Mayor's Office Contends City Pays for 'Phantom' Phone Lines

[ybnormal]

"Chris Tonjes, who heads the Mayor's Office of Information Technology, said he's discovered 51 idle phone lines in his agency alone. He recommended that the city conduct an audit to review the status of its estimated 14,000 lines — and said that based on audits in other cities, Baltimore probably could save 15 percent of its $16 million annual phone bill.

"We'd probably realize an immediate savings of $2 million," Tonjes said, adding that he believes the city could be paying for hundreds of lines that aren't used.

In his office, Tonjes said, the city pays about $45 a month for each of the unused lines, and has done so for 10 years. That comes to about $275,000 in waste, he said."

Again and again, "Who in the hell is minding the store?"

Better still, who in the hell elected these buffoons anyway? Oh wait, never mind.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...,2860708.story

[pepper]

"Pratt supervises the city's auditor and the Municipal Telephone Exchange, or MTE, which has run the city's phone system since the 1940s. Asked for comment, she referred questions to her attorney, Charles G. Bernstein, who said he doubted Tonjes' statement that the city is paying for hundreds of phantom phone lines.

"I'm skeptical of his claims," he said. "But if Mr. Tonjes will give us the information, we'll look into it."

Her attorney answers for this stuff? Is he a public offical that has any clue as to the veracity of the claim? Is he the guy the public (which of course, for the most part doesn't care) considers a legit spokesman on this? Given what we know about the massive waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer funded programs and government agencies, his opinion is laughable.

I'd say take the reported abuses, and multiply by 100 to get a better picture of whats going on...

[EL-FLIPPO]

This is the type of apathetic socio-political climate that allows imposters like Sheila Dixon & Mitt Romney to continually lie to the electorate without being held accountable.

Apparently [just like in prison], once you've been raped over & over again, you begin to accept it - tricked into thinking you're helpless. </sic>

[Lawman 27]

Apparently [just like in prison], once you've been raped over & over again, you begin to accept it - tricked into thinking you're helpless.

Yes, but it is not just happening to the City's taxpayers, since the State's taxpayers have to foot the bill for a great deal of the City's "dealings."

And in that respect, we (State residents) are helpless...No one wants to DEMAND that the City get its act together.

[musicmd]

Again and again, "Who in the hell is minding the store?"

Better still, who in the hell elected these buffoons anyway? Oh wait, never mind.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...,2860708.story

Well, run for office .