Another Government Perk: Random Days Off

Flickr user: hatter-inc

How your local government spends its Fridays.

It sure is sweet to be a government employee during the Great Recession. Wilton Manors just became the latest local city to announce it will save money by taking Fridays off, following the example of Pembroke Pines and the police departments in Coral Gables and North Miami.

Granted, I see nothing wrong with a three-day weekend. (Here at New Times, the boss gives us beer on Fridays, which is almost as cool.) But do government employees really need an excuse to work less?

Recently, while reporting a story about West Lake Park in Hollywood, I discovered that Broward County shuts some parks down on Tuesdays to save money. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department randomly closes its records division on Wednesdays. Maybe this isn't a life-or-death inconvenience, but generally speaking, I think citizens should be granted easy access to the official accounts of the robberies, murders, rapes, and other assorted crimes committed against them. And sometimes, we need them on Wednesdays.

Anybody with me on this? If so, you can join me when I apply for a job at Wilton Manors City Hall.