To the editor:
In the Oct. 22 edition of The Salem News on the Peabody candidates' forum, incumbent Mayor Michael Bonfanti made a statement that I cannot recall any other mayor making.
It was in answer to a question by Salem News Editor David Olson. The question was about the Sept. 11 paid holiday for the Peabody police.
Mayor Bonfanti said, "It was a mistake and I take responsibility for it." He also said that he should have caught it.
I think that the City Council should have caught it, as well, when they voted on the contract.
In the article, it was also stated that the officer who proposed it thought it would honor the service of police and firefighters who responded that day in 2001. My question: How does putting money in the pockets of our police officers honor those men and women?
If they said we want to donate a day's pay every year to a fund for the families of those who lost their lives, that would be honoring them.
Other stories have said that other police departments have said it is a good thing to put in the contract. Why do they say this? Now they will use this to get it in their contracts. And once in the contract, it stays there or something better replaces it. Examples: Road details, still there. Health insurance payments by the city. (OK, so they pay 15 or 20 percent, big deal. Mine goes up every year.)
I know the police say they are among the lowest paid around. But when I read the salaries every year of the highest paid city employees I wonder what the highest-paid officers in other cities are getting. Six figures is a pretty good salary for being the lowest paid around.
All this makes me wonder what the next paid holiday will be to show respect to those who served, lost their lives, or both. Will it be for the Bataan Death March, the Battle of the Bulge, D-Day?
Oh, and lets not forget Custer's Last Stand.
Dave Holuk
Peabody
