my view

Regarding ‘What’s the rush?’

By ROBERT A. DOHERTY
Posted 8/11/20

Bruce Ferguson’s “What’s the Rush?” letter in the August 6 edition of the River Reporter offers a string of assumptions that are simply not based in fact.

I keep being told …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in
my view

Regarding ‘What’s the rush?’

Posted

Bruce Ferguson’s “What’s the Rush?” letter in the August 6 edition of the River Reporter offers a string of assumptions that are simply not based in fact.

I keep being told that “pretty much everyone” (as Bruce puts it) doesn’t like the path we’re exploring to sell the Care Center at Sunset Lake. I just don’t see it. We’ve had a handful of people come out to our public hearings, almost exclusively representing staff, patients and the union (the “overflow” Bruce references is pretty easy to hit when our Hearing Room can only accommodate 50 people due to COVID-19 regulations).

The average taxpayer who has no other stake in the facility—except that they fund it—is not showing up at these hearings, protests and other gatherings, nor are they inundating us with letters and phone calls. A petition was signed by 600, true, but that’s out of a county of 75,000+ (and in the summer, when the petition was circulated, we have 200,000 to 300,000 people here).

“Everyone” is not the proper moniker, and there very much appears to be a silent majority that agrees with us that the care center can have a successful future outside county control.

Several of the comments we’ve received, in fact, show this to be a union-fueled battle. And those comments—about employees “losing” their retirement benefits—don’t stand up when you realize those same employees have the skills and experience to find jobs throughout New York which offer benefits that do include the state pension system.

I’m not “against” our Care Center employees; they’ve done fine work amidst extremely difficult circumstances. I’m particularly sorry this Legislature’s ongoing discussion and indecision on the facility’s future has added to their stress. But frankly, this is not about them. It’s about what we can afford, which is why we’ve already enacted a number of layoffs elsewhere in county government.

In any situation where it’s the taxpayer versus “something else,” I will always come down on the side of the taxpayer. I know my fellow newly elected legislators feel the same way.

As for those we serve at the care center, I wouldn’t for a minute consider this avenue if I thought it would harm our residents or degrade the care they receive. In fact, I have good reason to believe that a private operator will improve care. (For example, a private operator can turn the care center into a skilled-care facility, where we no longer have to subject our frail and elderly to stressful trips to other locations that can do more specialized procedures.) I will certainly not be in favor of any operator who has a record of “below-average” care.

The usual complaints about the IDA and the airport only benefitting the rich don’t hold water, either. I wish the IDA did not have to be so generous, but the tax realities leave them little option if any economic development is to be realized. And let’s not forget that high taxes squash needed economic development. Wouldn’t it be great if our low taxes attracted both new residents and new businesses?

The airport has been a far smaller drain on county finances than the care center, and it’s a foolish daydream to think some company or individual would be willing to pay back the $30 million in federal grants we’d have to return (immediately) if the airport was sold to a private operator.

I’ve yet to come across anyone in Sullivan County who thinks the taxes here are fair and justified. To a person, they strongly feel overtaxed. In the quest to relieve that burden—which I take as one of our highest priorities—we are looking at all options, including with the care center. We may have little option with mandated offerings, but in this very real and very serious economic crisis, I am not about to start playing the favorites game with non-mandated services. Sacrifices have been and must continue to be made, and taxpayers are right to expect that we carry out the mandate they’ve given us.

I just joined the Legislature and have already had enough time to see the cracks in our financial foundation. The most irresponsible thing I could do would be to ignore the taxpayer, who will pay for any deficit this County incurs. And I will always put the taxpayer first.

Robert A. Doherty is District 1 legislator of the Sullivan County Legislature.

Care Center, Sunset Lake, taxpayers

Comments

1 comment on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • HAppel

    I take issue with this sentence “ Several of the comments we’ve received, in fact, show this to be a union-fueled battle.” What’s wrong with unions sticking up for their members? Are unions some sort of evil dark force that needs to be exposed? Their members can always find work elsewhere! I read this sentence as having an anti-union bias and want to call it out!

    Sunday, August 16, 2020 Report this