Former Rose Fellow Steve Frates on city benefits

An August 1st article in The Orange County Register titled “Bell awakens the outrage” uses a past quote from Steve Frates, at the time a Senior Fellow at the Rose Institute. The article discusses how the recent scandal involving city of Bell officials who paid themselves enormous salaries has caused the public to take a close look at what their own officials are making.

In dismissing the claim that “we need such benefits to attract employees”, the article quotes Frates discussing an advertisement to fill a few firefighter positions which drew 600 applicants. Frates says, “the market is telling us that we don’t have to offer 3 percent at 50 to get qualified applicants for firefighting positions.”