Once again it seems that our government officials in Mayville have put aside the needs of the county taxpayers for their own special interests. I am of course, talking about the county nursing home. The ad hoc committee that was formed was nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
I believe that once county taxpayers find out what is going on behind the scenes, they will be able to see who is driving this agenda.
It seems to me that the committee was set up in favor of the CSEA Union from the beginning. More than half of the ad hoc committee members are union employees. How could 11 County Home union employees be on that committee? Believe me, they are not going to vote to sell the county nursing home and put themselves out of very lucrative pay and benefit packages. Does anyone else think this might be a conflict of interest?
I would like to know how these individuals ended up on this committee. Are these committee members a real cross section of our community or just union representatives that seek to save union jobs at the expense of the county taxpayers? Does anyone think that county Legislator Bob Whitney (who is also president of the local IBEW) is going to vote against the CSEA? I think not. It would be political and professional suicide if he did. Does anyone see a conflict of interest here or do we see the inside track of union leverage on our ad hoc committee?
I'll let you be the judge.
Our area has many not-for-profit and for-profit organizations that have demonstrated the ability to deliver the same services to those who are in need; Lutheran Social Services is a fine example of this type of organization.
The problems with the county nursing home are not going away. In fact, they will get worse. Even if all the savings are achieved from the financial viability report, county taxpayers would still be on the hook for a minimum of $1.3 million per year.
It seems to this writer that we have a group of politicians, most of whom are Democrats that have made the saving of the County Home one of their top proprieties despite the objection of their constituents. Do they really have the county taxpayers in mind or are they already thinking about serving the union special interest to get re-elected? Let's all watch how this plays out and see for ourselves.
It's time for Chautauqua County residents to send a clear message to Mayville that we will no longer let cheap politicians and out of control unions dictate the course of our county. Our government needs to make sound business decisions that reflect the needs of everyone living in our county, not just a chosen few.
Dave Wilfong lives in Jamestown.