THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511290154
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
Election is a good time to remember holiday
The recent action (to give city employees an additional holiday), led by City Councilman Thomas G. Underwood, is totally irresponsible.
I was very disappointed that a poll was taken among some council members. I'm not sure if this was legal; however, I will find out.
A public hearing should have been held to choose whether to give city employees another paid day off. After all, whose money are they playing with?
I am in full agreement with giving city employees the six major holidays off. Councilman Richard Harris is totally correct in assessing this matter. If there is a problem with the holiday schedule among city employees, they are welcome to come out from the protective apron of city government.
Finding employment in the private sector will show them how the real world operates. They are public servants.
It disgusts me to know that my wife and I had to work the day after Thanksgiving in order to make money to pay our taxes to the City of Suffolk so the city could give away $12,000 for employees to get an extra day off.
If this is not bad management, what is? Many say that if the state does it, why shouldn't we? Two wrongs do not make a right!
This money for one day could have almost purchased a new police car. We will remember this at election time! I voted for Mr. Underwood.
We need people who know how to run the business of council without an eye wink and a tip of the hat.
Gary W. and Dorothy Howell
Lake Speight Drive
Suffolk
No money for services, but an extra holiday
Anyone who attended the special called meeting of City Council Nov. 22, to consider the already announced additional paid holiday the day after Thanksgiving, could readily see why there is a shortage of funds for basic services needed throughout the city.
Councilman Richard Harris voted no to the extra holiday, basing his decision on the fact that Suffolk now provides a very generous fringe benefit package to employees. City employees now can receive up to 37 days of leave per year with pay, and other fringes, when including sick leave.
Councilman Charles Brown's exegesis on his support for the additional holiday was seriously flawed. He was correct in stating that the federal employees were granted the day after Thanksgiving with pay, but he forgot to say that it was a ``Liberal Leave'' day. If one opted to have the day off, it was charged as a day of vacation.
No post offices were closed. The two largest cities in the area, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, did not close their city hall. Using the school's closing on Friday as a correlation as why the city should do likewise is comparing apples to oranges. Should we have a three-month close-down in the summer?
It is this type of reasoning and logic that has prevented and will prevent this city from obtaining its potential. It is somewhat difficult to accept the councilman's anecdote on family values when the largest employers, public and private, did not close.
It is also important to remove from the minds of members of council that the cost of a paid holiday is only the $12,000 paid for overtime. The true cost is between $95,000 and $100,000, when you include salaries and fringe benefits.
The tentative 3 1/2 extra paid holidays, beginning in 1996, will cost an estimated $300,000-plus each year from now on. And we hear there are no funds to provide basic services!
Surprising Suffolk is Santa Claus for city employees.
Talmadge C. Jones
Harbor Road
Suffolk
Local events merit more Sun attention
The Sun's cover story for Nov. 26 was ``Seaside Lights,'' a detailed account of a Virginia Beach holiday event that began Nov. 20 and will end Jan. 7. On page 28 of the 32-page publication, the ``Calendar'' listed Dec. 1-3 holiday events in Suffolk.
It is disappointing that you did not choose to feature a holiday event in Suffolk or the other localities on The Sun covers. This weekend, Dec. 1-3, has a wonderful array of activities, any one of which would have been great for a cover story: the Franklin Christmas parade; the Suffolk Christmas parade; the 19th Annual Candlelight Tour of Suffolk, featuring decorated historic homes and churches, costumed characters, workshops, refreshments and concerts over a two-day period; the Suffolk Pilot Club's Lunch with Santa; Franklin's Parade of Elves.
Why wasn't one of these local events featured in The Sun? Perhaps you had planned on giving one of them the Thursday Sun cover story. The Thursday paper does not have the large circulation of the Sunday paper. Also, Thursday hardly leaves interested persons time to make plans to attend events occurring a day or two later.
This is not the first time we have noticed a dearth of local articles in The Sun. Your commitment to local stories involving local people and activities is lacking.
The Sun purports to be for ``Suffolk and Franklin, and the counties of Gates, Hertford, Isle of Wight and Southampton.'' It is past time you proved it!
We encourage other readers who share this view to contact The Sun.
Harry Cross III and Lisa Cross
Waters Avenue
Suffolk
Double the charity to help feed families
Members of the Allied Colloids Cares & Shares Committee want to publicly thank the Nansemond Parkway Elementary School for their incredible support of our very own charity. Nansemond Parkway is our school-business partner where, for several years, our employees have volunteered as tutors and mentors.
The A.C. Cares & Shares program is 1 year old now. Last year, through employee contributions, canned food collections and donations from businesses, we collected enough food and money to provide Christmas meals, treats and gifts for 60 needy families and individuals in the Suffolk community. They were delivered in boxes beautifully decorated by the children of Nansemond Parkway Elementary.
This year, we challenged ourselves to double our goal to 120 families, and with the help of Nansemond Parkway, we are three-fourths of the way there. The children collected enough pennies to feed 36 families - $503.22! And they want to start all over again!
Leslie Peterfeso
Allied Colloids
Wilroy Road
Suffolk by CNB