September 17, 2008: The headlines say something like, "City Pays Lots of Money to Consultant."  That should get a lot of attention, one would think.  But, in both of those last sentences, what defines "a lot?"

The background here is that Cedar Rapids hired some consulting firms to help with recovery.  I can understand that.  I can also understand that the pays those firms too.

So, a few other media outlets reported on the situation with the consultant John Levy and they pointed out that he is making $475 an hour.  Alright, that is more money than I make in an hour.  But is it a lot?  Could be...is it irresponsible spending by the city?  I don't know.  Yet, other media outlets paint the story with quotes from citizens saying something like, "$475, that's a lot...and what does he do, he tells people what to do?   That's a lot."

I'm writing to vent some frustration that we're not getting the whole story.  I want to know how much other cities are spending on consultants.  Hearing $475 sounds like a big number.  But would it be that big it Des Moines was spending say, $800 an hour?  It's the context I'm missing.  With more context, $475 could either be a gross overpayment, or a deal.  Right now we don't know and considering the mood in the city right now, I'm guess people automatically think its the former.  Without context  the media isn't being fair.

Another media outlet also chastised the city by saying that FEMA says hiring consultants will only slow progress.  I am still waiting for one person to show proof that Cedar Rapids is slow. 

By watching city government work everyday, we are realizing the process isn't fast.  A political science professor at Mount Mercy College recently told me people become frustrated when they realize just how slow the political process moves.  He said most people don't realize it until they have to watch it everyday.  He added that watching it work day buy day, on one issue at a time is incredibly slow.  Yet watching it work on larger ideas and tasks it seems to move faster.  I think that's what we're seeing now.

Sure, the process could be faster, but how much faster?  I don't know.

I'm not out to defend the city, but I am out to make sure when someone attacks the city, they have all the facts and figures in context so people can make an informed opinion.

I'll get to the bottom of this soon...catch it on TV9

P.S. We haven't reported on this yet, to my knowledge.