Opinion

Only in Oswego County will you see a department hire a person (director of Fleet Management) to replace someone (Highway Supervisor) four months before that person retires and then when that person isn’t going to retire still plan on hiring the other person.

In 2005 Congress passed the REAL ID Act as part of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The goal was to create minimum security standards for issuing a license that would protect sensitive facilities such as nuclear power plants, military bases, and federally regulated commercial airports.

In Oswego County, we have seen increased cases of Lyme disease in the past several years. As summer is here and schools are on vacation, people, especially children, will be involved in more outdoor activities. I would like to remind residents to diligently practice tick checks for preventing Lyme disease from ticks. Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted through the saliva of an infected deer tick.

A new Fund Balance Policy has been put into place at the county level; a policy that will control millions of taxpayer dollars. It will control the trigger points of a high and a low point for the county fund balance. Now you as a taxpayer would think that something with that high a priority would have to have the approval of the full Legislative body and that it would be drafted by a bipartisan coalition of equal number of party members.

On behalf of Oswego County Opportunities’ Services to Aid Families Program, we would like to thank Oswego Mayor William Barlow and Rental Assistance Program Director Nathan Emmons for their work on a recent executive order that gives priority to victims of domestic violence through the city’s HUD program.

On behalf of the Oswego Lions Club and the River’s Edge Craft Show Committee, we would like to thank all of the vendors and those people that came out to support our club by attending the craft show on June 10.

Treasurer Gardner says that “County finances are ‘stable.’ Chairman of County Legislature Broadwell speaks of “collaboration, bipartisanship, mandated vs non-mandated costs, $713 in taxes” Head of the IDA and OOC speaks of PILOT agreements, jobs, jobs. Now take a realistic look at the county without rose (Republican) colored glasses on.

What do you the taxpayer get, and how much do you lose, and who controls who gets a P.I.L.O.T. agreement? The taxpayer gets another business that will not have to pay the full tax bill. This is okay because the business will add jobs to the area. How many jobs is the big question and how much will they make an hour is the other big question.

As a former foster parent of 20 years, I have been involved with the Family Court system though working with foster children placed in my home by the Oswego County Department of Social Services.