Mayor Roy West, known by many as the serial selfie-taker seen on social media at every event in the city posing for the flash of his own camera, is reminiscent more of a cartoon character than the leader of a bustling city. Still, that doesn’t stop the out-of-touch animation disguised as a community leader from making decisions that cost residents more than just our hard-earned money.
Most recently, in a stunning display of audacity, four of Beaumont’s top-paid administrators were granted significant raises, thanks to a tie-breaking vote cast by Mayor West. The raises included nearly $100,000 in additional retirement contributions on top of a 2% cost of living increase, all made retroactive to Oct. 1 – and, all added to a bogus budget already boasting a more than $3 million deficit.
City Manager Kenneth Williams alone received an additional $30,000 in compensation, while the city attorney, city clerk, and chief magistrate each pocketed an additional $23,000 toward their retirement. This compensation package was pushed through during a Dec. 3 City Council meeting, despite ongoing budget shortfall and the unresolved firefighter contract. Because, although we have the money to pay top dollar to administrators that farm out every function of their job, the fiscal wizards that brought us a deficit budget and proposed raises for themselves can’t seem to find the funds to pay for first responders.
Possibly the only way we can afford half-million-dollar upper admin salaries – coupled with generous Christmas bonus retirement contributions – is also thanks to fundraising efforts by the “Wizards of the Beaumont Finance Department,” which magically makes grass-cutting fees balloon to hundreds of dollars for elderly women like 89-year-old Jennie Simon.
Moments before the vote for raises for the top-paid employees, the mayor, council and city administrators heard from Simon, who was there to let them know she was sent a bill for $480 for mowing a lot she owned without any notification warning her the city would cut the grass if she didn’t. Surprise of all surprises, when Simon sought remedy, she was met with the “It is what it is” philosophy residents are given as city administrators continue to raise our cost of living while lining their own pockets with revenues.
Only weeks ago, the city manager put forward a recommendation to write off over $100,000 of uncollectible water bills, even though an investigation by The Examiner that put the on-the-record sources in print revealed several customers were never notified of a bill even being owed.
The decision to give a pay raise to the city manager, at a minimum, is a blatant betrayal of public trust.
Truly, it is a slap in the face to average citizens struggling to make ends meet. While firefighters wait for fair pay and benefits, city leaders prioritize their own financial gain. The firefighters, represented by Local 399, have been met with delays; yet, the city’s highest-paid administrators were able to secure raises in record time.
After more than a year of dragging their feet, the Beaumont reps sat down Dec. 3, just hours before the council meeting, to discuss financials with the Beaumont Professional Firefighters Union. No agreement was made for the firefighters but, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by Mayor West, the city manager got his raise while the rank-and-file firefighters went home without a deal. This marked the first time city leaders addressed the union’s requests for fair wages and benefits with actual numbers – 14 months into the negotiating process.
West’s leadership or, more appropriately, his lack of leadership, continues to baffle. At the recent 2024 State of the City event, he rallied residents with vague slogans like “Catch the Vision” while offering little substance about plans to address Beaumont’s most pressing issues of crime, budget deficits, increased property taxes and the lack of confidence in the future of Beaumont under its current leadership. Entering the Event Centre riding in on the shoulders of Beaumont United football players, while knowing his lack of leadership has placed undue burdens on taxpayers’ shoulders, West treated attendees to a nostalgic recap of self-proclaimed past accomplishments instead of any real hope for the future.
Meanwhile, the city is barreling toward financial ruin with ambitious but unfunded projects, including a downtown revitalization centered on a ditch nobody can (or wants to) pay for.
West’s priorities seem as misplaced as ever. His tie-breaking vote to approve these compensation packages demonstrates a troubling lack of regard for fiscal responsibility and the needs of Beaumont’s citizens.
The firefighters, who have waited over a year for fair treatment and are currently working under an expired contract, deserve better. So do the residents of Beaumont, who shoulder the burden of rising costs while their leaders indulge in self-serving decisions. If this is what the “vision” looks like under Mayor West’s leadership, it’s time for the people of Beaumont to get tested for eyeglasses as the future looks fuzzy.
Municipal elections are set for May 2025; while our current mayor may have arrived at the “State of the City” on the shoulders of others, he may be “ran out on a rail” when those that shoulder his incompetence get the opportunity to look toward a better future in the ballot box.