REVERE - City Councilor at Large Robert Haas wants police to crack down on drivers behind the wheel of cabs that he said look like "they are held together by bungee cords."
"They look like they just came back from a demolition derby," Haas said Monday, adding, "You see some bombers down on Broadway."
Police Chief Terance Reardon said officers respond to every complaint about taxi maintenance the department receives but underscored his police priorities in the face of recent city spending cuts.
"We're down from 118 to 86 officers. At some point we have to face the facts we're grossly understaffed."
Nine cuts in Police Department ranks and layoffs of seven firefighters are part of the overall personnel cuts made since January by Mayor Thomas Ambrosino. The cuts are aimed at offseting a $1.2 million shortfall in the current city budget compounded by a $1.64 million hike in costs for Fiscal Year 2010.
Ambrosino told the council the increases in city expenses represent health insurance costs and hikes in the water and sewer assessment levied on the city by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. City Councilor at large Anthony Zambuto complained during Monday's public safety committee meeting about inaction one year after he "tried to restructure the hackney division."
"My good friend, the chief, thinks there is no problem. I totally disagree," he said.
Zambuto wants to limit the number of medallions available to cab companies but Reardon said police discipline cab companies violating taxi ordinances. Reardon said he "has no problem" with limiting medallions but disputed Ward 6 Councilor Charles Patch's claim that police do not thoroughly check taxi operators' criminal records.
City ordinance permits 50 to 75 cabs to operate in Revere and 56 currently are assigned medallions, said Reardon.
Patriot Taxi owner Robert Raduazzo said the city needs to increase the number of local cab stands from four. He said the limited number does not leave cabs enough legal locations across the city to park and puts them at risk of getting ticketed by meter readers.
Monday's public safety meeting followed another committee meeting that saw two city personalities involved in a well-publicized confrontation on their best behavior.
Public Works Superintendent Donald Goodwin referred to Councilor John R. Correggio as "Jack" while answering Correggio's question about Squire Road sewer work.
The tone the pair took toward each other was markedly different at Paul Buonfiglio Funeral Home last week when they exchanged words and, according to Correggio, Goodwin grabbed the older man by the neck.
The men filed criminal complaints setting the stage for a Chelsea District Court hearing later this month. Goodwin said the exchange grew out of Correggio's call for Goodwin's resignation in the wake of last year's state probe of Public Works operations. Goodwin said he touched Correggio on the shoulder, not the neck, and said the councilor has been "interfering" in Public Works personnel matters.
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