Public trust in local government depends on access to information, especially when that information concerns public pension plans. These plans affect taxpayers, employees, retirees, and long-term municipal obligations, yet the documents underlying them are often…
A Modern, Flexible, Fair, and Financially Responsible Proposal to Replace the Failed April 17, 2023 Plan For decades, the Troy Fire Department was one of the strongest and most professional volunteer fire systems in Michigan.…
Troy held what they called an âADVANCEâ meeting today, and somehow, in the year 2026, a city of 90,000 people had no livestream, no recording, no Facebook post, no YouTube upload, and no public materials…
Ever wonder why Troy keeps getting the same decisions no matter who sits up on the council dais? Why every âdebateâ ends in the exact outcome City Hall wanted⌠Why every vote looks pre-decided⌠Why…
He smiles for the cameras,He grins for the show,Cuts a ribbon at noon,While we freeze in the snow. Heâs sipping his champagne,Weâre choking on smoke.He cashed out our pensions,Left the rest of us broke. He…
In the town of Troy-Who-Ville, where stories run deep,City Hall spun a tale they hoped neighbors would keep.So I wrote my own version, with rhyme, truth, and art,A 16-page adventure that comes straight from the…
Attention, citizens of Troy: The City relied on a very important IRS letter, one that apparently does not exist, to justify taking away firefighter pensions. So far, this elusive document has managed to avoid: 2…
Three years ago, almost to the day, I went on the radio for the first time in my life. I wasnât a politician.I wasnât media-trained.I wasnât trying to score points. I was just a firefighter…
The image you see here isn't meant to be cute. It isn't meant to be cruel. And it isn't meant to be taken literally. It's satire, because sometimes satire is the only way to cut…
The VFIP committee is often described as representative, but it operates nothing like a true negotiating body. It is a small, semi-self-selected group without department-wide buy-in, using a flawed survey and a single leading question…
This Was Never About Fixing the Incentive Plan. Let's stop pretending. The so-called "update" from the TFD "Incentive Committee" does not describe progress toward restoring what firefighters lost. It describes a process designed to avoid…
For more than two years, Troy officials have repeated the same story to residents, reporters, and firefighters. The IRS made us do it.The plan was illegal.There were no other options.Firefighters were made whole. Every part…
For years, Troy officials and messaging have leaned on a scary-sounding claim: Volunteer firefighters would have to pay taxes "now" on VFIP money they haven't even received yet. If that were true as a blanket…
In my previous article, I laid out why Troy City Council's repeated claim, that "the IRS made us" eliminate the Volunteer Firefighter Incentive Program, is not supported by the record. The IRS did not ban…
For over 85 years, Troy relied on volunteer firefighters to protect our families, our businesses, and our neighborhoods. Then City Hall took a sledgehammer to the very tool that kept the volunteer system alive, the…
For years, the City of Troy has justified eliminating the former firefighter incentive plan by pointing to an IRS determination letter that allegedly required the plan to go away. It's a powerful claim: Federal mandate.…
SPOILER ALERT As of 2021, Troyâs pension fund was approximately 56% funded, leaving the city with an estimated $11.6 million unfunded liability, a liability the city likely knew it could not fully fund under the…
Troy Firefighters Are Speaking, and the City Is Choosing Not to Listen Recently, 100 Troy firefighters took the time to fill out a survey about the current incentive plan and the state of the department.…
When the city removed the firefighter pension incentive, 34 firefighters left the department and only 100 of them remained to protect our 87,000 residents. In any other American city this size, losing 25% of a…
Troy used to have a plan, a good one. A firefighter incentive that rewarded years of service, honored the sacrifices made on every call, and recognized the reality of what it means to be a…