To the Editor:
Where is Chenango County? Does what happens there mean anything if we don't live there?
You might think state budget cuts, especially for a minimum-security state prison camp such as Camp Pharsalia, just save NYS taxpayers dollars.
Wrong. It saves money in one area, but creates costs for others – namely Chenango County and other nearby areas.
Chenango County is a very, very small part of New York. Pharsalia is in the middle of the state, between Buffalo and Albany. The number of people in the county could be housed in a big New York City or Buffalo block of high-rise apartments. We are smaller than David in this battle versus Goliath.
A minimum-security camp is not just a holding cell or a dollar figure for the people incarcerated there who will be going back into society shortly. A camp is a re-entry teaching tool, where incarcerated folks help the surrounding communities and get programs that will help them adjust and succeed as they go back into society.
Shouldn't all offenders come through a camp before transitioning back into society, just as drivers first need to take driving classes and have student-driver permit time, and as craftsmen need to begin with apprenticeships?
Camp Pharsalia helps one of the poorest areas of New York survive. If legislators will come to my area of the state, I will show them poverty in the hills or flood-ravaged areas. I’ll take them to food banks or let them hear calls I have received from poor folk. Poverty is not limited to any one stereotyped area.
By taking these camps away from some of our areas, our state poverty will increase. People will move out – the distances to other worksites, with the wintry roads, gas prices, etc. will force this.
The dollars supposedly saved by New York state will be at the cost to local taxpayers, environmental and non-profit groups who will have to start paying for the work these incarcerated people helped with in their communities.
This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is a people issue. Where is Chenango County? It’s in my heart.
The Rev. JOHN KOOPMAN
Chaplain, Camp Pharsalia
Norwich
Accountants deserve more
To
the Editor:A letter in the February issue said PEF should fight for higher pay for state Department of Transportation personnel.
The writer said DOT personnel deserve salaries equal to those paid in the private sector. He said state employees’ benefits are no longer so superior to those in the private sector that they justify a lower salary. He also said many DOT engineers have had long and expensive educations and PEF should seek salaries that reflect that effort.
The writer said many professional engineers are stuck at technician levels because of antiquated civil service title series and few promotions. He asked how the Empire State is going to live up to its name to produce quality work when it holds down salaries. He urged PEF to join the private sector to raise the respect and salaries of employees the state needs, so those employees can maintain their standards of living.
I agree with the the writer in regard to the DOT personnel. I also have similar feelings regarding state employees in accounting titles. They, too, deserve salaries equal to those paid in the private sector. They have expensive educational backgrounds. They have fewer promotional opportunities than some other professions within state service, such as those in information technology titles.
In today’s unstable economy, NYS accountants and auditors are vital in safeguarding the state’s assets and capital. Professional accountants and auditors should be given credit for their experience gained in technician level positions within their state careers.
Also, I agree with the editor’s response to the February letter that taxpayers get better value for their investment with public employees because they are more directly accountable to the public and are dedicated to public service.
MARY COLATOSTI
Rensselaer
The Communicator Letters policy
We welcome letters to the editor about union issues and events relevant to PEF's diverse membership. All letters are subject to editing for space, fairness and good taste.
Please keep them brief (up to one page, double-spaced or a maximum of 250 words), and please include your name and phone number for verification.
Send letters to thecommunicator@pef.org:
The Communicator
Public Employees Federation
P.O. Box 12414
Albany, N.Y. 12212-2414
Email to Sherry Halbrook, Editor or Darcy Wells, Editor-In Chief
