Once again, Sullivan County officials are attacking employee benefits to address the mess they have made of county finances. Under the pretext of cutting costs, county manager David Fanslau and legislature chairman Jonathan Rouis proposed and pushed through a radical change in county health insurance coverage that will seriously and adversely affect current and retired employees without realizing the touted savings.

In a strongly worded dissent, county treasurer Ira Cohen exposed this scheme for the scam that it is, noting that the county would incur more debt borrowing money to pay for the new coverage, and calling self insurance an “…irresponsible, if not potentially reckless… gamble with taxpayers’ money.” He dismissed as a fantasy the claim that the county would save money by foisting this inferior health plan on its employees. Yet all our elected legislators, save one, blithely approved this devastating change.

Once again, county leaders have demonstrated their only interest is the continuation of the salaries, perks and benefits they have awarded themselves. To date, not one has given back any of their ill-gotten gains. Yet without shame, they continue to slash employee benefits and residents’ services as the only way to address the revenue shortfall created by their mismanagement and greed. And to further ensure that they remain firmly in control, chairman Rouis flatly refused to allow any discussion of alternative governmental structuring like a county executive officer, effectively blocking this option from consideration on the November ballot and for years thereafter.

There is still a way to change this oppressive setup now. On November 8, take back your government and your quality of life by voting these entrenched, compromised and rapacious incumbents out of office. Candidates like those in the Rural Heritage Party are committed to restoring Sullivan County to benefit us all, but they can’t do it without your help. You hold the power to change. Please vote.

Star D. Hesse

Lava, NY