PBA: EXAGGERATION OR TRUTH? YOU DECIDE!

Dear Fellow Tampa Police Officers and PBA Members:

Well, it’s official. The race is on for the four executive board seats at the PBA. Kevin Durkin has gathered his candidates for the election and began attending roll calls on Saturday morning. So did we. Our group, Greg Stout, candidate for President, Pat Lynch, candidate for Senior Vice President, Jimmy Meier, candidate for Second Vice-President, and Chip DeBlock, candidate for Secretary were also talking to the day shift roll calls at District One. After we left we learned that President Durkin and his group were at District Three. In their conversation with the troops they mentioned that we were “exaggerating,” things about the current PBA Administration. Well, here are those things, you are all investigators, check it out for yourselves:

1.) Secret meetings in violation of the WCFPBA Constitution and By-laws.
a.) The WCFPBA Constitution and By-Laws say that charter board meetings will be noticed on their web site, www.wcfpba.org. The meeting where Kevin Durkin announced that he would become the Executive Director took place on Wednesday, May 30, 2007.
b.) After over one hundred Tampa Police Officers sent e-mails telling Kevin Durkin they were against the Executive Director idea, they held another meeting on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 and elected him Executive Director of the PBA, a job with no job description, paying Senior Detectives pay.
c.) On May 8, 2007 there was a post on the PBA website letting us know about a PBA picnic with HCSO, but no notice of a meeting taking place on May 30.
d.) On Tuesday, June 26, 2007 there was a post defending Life Members, and the appointment of an Executive Director position, but no notice of when or where that was going to occur. (Secret Meetings).

2.) Back door deals for an Executive Director position meant to be a golden parachute that combining retirement & the new salary would equal $140,000.00 yearly for that position.
a.) Do some math with me:
1.) Kevin Durkin has been with TPD twenty-five years. 25 X 3.15% = 78.75%
2.) As of October 1, 2007 Kevin Durkin’s salary as a Senior Detective will be
$80,350.40 annually. $80,350.40 / 78.75% = $63,275.94, Kevin’s annual
retirement amount.
3.) Salary of the new Executive Director’s position: $80,350.40 + Kevin’s
annual retirement amount of $63,275.94 = $143,626.34 The total amount of
the Executive Director position and Kevin’s annual retirement. (Golden
Parachute).

3.) A $25,000.00 annual stipend for the president of the PBA, over and above his $80,350.40 salary to simply manage day to day business. (Stipend dollar amount source: John W. Swope, Senior Vice-President, WCFPBA).

4.) A secretary making over $58,000.00 yearly and provided a cell phone, PBA credit card and a take home car which, is driven daily to Pinellas County.
a.) Kevin said she is not a secretary but she is an “Administrator,” worthy of the pay and car perk.
b.) This is her job description as posted on the PBA web site as of Saturday, September 15, 2007: “Administrator/Administrative Assistant: Is responsible for answering the telephone and directing calls to the appropriate personnel; updating membership records; and assisting in a variety of other integral duties.”
c.) She was initially hired to answer telephones, not to be an Administrator. Her previous employment was baby-sitting in her neighborhood. Her next door neighbor was Mary Rochelle, former Administrator and retired Tampa Police Officer who had a business background and formal education.
d.) Her employment was recommended by Mary Rochelle to answer telephones at the PBA. Mary Rochelle will verify this information. (Draw your own conclusions).

5.) TPD Officers paying the highest union dues in three counties. (If anyone is paying more, let me know and I will issue an immediate apology.)

6.) Unbridled spending of our dues.
a.) One example: The purchase of two Ford Taurus vehicles totaling around
$30,000.00. I was on the Board of Directors at the time and the purchase
was not brought before the board until after the fact.

7.) The consistent withholding of vital information from the PBA President to the
Tampa Police Chapter Board of Directors.
a.) One example: The Tampa Police Chapter Board of Directors was
totally unaware of the Executive Director Position. They did not find out
about the existence of the position until it was disclosed by Pat Lynch
after a WCFPBA Charter meeting where he was ordered not to say
anything about it until after it was a done deal.
b.) Another example: Tampa Police Board members were never informed that Sharon Slater left the PBA until six weeks later and not until Kevin Durkin was questioned at a board meeting. USF Police, who are members of the TPD Chapter, were never informed and Sharon was the person negotiating their somewhat contentious contract.

8.) Endorsements of politicians with questionable character.
a.) WCFPBA endorsement of Doug Belden for Tax Collector after Belden’s alcohol fueled incident at Harbour Island, just last year. See Belden’s admission and public apology on www.takebackyourpba.com under “Call to Action.”
b.) The endorsement occurred almost ONE YEAR BEFORE the filing deadline for that office.

9.) Low quality flyers substituting for “The Badge & Labor,” union newspaper that we used to receive and deserve.
a.) We have not received a “Badge and Labor,” union news paper in over one
year. We now receive something resembling a sixth grade quality printing
press production.

10.) Insurance ignored on two fronts:
b.) The PBA failed to participate in the City’s selection process for health insurance carriers even though Kevin will claim that addition in the contract. Kevin said there was not enough time.
c.) The PBA totally ignored the retirement health insurance problem until the first contract failed, then half heartedly submitted a plan that Kevin knew the City would not have time to study. Since then, Kevin has continuously failed to take action, even after repeated board direction to stay on top of the health insurance in retirement issue.

Exaggeration? I don’t think so.

Let’s clear up one last point. Kevin attempted to justify his $25,000.00 annual stipend by saying that I received one while serving on the board of Directors at the PBA. He is correct. I received a stipend of roughly $7,000.00 annually for two years. I was never in a full time capacity at the PBA. I was frequently on call and responded to several call outs on my personal time. I was also the editor of the “Badge and Labor,” and worked on it on my own time. Likewise, I put in countless hours of my personal time working for the PBA. I never asked for it, but I stand by my assertion that a stipend is not needed to run the day to day affairs of the PBA, while working there full time. Especially a $25,000.00 annual stipend.

Until next time,


Greg Stout