DRUG TESTING NIXED

Despite Council Panel's Vote, Borchardt Says She'll Be
Back

City Council President Dorothy Borchardt has lost a couple of rounds
but she's not down for the count.

"You know me, I don't give up,'' said the District 12
alderwoman.

The City Council's Organizational Committee voted 4-3 Thursday night
to place on file -- or kill -- Borchardt's resolution to include
random drug testing in the city's collective bargaining proposal to
the firefighters union.

And Mayor Sue Bauman, as expected, also asked that the resolution be
placed on file in her report to the City Council (the resolution was
referred to the mayor's office).

The resolution -- which is still being reviewed by other committees
and city agencies -- is scheduled to be taken up the council June 6
even if, as is anticipated, the city makes its offer to Firefighters
Union Local 311 on May 30. The union opposes random drug testing. Its
contract with the city expired Jan. 1.

Fire Chief Debra Amesqua told the City Council's Organizational
Committee that random drug testing was needed to restore public
confidence in the Fire Department after a federal probe that
implicated 13 firefighters in varying degrees of drug use.

"We have a reputation that is now tainted,'' she said. "We have to
re-establish our reputation.''

But Ald. Kent Palmer, who made the motion to table the resolution,
said he felt it would be unwise to act "reflexively'' in the face of a
crisis.

"We need to look at this in a broader perspective outside of the
immediate concerns out there,'' he said.

Ald. Cindy Thomas, as expected, provided the swing vote, joining Ald.
Gary Poulson and Ald. Judy Olson in supporting Palmer's motion.

Council members Steve Holtzman, Linda Bellman and Borchardt opposed
the motion.

But Borchardt pledges to keep on fighting.

"If the mayor and union rush to get an accepted offer on the table,
then it's done until the contract comes back for us to approve,'' she
said.

And then?

Said Borchardt: "I have voted against contracts before.''