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Politics Extra
Enquirer reporters give the scoop on what your politicians are doing


Jessica Brown,
Hamilton County reporter


Jon Craig,
Enquirer statehouse bureau


Jane Prendergast,
Cincinnati City Hall reporter


Malia Rulon,
Enquirer Washington bureau


Carl Weiser,
Blog editor


Howard Wilkinson,
politics reporter

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Workers furious at county boss


Jessica Brown reports:

Workers in the Hamilton County Engineer’s office are mad their boss is refusing to forgo his 2008 raise.

They told him so in a fiery Jan. 11 letter signed by about 61 workers.

Read the full letter here

“We thought you were the team leader? Shouldn’t the team leader set the example for the whole team? Your actions speak otherwise,” they wrote to Engineer William Brayshaw in a letter obtained by the Enquirer. “How do you justify your actions Mr. Brayshaw? If the budget is in this much trouble, isn’t your job … to do YOUR part to correct the problem?”

Because of budget cuts, county workers are not expected to get raises this year. Hamilton County commissioners this month urged department heads to give up their own raises too and donate the money back to the county coffers.

Several department heads, including all three commissioners, agreed to do so. Brayshaw, who will make $104,230 this year, did not.

“The way we see it, the only people that have done their part and continue to do their part to help the budget is us, not you!,” the workers wrote to Brayshaw. “Do you even have a conscience? How can you expect us to respect you as our leader?”

Brayshaw said he will be speaking with workers on Friday about the issue. He declined to respond to the letter before that.

“I’m planning to meet with employees first. I don’t want to talk about it in the media before I talk to my employees,” he said.

Brayshaw said he opted not to give up his $2,839 raise because it does not come from the county’s general fund -- the pot of money most employee salaries come from, including those of all the other department heads.

County engineer salaries come from the General Assembly Road and Bridge fund, a state pot of money. Therefore Brayshaw’s raise didn’t impact the county budget.

Although Brayshaw could still choose to donate his raise to the county, he says he will not.
“If I donate to anyone, I’ll donate to the church,” he said, though would not confirm whether he does indeed intend to donate it to the church.

Brayshaw noted he did not lay off any of his workers, despite layoffs in other departments. If his department is doing well financially mid-year, he may still consider employee raises, he said. Although the commissioners didn’t budget any money for employee raises, the final decision is made by department heads.

As for the letter: “It’s critical and they didn’t really understand,” he said, “so I plan to go out and explain the facts.”

The engineer’s office employs 159 workers down from 176 last year due to attrition and is responsible for maintenance and snow and ice removal on the county’s roads and bridges. Brayshaw has served as engineer since 1991. He is running unopposed for re-election in November.


97 Comments:

at 9:18 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good for the Ham Co Engineering team. Don't let up until he gives back the raise or leaves office.

 
at 9:22 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

that guy is an ass-hat. where does he get off, if i'm not getting a raise cuz there is no money then my boss better not be taking one either. this is why people don't trust public officials. what a loser

 
at 9:23 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that the workers should do the jobws they are paid to do a quit crying. The Boss is looking to his future fixed income years and I say more power to him.

I would layoff the 61 workers who signed the letter and hire people who only worry about themselves.

Good thing they don't work for me.

 
at 9:31 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it would be helpful if the Enquirer to do a little research as to where the County Officials salaries come from. If it doesn't come from our coffers and the legislature wants to give these officials a raise, so be it.

I want to know why the Commisioners are running a charity drive instead of doing the job for which they were elected. If all they got is to ask for raises back that they did't generate, then maybe it's time for a change.

As far a Brayshaw's employees go, I would fire those disloyal turds.

 
at 9:37 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ain't this guy like a 100 years old or something. The voters need to boot his butt out of office.

Oh wait, we are not allowed to have a choice in Hamilton County because the Dems and repubs sit behind closed door and decide for us.....sorry I forgot!

These guys remind me of a great quote "we need to save out phony bologna jobs"!

 
at 9:46 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scrooge - You must be nearing retirement. These workers ARE thinking about themselves and it's a good thing they are. Do you expect other people (namely government) to take care of them? Take a look at the way Social Security is being handled for the retiring private sector.

 
at 9:46 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I think that the workers should do the jobws they are paid to do a quit crying. The Boss is looking to his future fixed income years and I say more power to him."

That's hilarious, since we all know that none of his employees could possibly be in the same boat. That's sarcasm.

"Good thing they don't work for me."

Given your lack of reasoning skills I suspect that nobody works for you.

Straight from the military: lead by example. If your employees don't get an adjustment for inflation or cost of living, neither do you. Every year they forgo a so-called raise it is the same thing as taking a pay cut. Wages should be tied to the rate of inflation.

 
at 9:48 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The disgruntled workers and first 3 posters appear to be misunderstanding government accounting.

The engineer's raise has nothing to do with Hamilton County, or the county workers' raises. The article says those workers are paid from the County GF, while the engineer is paid by the State. His raise and their raises are apples and oranges.

And no, I am not a manager or executive making $70K plus. I'm a staff auditor, working on government audits.

 
at 9:57 AM, January 24, 2008 Blogger Tony B said...

The guy makes a good point. He is not taking money that would otherwise go to the workers or the County. And if I had my choice I wouldn't voluntarily give $2,500 to the government either, whether I was employed by them or not.

 
at 10:06 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

This guy has got to be the foot-tapping Bold Typist!

 
at 10:08 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a clueless arrogant SOB. It doesn't matter what his justification is for keeping the money, he should set an example and make the sacrifice his employees are making. And as to he wouldn't donate the raise to the county and that he would first donate it to a church, I would ask, what does a church have to do with the matter? Does the church pay the department bills or his salary?

His arrogance needs to be taken down a peg or two or he needs to be relieved of the responsibilities he obviously doesn't grasp.

 
at 10:14 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scrooge I doubt the 61 employees are making 104K plus. Please get a grip. Why is it the rich keep getting richer & the porr or middle class keep getting screwed?

 
at 10:22 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

DON'T FORGET THAT HE ALSO GETS A RETIREMENT FROM THE STATE. (HE RETIRED FROM ODOT.) MORE DOUBLE DIPPING BY THE COUNTY. HE RUNS UNOPPOSED BUT STILL HAS FUND RAISERS FOR HIS "CAMPAIGN". GET THE GREEDY OLD FART OUT OF THERE.

 
at 10:22 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Although Brayshaw could still choose to donate his raise to the county, he says he will not.
“If I donate to anyone, I’ll donate to the church,” he said, though would not confirm whether he does indeed intend to donate it to the church.


Yeah, I'm sure he's gonna donate it to the church. If by "church" he means "the Republican party."

 
at 10:24 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good for Brayshaw. Why should he give up what he deserves because the three buffoon county commissioners aren't doing their jobs and controlling spending. All of us have to live within our budgets. All county workers not getting their due raises should be holding the three commissioners responsible. Too bad we can't vote the bums out what with the back room political deals being made.

 
at 10:36 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad to see many who are NOT blathering republican-libertarians, or should I say libertarian-republicans, who always blame the worker first. This city is full of these corporate/management butt kissers, and it is sickening. It has been mentioned here that good leaders lead by example. Case closed!

 
at 10:42 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whether the state or county pay his salary, it all comes from the tax payers. He should not accept any sort of raise if his team isn't getting one, unless he means to say his team is not doing a good job. If he doesn't want to donate the money to the county, since it didn't come from them in the first place, he can buy each of his 159 employees a $17 gift certificate and still pocket over $100 for himself.

 
at 10:46 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's about leading from the top. If County workers aren't getting raises, the boss shouldn't get one.

It's that simple, wherever the money comes from.

 
at 10:58 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would NEVER give any goverment anymore money than I am forced to. Why should this guy be penalized for the idiots at the county commish's office not being able to balance a budget or really having any financial sense at all. The bigger question is why do they need 61 people in the department. If the goverment was was run like a company, they would fire 10 of those folks and give raises to the others that remain. If goverments were more lean, they wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. Or better fire all 61 and hire 30 new people to do as much as the 61 were most likely doing.

 
at 11:07 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

If I'm not mistaken, the Engineer's employees get free parking downtown, a perk that most county employees don't enjoy. I agree that Brayshaw should lead by example but I don't see how they have room to complain.

 
at 11:10 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't beleive he actually had the audacity to speak to his employees about how he is going to keep his raise! And for him to suggest that if he did donate it, it would be to a church?!? I guess he is totally missing the point here. If he doesn't donate his raise the employees (and the tax payers) should seek his removal. He obviously isn't a team player, let alone a team leader. YOU ARE WITHOUT SHAME BRAYSHAW!

 
at 11:12 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I feel the same way about UC's President, we got a sob story last year while she got a $100,000 raise.

 
at 11:16 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

What about all the money we spend putting the county engineer's name on every county vehicle, maint. building, signs, etc. Why do we allow an elected official - to advertise his name like this ????? What a waste of our public funds!This is a bad practice that should be stopped - look at the expense the county is exposed to when another individual enters this office at some point!

 
at 11:18 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let me translate the letter for everyone:

To: Engineer Brayshaw

From: Your ungrateful employees

Hey, Bill. We are entitled to give you crap about your decisions even though you were the elected one and not us.

By the way, please fire us. We all have really bad attitudes. We want to be unemployed and sap the morale of everyone we can.

 
at 11:20 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's funny that people think Brayshaw should voluntarily not take a raise, and saying that the workers are sacrificing, so he should too....what? The workers aren't voluntarily giving up their raises! They would take their raises if offered, just like anyone would. I understand that the workers are upset, and chose this shmuck as a scapegoat, but what good does $2,839 do for the county anyways?

 
at 11:21 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The money for his raise doesn't come from the general fund and the raise is less than inflation (>3%). Give me a break. The red necks the county chooses to employee are just ignorant for even taking the time to write the letter.

 
at 11:24 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

County Commisioner's have made County Employees pay raises so low in the past five years that everyone that works for Hamilton County has had to lower their standard of living unless they have obtained a promotion. There have been no incentives as far as pay goes to do anything above and beyond the call of duty. I thought it was interesting that although the rate of inflation is higher now than it has been in 17 years, that commisioners think emplyees will stick around and survive with no way to support families, pay property taxes etc....all while having to pay even higher health insurance and also higher percentages into pension. It's nice that the commisioner's decided to give their raises to the county this year, and of course had it publicized.

For the past several years, their raises as a percentage have been much higher than what the county employees raises have been. Next year at raise time, their raises will most likely increase 6-8 percent---their raises are determined by the state and increase across the board throughout ohio. If county employees are lucky they can count on a 3% increase in pay. I think the commisioners should go back several years and donate the excess of what they are getting as opposed to what the county employees have gotten for raises. And next year when the state determines their raises, they should plan on donating the portion of their salaries that is in excess of what the county employees will give.

In addition to the detrimental effect that this year's decision has had on employees, Employees will have to remember that this will effect their retirement also.

Clearly the county commisioners have no interest in retaining the talented and hard working staff they have. It's sad that they don't realize the long term implications of their poor decision making.

 
at 11:24 AM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

People need to understand County government. The Engineer's office is part of the County, under the County Commish's budget. So he is part of the spending, like the courts, sheriff, and everyone else. They need to cut from all these departments in order to balance the budget.

 
at 12:19 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't forget that all the County Union workers get raises...it part of their contracts...I don't see a one of them giving anything back...these contract were approved by the Commissioners...only the non-union employees get hurt...interesting

 
at 12:37 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

If he is running unopposed and people are pissed at him, why not run against him?

 
at 12:37 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

See what happens when you only Republicans to do everything in the County?

 
at 12:39 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder why Mr. Brayshaw feels it necessary to have his name plastered all over every vehicle in his department? Take a look at the doors on the snow plows sometime...

Why should taxpayers pay for this? Is it important to know who is in charge of the county engineers?

What happens when he leaves his position? We'd have to pay again to get his name removed...

Maybe he should focus more on his employees than on this sort of thing...

 
at 12:45 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I couldn't care less about who got a raise and who didn't. I do not know anyone in this world that would pass on a raise. If Mr. Brayshaw didn't get a raise from the state and the county employees did, I wonder how many of the employees would have given up their raises to share the wealth. I would bet none. We are all human beings trying to make our way in this world. If Mr. Brayshaw wants to donate a portion of his income to the church then good for him. I'm sure that indirectly, that donation will have a positive impact on their lives. Maybe a friend or neighbor of one of the employees might need help with food or an electric bill from that same church. Benefit of the doubt goes a long way. If the employees are unhappy about not getting a raise, they should tell Mr. Brayshaw. If he does nothing, then be upset with him and use the same gumption to write another letter signed by the same employees to his boss to voice their opinions and concerns about a cost of living raise. Being able to voice your opinion in this great country is a wonderful right but I think the employees crossed the line of disrespect with their letter. This would have never happened twenty five or thirty years ago. This whole sense of entitlement is disgusting to me. Mr. Brayshaw has earned his position through years of hard work. In addition to that he is an elder. Respect is something you should have for everyone, not just the people that affect your paycheck. In closing, I would like to urge all of the bloggers that called Mr. Brayshaw names, suggest that he forego a raise, retire, etc., to ask yourself if you would speak of or suggest the same things to your parent, deacon, boss, spouse or children. Again, my guess is no as it should be. Think before you speak/type, be respectful and give the benifit of the doubt.

 
at 12:49 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

This guy is old school and needs to be stopped. First of all, I am offended that he wants to take money from the Bridge budget and give it to "The Church." By "The Church" he most certainly means the Catholic church. This guy doesn't even trust the County's ability to spend money enough to give his money to it - opting rather to give it to the extraordinarily wealthy Church. Time to replace him.

 
at 1:02 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brayshaw is a a poor leader, there is no doubt about it. But I have to say, that was one of the poorest written latters I've seen in a "professional" setting. When yoiu don't articulate your message, it sounds like a meaningless rant.

 
at 1:24 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kudos to all of you for standing up and speaking out! Why is it it's always the little guys who are more than willing to pull together and make the sacrifices for the team and the so called "leaders" feel they don't have to do squat???

 
at 1:39 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Red necks or not the county employees should get their raises, they are the ones that are out at 3 in the morning when it snows so you hypocritical people can make it to work. You know you would be mad if you weren't getting your scheduled raises. The county employees just want their money just like any other working class citizen, there is nothing wrong with that. Good Luck County employees!!!

 
at 1:57 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The issue here is not really Mr Brayshaw's raise. As several others have commented Mr Brayshaw is not paid from the same coffer as his employees. The real issue is the years worth of poor money management by his office. The Engineer's office has in recent years spent millions of dollars buying right-of-way for an Ohio Department of Transportation owned road (Montgomery Rd.). They have also spent untold amounts on more or less private roadways on the east side of the county in exchange for donated right-of-way, that was then never donated. It pays to do business with contracts not hand shakes. All of this was done while workers within the Engineer's office were pointing out declining income and rising construction costs. To me the little over two thousand dollars is not the issue. We need to hold our elected officials accountable for wasting vast amounts of money. By the way, while I feel no great love for the Commissioners, I feel it should be pointed out that the Engineer's budget come from seperate funds not directly managed by the Commissioners.

 
at 3:00 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would be mad too. To not give raises ,but for yourself you want your raise. Oh well we live in cincinnati.

 
at 3:58 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would be happy if he just reimbursed the county for the cost of putting his name on every truck in the county. That must of cost thousands and why does he have to have his name on all the vehicles?

 
at 4:19 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't want to seem cold or heartless here, but to me, the correct decision on whether or not Brayshaw should keep his raise comes down to simple math, not a question of moral responsibility or civic duty. All Brayshaw needs to do is take one look at that letter, and decide if the negative impact that taking his raise will cause on the productivity and morale of his employees will cost more than the $2,839.00 he is set to earn. The equation is simple and looks like this: If the negative impact is greater than (>) $2,839.00, he should donate it. If it isn't, he should keep it. Compared with his salary, this increase is very, very small. However, the impact that it has could be devastating. Consider the amount of productivity he could potentially lose by bitter or angry workers, or the possibility of attrition. Not only would he lose man-hours and staff, but he would have to expend resources to interview, hire, train, and pay new employees, not to mention expend an untold amount of time trying to repair the strained working relationships he would have with his remaining staff. The drop in productivity and efficiency would look bad for him in the long run, and could potentially cost him a lot of money, if not his job, down the road, as it would cast him as a poor manager of talent and resources. Looking at it this way, as relatively inexpensive damage-prevention, forfeiting his $2,839.00 would send a signal to his staff that he is a selfless leader and has their interests at heart, contributing to an increase in productivity, while providing a Public Relations boon that is apparently much needed for our government institutions. Considering this, I have a hard time understanding why anyone would be so intent on keeping a raise of less than 3% - giving it up is the smarter long-term investment. The intentions may be less than savory, but thats simply the nature of business.

 
at 4:22 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

As members of this community I think we should work together and convince the three County Commissioners to fire this guy. He serves us, the public. We must do our part to get rid of greedy public servants that seem to have forgotten how to be a team player.

 
at 4:23 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

You Brayshaw supporters are pathetic. It is so typical of you "simon-says" followers to rationalize the behavior of "so-called" leaders. I always get a vision of a bunch of Dodo birds jumping into a volcano just because the lead bird did.

 
at 4:27 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

To the person that wrote "The letter to Mr. Brayshaw was a poorly written letter", you should probably get some letter writing pointers since you mispelled 2 words!

 
at 4:41 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

at 4:27 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous said...
To the person that wrote "The letter to Mr. Brayshaw was a poorly written letter", you should probably get some letter writing pointers since you mispelled 2 words!



Are you the grammar police? Does it realy matter if 2 words are mispelled. The point of the letter was about "county workers not being treated fairly" not about a spelling lesson.

 
at 4:49 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

His raise comes from the STATE not the COUNTY!! Duh!!! Read the article again! Why should he turn down his raise...its not his fault that Hamilton County can't get it together. People are so quick to point the finger... point the finger at the COUNTY not at Brayshaw. If it were all of you getting a raise... you all would do the same thing.

 
at 4:59 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

How would you "do gooders" Brayshaw supporters feel if you were in the county workers shoes working 16 hours on and 4 hours off during snow storms and not able to collect overtime pay because it is not in the budget so they have to take comp hours then they get the kick in the butt when Mr. Brayshaw tells them "you do not get a cost of living raise" either. But then pictures of Brayshaw are leaked (wich they maybe) of Brayshaw sleeping on the job as he DOES collect overtime pay and his cost of living raise. You all are a bunch of hypocrites until it happens to you! The county workers were granted raises per the State. But Brayshaw put that money some were else instead of giving it to those who deserve it and work hard for it! So tell me why does he get his raise and the County guys do not. Everybody else gave there money back.

 
at 5:05 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The State approves the raises... The only fund really hurting in the County is the "Construction budget" and the raises DO NOT come from the "Construction budget!

 
at 5:10 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder if Mr. Ted Hubbard would have done the same thing. I think not, time for change. The issue here is that he said, "we are all in it together." Does not seem he is in the same boat as his employees.

 
at 5:17 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The state does not give anyone at the County level money for raises. The state sets the percentage increases for all County elected officials and the funding comes from local county funds. In the case of the Engineer, it's the Road & Bridge fund. The sources are locally paid fuel taxes and license issuance fees. Though this particular fund may be restricted to Engineer uses, it is up to the Engineer to determine if his employees will get raises or not. Though his employees are not getting cost of living raises, they are getting (unlike other non-union County employees) step increases of at least 2%.

I understand that the employees have a reason to want their 'leader' to forego a raise if he's asking them to do the same. Mr. Brayshaw might be better served to not speak about their complaint as if it's a lack of comprehension on their part and he just needs to explain it better. He doesn't need to explain anything. He needs to take action in the form of returning his raise to the fund which provided it to him (not an unrelated religious organization which didn't pay any of the taxes in the first place).

The fund that pays for his salary (and raise) is the same as the one that pays for those of his employees. Returning it to the fund allows it to be used for their current step increases or other road & bridge uses. All of this helps improve the quality of county infrastructure as was intented with the implementation of the taxes.

 
at 5:23 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't say I speak for anyone but myself.
The problem with most of you outsiders tagging the Engineers employees "disloyal", is that you are only seeing this one issue from outside of the office. I am an employee of William W. Brayshaw (mechanic), and get to see daily what happens first hand. The waste and bad decision making this office commits year to year would have every one of you tax paying residents up in arms if you only knew. Not only has the office of the Engineer become stagnate and corrupted with a double dipping leader, but he has surrounded himself right on down to the fleet superintendant with the same ilk to ensure that he can return year after year and continue decisions that benefit his and his compatriots pockets, and in the end detriment everyone else. Granted, his raise comes from a different source, and therefore would not directly impact the county funds. But the employees look at it this way; William W. Brayshaw, through mismanagement of moneys, lack of foresight, and poor decisions, had a large part in causing the budget crisis that we now face. Yet, we, the employees, who have no say over such matters are being asked to take a hit on our already strained wages in order to fix his problem while he yet profiteers from his 104,000 dollar wage and unopposed campaign funds that he has no need of.

Consider this: The black and orange striped vehicles you see driving around with his name on them. It costs hundreds of dollars (varying from length to length) to stripe each one of those vehicles and put his name on them when all that is required is an official county seal decal. The savings would be tremendous. This is mismanagement of moneys.
Consider this: Brayshaw and the Chief Deputy Engineer gave up their 2005 county vehicles in order to drive around in brand new ones. Granted, the vehicles were put in the budget last year, but the budget wasn't all roses and gumdrops then either. Lack of foresight.
Consider this: He pays his Fleet Superintendant upwards of $73,000 a year if I am not mistaken. The man, one of the most horrific leaders in any department the county has ever seen, does nothing but harrass his employees, meddle in other department heads affairs, make unscrupulous decisions regarding man hours and how they are spent, and then has coffee and doughnuts EVERY MORNING for an hour and a half to two hours with Mr. Brayshaw to talk about it all. I give you, bad decision making.

These are just three very small matters that have been problems for many years now and have been capped off with us losing our raise on top of rising health care costs, and lower coverage. It is just now that there has been a public forum made available on this one issue. So don't pretend to know anything about loyalty. I digress. Whether or not he donates his raise to a church has nothing to do with things. It's the fact that he expects us to bear the brunt of his poor judgement while he grows richer. We employees may very well understand more than Bill thinks. It is possible that on Friday when Mr. Brayshaw speaks with us, that he will offer his resignation, which is really the only acceptable thing to do. But I doubt it.

Alot of people will say that by speaking out like this, I am acting ungrateful for my job. I am extremely grateful for my job. But I am grateful to someone higher than Bill Brayshaw. This matter is a great example on a smaller, more hidden scale of why people are leaving Hamilton County by the DROVES every year.

-Lance Justice

 
at 5:33 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am employed by the Engineer's office & am a taxpayer as well. Our letter was simply requesting that Mr. Brayshaw come & speak with us regarding the Enquirer's article about his raise. This letter was giving to Mr. Brayshaw close to 2 weeks ago. Mr. Brayshaw chose to ignore us. Our intentions were not to go public with this issue. We just wanted him to explain it to us personally. Since he chose not to, we then contacted the Enquirer. Once the Enquirer contact Mr. Brayshaw regarding our letter, he suddenly wanted to talk to us. There were many other issues that could have been voiced in this letter as well. There have been many employees that have retired or moved on who's positions were not filled. Some of these job duties were passed onto non-management staff & added to their workloads without extra money. Others were passed onto management employees whom received "nice raises" for their extra work. Our Safety Officer retired early last year. Her position was not filled. Her job duties were forced upon employees that had no knowledge of her job & didn't want to take the responsibility! Our health insurance has risen steadily over the years (just like every other American's). Those are just a couple of examples of issues we could have brought up but did not. As stated in our letter, we all consider ourselves fortunate to have a job. We have the "layoff" issue dangled in our faces regularly. All we were requesting was for Mr. Brayshaw to explain this to us in person.

Raises aside, everyone that lives, works & pays taxes in Hamilton County should be VERY concerned about this budget issue. This will not just affect employees. The H.C. Sheriffs Dept is laying of police officers. Other departments are laying off employees. The Engineer's has cut back on much needed road resurfacing jobs as well as other critical construction. Our drivers were told to "Go easy on the salt this year. We can't afford to purchase much of it". When the city roads & state roads are clear before rush hour, that's because they pre-treat & are on the roads before the traveling public is. We at the Engineer's are not allowed to do this. We sometimes don't get called to clear the roads until after they are already covered. Again, these are just a few issues concerning the budget problems.

Taxpayers should be VERY concerned & should be given a legitimate explaination as to why the Hamilton County Budget is in such trouble!!!

Finally, I'd like to say "Thank You" to the supporters out there. It really means a lot.

P.S. - I agree with the "Free Parking" comment. It isn't right!
And to those of you who are unaware, the Engineer's employees are "Non-Union".

 
at 5:38 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hamilton County is NOT part of a UNION...So they are not getting 2% step raises. Learn the facts.

 
at 6:01 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The can of worms is now open. It is time the residents took back there county. I feel with all the comments made above that the residents of Hamilton County SHOULD demand an investigation against Brayshaw and were he is ACTUALLY putting the counties money. And it is should be demanded that it is done by an outsider!

 
at 6:09 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

To the employees who refused to sign the letter to Bill, shame on you. Hoping higher ups will see that you rejected the signing of letter, will get you a promotion down the road. That is the only reason I can come up with.

 
at 6:17 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bunch of crybabies. I don't get something so you shouldn't either. Explain to me. Talk to me.I thought I left this bs back in kindergarden. SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOB, WHILE YOU STILL HAVE ONE!

 
at 6:32 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whatever ever happen to leaders who lead by example. True leaders only eat after their men have eaten.
This is a problem in business today. Utter disdain and disrespect for underlings by management/executives. Executives often boast about how they only take a $1 salary(while holding millions in stock options), and try to portray it as sacrifice. When will people wake up and realize that they're being fleeced. I don't understand posters who say the workers should be fired. For what? For standing up for themselves and asking their leader to share the burden as they are?

 
at 6:51 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Get real! How many of you whiners would give up your $2400 raise?

"Enquiring" minds would alo like to know why comments can be posted only on select articles of little significance, instead of doing a real service, and letting the public weigh in on meaty issues?

 
at 7:00 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon 5:38

Hamilton County has several bargaining units. No, the Engineer's Office employees are not collectively bargained. However, their compensation plan is based on steps that are spaced in 2% increments and are awarded annually coincident with an employee's anniversary date. You need to learn the facts.

 
at 7:34 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are 60 of those useless pukes? What the hell do they do? The City is a mess and where are those losers? What do they engineer anyway?

I see those "Engineering Department" cars cruising around doing nothing all the time.

 
at 7:38 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I bet Engineer William Brayshaw is just waiting for the camera shy Hamilton County Coroner O’Dell M. Owens to give his County pay raise back first.

Watch out William Brayshaw, I hear Phil Heimlich or Pat Dewine may run for your job.

 
at 7:45 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

This whole "paid from different coffers" nonsense is a shell game purposefully designed to marginalize workers without damaging payscales for the executives. Simply put, if the money is not there to pay the producers the money is not there to pay the administrators.

 
at 7:51 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I see those "Engineering Department" cars cruising around doing nothing all the time."


In response to that statement. You should try getting a job and stop watching for county vehicles. And for the people that think county employees do nothing all day long should realy take a look at the streets they drive on. They would be full of pot holes if it wasn't for county workers. They wouldn't have clean streets to drive on when it snows if it wasn't for county workers. Who do you think comes out at 1am in the middle of the winter/summer to pick up debris from the road so (some) ungratefull drivers can make it to work. County workers do ALOT more than the public sees or thinks about. County workers make it SAFE for the public to drive to and from work. People need to think more before making dumb comments.

 
at 8:07 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree the City is a mess... But we are talking about Hamilton County not the City of Cincinnati.. two different topics.
These workers are in Hamilton County taking care of the roads/etc (cause they do more than the raods) and there was 61 not 60.

 
at 8:09 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, all I can say is that if your happy with your job do something about it.
Find another one or better yet - run against the person who you want to get rid of. You can take the chance that you don't have a job every four years just like the engineer does. Yes, he does not have an opponant this time, but that can change at any time.
Risk=reward

 
at 8:21 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

5:17 Thank you for a post that provides pertinent information and doesn't attack anyone.

Very rare on these blogs - and in the Enquirer as well!

If we all understood the real flow of money, I believe we'd be shocked. Ala Bengals stadium deal, etc.

 
at 8:52 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I make about 24,000 a year. I have a college degree. I know the big wigs at 5/3rd don't care about their employees. Sounds like this guy doesn't care about his either.

 
at 9:20 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

For those who show comtempt for the job that the engineer's employees do I would like you to reconsider you opinion. We do things like work a regular 8 hour shift then go home only to be called back in a couple of hours to drive 40000lbs of steel and salt around for up to 16 straight hours in hazardous conditions while trying to make county roads safe for you and your families to travel. Try driving around in a large dumptruck that is filled with 10 tons of salt and has a 1500lb, 10 foot steel plow hanging on front of it. Do it on snow and ice with almost zero visibility. Ever drive around all night with your window down so you can better watch into a frosted up mirror to see that white salt is spraying behind your truck onto white snow with the white headlights of a SUV following behind you too closely? And while you are doing this you have to make sure your plow isn't taking out mailboxes.
Then in nice weather we get to work in middle of the road all day. It is not a lot of fun to have cars driving 45mph through your workplace because the driver is busy on a cell phone.
Another fun job is standing waist deep in 50 degree water trying to clear debris that has dammed up a creek causing the road to flood.
Ever pick up a deer carcus that has been ripped into a dozen bloody pieces? Not fun.
A late night call to clear a tree from the road is always a treat. Don't believe it? Next time a thunderstorm blows through at 2am you should fire up a 30 inch chain saw and go cut wood in the wind and downpour.
I personally like Mr.Brayshaw. Even though I am one of the lower rung people in his department he is always courteous and cordial with me and goes out of his way to talk to me. But I think he made a mistake in keeping his raise and probably would do it differently now. I would have liked to have gotten a cost of living raise this year. With increased health care costs I am now making less money that I was last month. Life will go on though.
This whole thing is getting blown way out of proportion. If this same story happened during a busy news week it probably wouldn't even get a mention in the media.

 
at 10:03 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon loser 7:34 said "The City is a mess and where are those losers? What do they engineer anyway?"

This asshat can't tell the difference between the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. What a loser! He must have flunked both geography AND civics in elementary school.

 
at 10:08 PM, January 24, 2008 Blogger Daniel said...

I am not sure what the big deal is? The guy deserves a raise. If I were him, I also would have accepted the raise and then taken it to Argosy Casino and tripled the raise. It's a mere $2,000... whooppeeee, who cares?

 
at 10:25 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Word is Bradyshaw plans to show the cartoon "Who Moved My Cheese?!" at Friday's meeting.

 
at 10:25 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps there would be more money in the budget if only they would stop spreading salt on the same street three times in a 4-hr period (before a snowfall predicted only to be a dusting).

I know it's wasteful: we've got salt on top of salt on my street, and it's a level grade cul-de-sac!

Boo-hoo to the whiners... Sour grapes! Sour grapes!

 
at 10:34 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone who wants to donate their raise to "the Church" should be checked into a psychiatric ward. What church is he referring to anyway??? The Church of England?

 
at 10:56 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

FIRST OF ALL, IF THE 3 STUPID JACKASSES THAT RUN THE COUNTY WANT TO GIVE BACK THEIR RAISES, THAT'S THEIR PROBLEM.

BILL'S COUNTY RETIREMENT PENSION VALUES SHOULD NOT BE JEOPARDIZED BECAUSE DUMB (PORTUNE) AND DUMBER (PEPPER) HAVEN'T THE FOGGIEST IDEA HOW TO MANAGE THE TAXPAYER'S DOLLARS.

AS FOR THE 61 CHRONIC CRYBABIES, YOU SHOULD BE DAMN HAPPY THAT YOU CAN WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND GO TO A PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. AS YOU KNOW WITH A RECESSION LOOMING, THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF PEOPLE THAT WON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY. IF I WERE BILL, I WOULD TELL ALL 61 NOT TO LET THE DOOR HIT THEM IN THE ASS ON THE WAY OUT. THAT WILL FIX THE HC ENGINEERS BUDGET!!!!!

I AM,

THE BULLDOG

 
at 10:59 PM, January 24, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a question. Not sure if anyone can answer or maybe you can just give input. I hear all of this information in the news in regards to a fuel tax increase to raise money to help maintain bridges and roads in Ohio. Are they giving this man a raise out of the fund they are needing money for?

 
at 5:35 AM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

If your not happy there.......... quit. I worked for the county for almost 9 years.....and this was constantly going on....while the little man was making 35000 a year was being asked to take a cut....the Deptpartment heads(100000+)were giving themselves raises. I know its not easy but find another job,give your two weeks and then resign...

 
at 7:44 AM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why complain about the "free parking" when there are those who get free shoes, glasses, clothing...

 
at 11:11 AM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pepper and Portune are cleaning up the mess left to them by 40 years of Republican Commissions, and particularly, the disastrous Heimlich tenure. They have cut budgets since they arrived, not added.

If people are mad at the commission, they should be mad at those who created the mess in prior years, not the ones who are trying to clean it up (including giving back their salaries).

 
at 11:22 AM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why complain about the "free parking" when there are those who get free shoes, glasses, clothing...

What..? Explain

 
at 5:46 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

County workers don't get free parking you moroons. there are a few spots for officials.

 
at 6:08 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

all vehicles have his name on them except for his and his supervisors. that is for safety reasons. i guess the bosses dis regard safety or are tring to hide. They can save money if his kid takes over by just changing the first name.

 
at 8:44 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The people that are leaving messages such as "Shut up & do your job" and "Mr. Brayshaw should fire these crybabies" are clearly envious that we had the courage to stand up for ourselves & do what was right! While people like you stand by and take whatever is dished out to you, we received the answers we requested! You all should try standing up for your rights instead of sucking up to the man & getting nowhere! Don't hate us because you don't have a spine like us!

 
at 8:48 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Requesting that Management communicate with their staff is NOT A CRIME & NOT UNREASONABLE! Employees that don't stand up for themselves lose their jobs to Mexico!

 
at 8:51 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

No. I am not the Grammer Police. Myself & 60 of my co-workers wrote the letter so we are more than aware what the letter was about! My point was..... don't pick someone's work apart when YOU CAN'T EVEN SPELL "YOU" AND "LETTER"!

 
at 9:00 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Todd's first attempt at "cleaning up the mess RePub's left" was to raise taxes to cover it all.

Great work Toddy.

These guys (Todd, Leis, Deters, etc) all assume they can BS their way through - it's a new, informed world - old BS doesn't work no more.

 
at 9:24 PM, January 25, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I personaly don't like to lose money. Apparently some of the people on here do. Mere $2,000.00? You must be one of the $100,000.00+ a year people. As for me i'm not so that (MERE) $2,000.00 comes in real handy at pay time, especialy when insurance went from (roughly) $120 a month to $400 a month.

P.S. i hate stupid people!
P.S.S. "THE BULLDOG" is Frank Daria
P.S.S.S Frank you still wont make foreman so stop sucking up!!

 
at 10:06 AM, January 26, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why would Brayshaw leave office when he can, and do, anything he wants because he has the support of the "old boy" network that has been in place in the county government for ever. They can, and rule with the iron fist within the County offices and do as they please to support themselves.

 
at 11:17 AM, January 26, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

i would be happy if the county could just clear the streets as quick as cincinnati and state does. just clear them BEFORE i go to work. thats what your paid to do with my taxes crybabies. they didn't tell you guys that you may have to drive a snowplow when you were hired?

 
at 1:34 PM, January 26, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

There needs to be a full investigation of Brayshaw's office and how it's run. There hasn't been one ever since the Las Vegas boys were nailed. Maybe someone should call Channel 9's I-Team!

 
at 2:16 PM, January 26, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

mr. brayshaw said"there are less people in hamilton county everyone's moving out. so there's less licence plate tax". THERES LESS CARS??? AN WHYS EVERYONE MOVING OUT???

 
at 8:30 AM, January 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

A politition's top five answers to EVERY question 1) I will look into that an get back with u. 2) Thats a good question is the food ready. 3) I know its tough but we are all in this together. 4) Do u have a response to that question ted. An the number one response. ITS OKAY THAT MONEY COMES FROM ANOTHER BUDGET. PS. You sure the bulldog isnt Gelhausen?

 
at 8:51 PM, January 27, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Politician's first answer to every issue >> "We need to better .... and more to help ... whatever."

See H. Clinton.

 
at 10:33 AM, January 28, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The comment about auditing the County Engineer is an excellent idea. The miss management of funds and the poor leadership is obvious to us employees. Leadership: Mr. Brayshaw has appointed staff that are incompetent and unworthy of their status. The fleet supervisor is the poorest excuse of leadership and continues to have coffee every morning with Mr. Brayshaw. Perhaps he should spend those hours in management classes (although he has gone thru civil treatment classes more than 4 times, with no improvement). Funds: There is more money wasted within the Engineer's Dept than I have ever seen in all my years of employment. Buying new cars for top officials, hiring consultants to tell us what we already know, paying for price quotes that aren't necessary, allowing certain staff members to come and go as they please(40 hrs a week, HA), buying right-of-ways when we don't have the funds to sustain that type of expense, and yet we can't replace a broken office chair. What gives?????????

 
at 1:23 PM, January 29, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quit your whining you anonymous, cowardly bureaucrats!

You're lucky to work for Mr. Brayshaw. If I was in charge, I'd fire all of you crybabies. You bureaucrats have been on the public teat way too long. If you don't like it, go out a find a job in the real world!

 
at 12:35 PM, January 30, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seriously, what's up with the free shoes comment?

 
at 1:07 PM, January 30, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The paper pushers who clock out at exactly 5:00:00 every day are having a temper tantrum. Must be nap time.

 
at 2:52 PM, February 01, 2008 Anonymous Anonymous said...

ENOUGH OF THIS COMMENTING ON THIS SUBJECT ... let us move on!

 
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