Must be nice to be the governor...

[hntngirl]

The elderly and disabled can't pay for their meds, and our law enforcement has had to make cuts YET AGAIN, but at least Kulongowski is comfortable....
----------------------------
July 9, 2003
Governor receives new SUV amidst budget conflict,

SALEM - As the State of Oregon deals with a multi-million dollar budget crisis, its governor is given a new set of wheels.
The question some are asking regarding the purchase is: How do the new vehicles fit in with Kulongoski's promise to help the state live within its means?

The answer Salem has provided is: The governor needed the vehicles for security and safety, especially the big SUV his protection staff is buying.

The purchases come when the state is so far in the red the treasurer remarks that he is worried about the budget.

They come in a state where the disabled are refused state funds for the repair of their wheelchairs.

Officials of Governor Kulongoski's office explained the lease was ending on the existing auto the former governor used. That auto had around 20,000 miles.

So instead of purchasing that car they traded it in on a new Lincoln Towncar, which is being leased through Ford.

But the spending doesn't end there; the governor's office and the state officers who protect him said they were without a big SUV to help protect the governor.

To fix that problem, they purchased an additional vehicle.

The state police protection unit, the bodyguards for the governor, requested the SUV backup vehicle for traveling with the governor and they picked out a Chevrolet Tahoe.

At present the SUV the governor will ride in has not arrived yet, it's being outfitted with radios and a safety packages.

"This is about as nice as it gets," said one salesman about the Tahoe.

KATU took a test drive at a local dealership and found that among America's SUV's, the Tahoe is one of the more luxurious.

The governor's Tahoe will cost about $31,000 for the vehicle alone.

"It doesn't make sense," said Jason Williams. "We're taxpayers not ATM machines."

Government watchdog Jason Williams said the purchases prove the governor is going about business as usual in Salem.

State troopers who tipped KATU to the story said they were upset when they couldn't get replacements for their patrol cars that are showing 120,000 and 130,000 miles.

KATU attempted to ask the governor about the discrepancy Wednesday, but staffers whisked him aside when asked about the new Tahoe, saying it was a purchase by the state police.

"If the person at the very top of our government, our CEO is out there buying new cars at a time when we're having our worst recession means he's not looking at the bottom line," said Williams.

At least with the new SUV, the governor will ride softly over Oregon's potholes.

Kulongoski's spokespeople said that the SUV is not his vehicle but the one his protection staff picked out for him and that he didn't have a choice in the matter.

[ 07-11-2003, 03:35 AM: Message edited by: hntngirl ]

[Cool Texan]

The budget has had multiple SUV's and other trucks in it for a LONG time now. This is no surprise. Go read through the budget...there is a lot of garbage in it.

Fiscal responsibility...its not happening..

[Artwo]

CT, Your right on the money with your statement. This is the exact reason I for one will never vote for any type of sales tax, not until our goverment can start to show some fiscal responsibility............

[Pyramid]

Sale tax never! grrrrr!

[lost_sailor]

Well, you don't want to think about how much money it costs for EVERY DAY of the legislative session that they are dragging on and on and on going in circles about the budget. If they wanted to save some money they would GO HOME.

I don't know the numbers, but I suspect that operating the Capitol for a day during the session could purchase an SUV and have change left for gas.

It's not that unreasonable for the gov to have a "company car" ... I don't think it really has to be all shiny and new though.

CT, some public workers have to carry a lot of gear and drive on remote roads throughout the year - rain, snow, ice ... is it more appropriate to have a Cherokee or an Escort?

[ 07-11-2003, 10:45 AM: Message edited by: lost_sailor ]

[Cool Texan]

LS, I'm not saying that vehicles aren't needed. In some cases, clearly they are. That is the big unknown...how many budgeted vehicles are Tahoe's for the gov versus utility trucks?? Dont know the answer. In this case though, it's just wasteful spending.

[GutshotApe]

I once commented to the head of a state agency that some of his field vehicles had chrome bumpers and fancy wheels (fake mag-type) and having recently purchased an identical truck I knew those options cost about $400 per rig. He looked into it and reported back that thru volume buying the state was often able to get the extras at no cost...and sometimes if air conditioning, for example, is ordered the manufacturer will throw in chrome bumpers free of charge.

However, there still is the problem of public perception...the guy on the street doesn't know the fancy stuff was free...assumes its just more government waste. I think the head of that agency now sees to it that his vehicles don't have mag wheels and fancy chrome packages.

[The Fishing Geek]

The problem is that, truly, nothing is "free" on those vehicles. If the manufacturer can just throw an option in, that means that they've got a pretty good profit margin set there. While I'm not begrudging a company for making a livable profit, it does worry me when a hefty profit is made off of the public sector.

If we are to get a discount on bulk pricing, don't throw in chrome bumpers and wheels. Toss me back $200 per rig. Even those small dollars count when they're thrown into a pot.

[GutshotApe]

Yes, TFG, you're right...nothing is truly free...a purchasing agent for a private company would demand the plain Jane rigs and demand the $200 or $400 discount built into the price when "free" stuff is added. But we're talking about State of Oregon DAS purchasing managers...who apparently have little or no incentive to look for ways to save money...and nothing to fear if they don't...just hunker down, put in 30 and its PERS time.

I hope the state agency director I spoke with is really getting no-frills vehicles thru the DAS and not spending extra money to change out the fancy chrome bumpers etc after taking delivery. Having observed state and federal bureaucrats in action :shocked: , anything is possible. :tongue:

[Pete]

Part of the cost of any vehicle is recaptured at resale. I'm not addressing the use of a Tahoe for the Gov., but if ordering some vehicles with certain options improves the resale-ability of the vehicle, it might make sense. I know I'd rather buy a decent looking used vehicle than one of those green on green, plastic lined forest service trucks.

[Hoosier Daddy]

In a normal year, and with another governor, I probably would have little trouble with this topic. However, this governor has made a big issue of saving the state money through cuts, and even gone as far as controlling the image presented by state agencies to imply cost cutting. This is a governor who put a ban on the use of color ink in state printers to save money or make it look like they were saving money. He certainly could have used the purchase of new vehicles as another opportunity to do so, if he chose to. However, it sounds like OSP made the purchase, not the Gov.

As far as options on new vehicles....I worked for a state agency in Idaho that purchased some travel trailers for field work. They were forced (by state auditors) to pay extra to have stereos REMOVED from the trailers. Because, although they were standard equipment, they were not allowed in the purchase, so they paid the mfg-er extra to pull them back out. Wonderful logic there.

[freespool]

I agree many state agancies need larger SUV's to carry out their work. But how many times have you seen a state vehicle traveling down I5 with one person in it? It's an odd occurrence to see more than one occupant. Now that's a waste of tax payers money.

[lost_sailor]

Originally posted by freespool:
It's an odd occurrence to see more than one occupant. Now that's a waste of tax payers money.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">You'd waste more money sending 2 or 3 people to do one persons job, wouldn't you?

Or should they set up a Department of Public Employee Transportation Coordination to match up carpools?

[Lovestafish]

I agree that perception is a very big deal, especially in these times of $$$ trouble. As a State employee, I'm real aware of what it looks like to have, for example, only one person in a vehicle. Sometimes that's just the way it boils down. We all have to do our jobs. IMHO, this Gov. started out on a bad step by not being quite as, ah, truthful, as he could have been during his campagin. If his spokes person said he has no choice in what kind of vehicle he "gets", guess what? This same Gov. who has no choice in vehicles ordered, not asked, ordered, Oregon's agencies to cut themselves to shreds. At the same time, the Legislature is allowed to buy all new furniture. Not because there was anything wrong with it mind you, it clashed with the new carpeting. It was sold to one of the County's at about $4 an item. Do I have feelings about this or what? Morale starts at the top, not the bottom. So, what are we to do now?

[fishbane]

It's not just The Gov though. It's all of them. At least he took a paycut. Vera and her band just gave themselves all a raise. Lets not mention all her perks from the closed door deals she makes for new constrution in the city while the schools fire and cops have to make cuts.
Also We now have to pay more in local taxes while bush and his crew make more cuts for themselves and the rich. We get less federal funding on things especialy social services.