Hawn vows progress on pensions

In the November election, you spoke firmly when voting "yes" for my pension reform measures that three City Council colleagues joined me in putting on the ballot for your consideration. Thank you.

It was an important message that you sent: you want your elected officials to challenge business as usual inside City Hall.

Despite uncalculated thousands of dollars spent by union special interests, all three pension reform advisory measures passed with enormous majorities. The effort to convince you that these reforms would be "too costly" or have "already been implemented" failed because neither is the truth.

The facts are this: Any reforms that we have previously passed only apply to future city employees. These future reforms will not fix the current problem of Modesto not having enough money to pay for lavish, and sometimes abusive, payouts.

With your backing on these measures, I now can, and will, challenge defenders of the current system who support draining the city treasury, even worse roads, fewer police on the street and increased taxes on you.

Even Gov. Jerry Brown knows business as usual is over. Shouldn't the next mayor of Modesto deal with reality instead of kicking the can down the road?

BRAD HAWN
Modesto