THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Regarding Dan Ballard's Another View (Oct. 2) stating that the taxpayers of Norfolk and other cities should sing praises of Nauticus, being a Norfolk taxpayer and a retired Norfolk city employee, I have to disagree.
I retired from the Norfolk Police Department in 1989 and have received one pay raise since then. (The amount was insulting.) I lost the only benefit given to me by the city, which was the promise that I would not have to pay any state tax on my retirement. Some neighboring cities pay the hospitalization for their retired police officers, as does the federal government, but not the city of Norfolk.
Sure, I could get insurance for my wife and myself if I could afford $500 a month. I am supposed to sing praises to the city: Sorry, I can't find the right chords for that tune. Go ahead, City Council; spend millions on another ``White Elephant.''
Since the Police Department has no bargaining powers with the city, we have to take whatever ``crumbs'' the city decides to give us. The only way we get a raise is for the council to vote on it.
D. RAY DORMAN
Norfolk, Oct. 10, 1995 by CNB