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Letter: City response supports retired firefighter’s claims

By Mark Chapman

By Frank Peloso

Retired Fire Fighter

To the Editor:

NORWALK, Conn. – I was glad to see the response from the mayor regarding retirees’ benefits. I would also like to thank Mr. Hamilton for the corrections he posted on your site. And by not mentioning the $50 million loan that was forgiven for the Maritime Center, I guess he was telling me that number was correct.

By his response, both the mayor and Mr. Hamilton confirm that the firefighters contribute large sums of money into their pension fund, relative to when they served. My point was to show the people of Norwalk that retired firefighters contributed to their retirement and that the burden is not solely on the taxpayers.

Additionally, when the mayor and his administration change a retiree’s benefits that they were promised, the retiree has no voice in the reduction that will affect him and his family. Unlike current union firefighters and police officers, a retiree cannot negotiate with the city. They cannot vote and they cannot bring any dispute to the state for arbitration.

What the mayor and his administration are doing is bullying the city of Norwalk’s retirees. They know full well that the firefighters union cannot represent the retirees and they also know that most retirees cannot afford to hire a lawyer to go up against the city’s high-priced law firms.

So I ask the people of Norwalk to speak loudly on Election Day. Do not let this mayor bully the people that served you with honor throughout their careers. Do not let him take our hard-earned, promised benefits away. Please make a change for the good for all of Norwalk.

 

Frank Peloso

 

Comments

2 responses to “Letter: City response supports retired firefighter’s claims”

  1. M Allen

    I’m sorry Mr. Peloso, but nothing in your letter or that of Mr. Hamilton’s response would seem to suggest this administration did anything different in terms of changes to retiree benefits that hadn’t happened in previous administrations. You are making it sound like retiree benefits never changed before the Moccia administration, and that is not true. My father retired in 1987 and died in 2006 and I know during that time his healthcare benefits changed a couple of times. Besides, much of what you listed in your letter referred to active duty members. How much they contribute to the pension or cost of health care has no effect on retirees. Likewise, the issue with Social Security is not related to the city, it is the State of Connecticut that has created the situation where police, fire and teacher don’t contribute to Social Security.
    .
    While I stand wholeheartedly behind your issue of not being properly represented when new contracts are negotiated between the city and union, it seems you are trying to make a case for one city leadership over another. Unfortunately, I don’t think you made that case. Retirees need to get tough with their former union as much as they need to take a “get tough” attitude with the sitting Mayor.

  2. John Levin

    Mr. Peloso – you seem confused. There was no “response from the mayor”. Mr. Hamilton responded to NoN’s request to fact check your earlier letter, and he responsibly provided corrections to certain of your claims. I expect this process likely repeats with the your current letter. NoN is light years ahead of The Hour, and most local media for that matter, in meeting its responsibility as journalists.

    Congratulations, Mark and Nancy, you have set a new standard – and the bar is high.

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