Mihos pledges lay off up to 8,000 state workers (MA Gov candidate)

[MaineDem]

BOSTON --Independent gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos said he would lay off up to 8,000 state workers and use some of the estimated $400 million in savings to pay for programs like free tuition at all the state's community colleges.

Mihos, the independent candidate for governor, told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday that he would target top level and mid-level managers in state government. The pledge to eliminate 8,000 jobs amounts to about 12 percent of the work force at state agencies.

"We're going to go right through each and every one of them. We need to get lean," he said, adding that he would target "patronage-laden" agencies first. "We want to get as much money back to the cities and towns as possible."

...

The work force reductions would help pay for a key part of Mihos' platform: a promise to increase from 28 percent to 40 percent over four years the level of state aid going back to cities and towns -- at an estimated cost of about $1.7 billion annually to the state.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles... /

[PittPoliSci]

1. his first name is christy?

hm.

[chelsea0011]

2. There's 8000+ votes he can kiss good-bye.

This guy is the clown candidate in Mass.

[Ian David]

3. He's really trying HARD to syphon votes from Healey and not Deval.

He's also, apparently, determined not to win.

Keep running, Christy!

[Bill McBlueState]

15. exactly

I've never before seen a candidate so gleefully fill that role. He knows he's not going to win, so he's bringing Muffy down with him.

[Demeter]

4. Does This Guy Actually LIVE in Massachusetts, or Does He Just

have a PO box? That's not how it's done! (Spent 7 of the longest years of my life in MA, and my sister and her hubby are still there).

[matcom]

5. Longer years than your time in MI?

sorry. i'll take this state over MI ANYDAY!

as for Christy, yes he lives here and no he doesn't have a prayer

[AllieB]

6. MI is just so much better than MA! Especially the culture and the weather.

I worked for a company that had several offices in your adopted state, and I spent a lot of time in Detroit and and Ann Arbor. While Ann Arbor is a nice college town, it can't hold a candle to places like Amherst/Northampton and Boston/Cambridge. I guess you must like strip malls, white bread, and bad coffee, because that's how I experienced Michigan. I made the mistake of ordering pizza there once, and Wonderbread with Ketchup and Velveeta was what I got.

[Demeter]

7. I Was Born in Michigan

so I know where to find the best--we save the strip malls, awful pizza, white bread and bad coffee for the tourists and transients (so they don't get ideas about staying....)

You know that stuff is the red meat of Fundies, don't you? They live culturally deprived lives on every level, even food.

[AllieB]

11. The UP is nice.

I was condemned to purgatory in Michigan for months at a time when I was a consultant. This was long enough to know that the lakes are nice but that your cuisine leaves much to be desired, with the exception of some of the Middle Eastern restaurants in Dearborn, and some of the restaurants in the ritzier suburbs. Speaking of fundies, Grand Rapids is one of the scarier places I've been to. Plus you guys have to drive everywhere, and the roads are a mess, even compared to the crappy roads in my state. Where did you live in Mass?

[Demeter]

12. Lowell, Armpit of the Universe

although Tsongas pumped a lot of money into it later, and it helped.

[AllieB]

16. You poor thing

Lowell is one rough city. It has gotten better in the past decade, but it's still no prize. I think their motto is 'At least we're not Lawrence'.

[Marrah_G]

17. HAHAHAHAHAHA

That just made my day!!!!!!!!

[LiberalFighter]

8. Romney only serving 1 term? WOW Too much for him to handle?

[LiberalFighter]

9. I'm all for government being small

But can he justify reducing the size of MA state government?

If I can see the numbers/percentage of state govt workers in each state and know how well each state provides services department by department then I would reduce or realign.

Also, he is just now announcing he would do this?

[LostinVA]

10. Most State employee systems ARE lean

Except for the top-heavy TOP. The scenario of State employees lolling around because there's five people to do each job is long gone... it's more like one person doing two-three jobs.

When Virginia had a hiring freeze and also laid off workers a few years ago because of Gilmore's car tax fuck-up, it didn't last too long. DMVs closed, etc., and people were outraged at the reduction of services.

What a tool.

[MissMillie]

13. MA state employees have always been the scapegoat for

candidates promising fiscal discipline.

I wonder what the effect to the MA economy would be to lose 8,000 gainfully employed consumers?

Their income tax is gone, what they pay in sales tax will be greatly diminished, and the buying power of the middle-class will be reduced.

Oh yeah, then Mihos will complain that services are not up to par.

[Massachusetts]

14. Heart

His heart is in the right place, there are lots of "hack" jobs that could be eliminated especially in Massport/Masspike. However, reality in Mass dictates this ain't ever gonna happen. The Dems have a safe lock on the House and Senate and nothing rarely moves without their say so.

Christy is a native son who loves his city and state, he would be a refreshing change. IMO

Remember, everyone seemed to knock Tom Menino, yet he is in his 4th. term as the MAYA.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. If I were still a Mass voter, I won't vote for him but

I saw his head-up-the-ass ad when I was in Boston recently and thought it was crude but brilliant.