crime flourish in the soil of poverty.

• Right now, Desert Hot Springs is operating in deficit.

• This deficit grows worse with each passing day.

• As early as 2009 the city knew of our present financial problem. Instead of addressing our growing deficit with prudent cuts in spending, my opponents have voted to spend more.

• You and I know that you cannot spend money you don’t have.

• Low family income and deficit spending are not our only challenges, but reversing them has to be our only priority.

• We must focus all our energy on these two issues.

• We have to stop treating symptoms and instead get to work eradicating the disease.

• Here’s what I will do:

• Cultivate jobs that support families.

• Build manufacturing interest in Desert Hot Springs by publicizing our strengths – energy, a willing workforce, great access to transportation, plenty of space for development.

• Create an energy co-op to provide incentives for employers.

• Create a work force development plan to help our citizens qualify for the new opportunities.

• Eliminate confusing roadblocks to development that discourage business investment. • Put the City’s budget in order.

• Reduce spending to align Desert Hot Springs with comparable cities.

• Hold the line on taxes. I will not increase the tax burden of the hardworking citizen of Desert Hot Springs.

• As managers, City Council has no other priorities but these:

• Raising our citizens income so that – • Our children are not drawn into gangs through lack of hope;

• We can broaden our tax base beyond our citizens and spas.

• Eliminating our deficit and maintaining a balanced budget into the future.

My opponents rely on many of the accomplishments they claimed four years ago. They say we are moving forward and ask for another term of more of the same. In fact, we have the lowest income, lowest property values, and highest crime in the valley. Meanwhile, the cities we compete with flourish and prosper, leaving us behind. Now is not the time for incremental phantom improvements. Now is the time for bold action. We must leap forward.

Leap Forward! Vote November 5, 2013 for Joe McKee for City Council!

• Community Cultural Affairs Commissioner• 2012 Holiday Parade Chair• Finance Committee Member

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Paid for by Joe McKee for Desert Hot Srings Council, FPPC No.: 13556894

HOW MUCH IS eNOUGH?The present council majority continues to put city employees above the citizens of the city. When asked to use modest cuts to help with our deficit they reply: our staff works so hard it is unfair to ask for cuts. I am listing below the salaries and benefits listed on the state controllers site. Keep in mind the 2012 data is not available, but an article in the Desert Sun stated our salaries are now in the top 5 cities in the state

Position Department Total Wages Total Retirement & Health Cost

City Manager City Manager $235,247 $66,487

Police Chief Police $218,007 $83,395

Detective Sergeant Police $195,335 $62,247

Administrative Services Director Finance $192,251 $42,319

Police Officer Police $181,587 $79,955

Construction Manager Public Works $167,458 $36,869

Police Sergeant Police $165,267 $54,331

Police Commander Police $159,461 $63,971

Police Commander Police $159,314 $61,380



Police Detective Police $147,155 $47,736





Police Detective Police $129,264 $51,048




Community Development Director Community Development $123,437 $32,877


The information presented is posted as submitted by the reporting entity. The State Controller's Office is not responsible for the accuracy of this information.

Position Department Total Wages Total Retirement & Health Cost

Police K-9 Officer Police $120,012 $46,769

Public Works Project Manager Public Works $113,103 $32,201



Redevelopment Finance Manager Redevelopment $109,758 $31,804



Crime Scene Investigator Police $97,985 $24,639


Information Technology Manager Information Systems $94,689 $28,234


Community Services Director Community Services $86,435 $14,457

Management Analyst Police $81,302 $27,693

Human Resources Specialist Human Resources $77,304 $25,620

Senior Accountant Finance $74,345 $25,524



Lead Maintenance Technician Public Works $68,120 $20,524

Deputy City Clerk City Clerk $63,730 $24,544

Management Analyst Finance $60,665 $28,152

Maintenance Technician Public Works $55,524 $22,402



Our staff does work hard. But, so do you. Do you make this kind of money, with these benefits, working 4 days a week?

Vote in your interest on Nov. 5th. Vote Joe McKee for city council.Joe is on your side!

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we can do better, joe mckee for dhs city council 2013

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