Thanks, but no thanks for the raise...
Filed under Appreciation.
At our last Town's Budget Committee this past Thursday, the BudComm Chair read a letter from our Town Clerk / Tax Collector that nearly had my jaw dropping onto my laptop keyboard:
“Recreation Center of New Hampshire”Telephone: (603) 524-4713 Denise Morrissette, NHCTC
47 Cherry Valley Rd. Gilford, New Hampshire 03249 Town Clerk - Tax Collector
EMail: dmorrissette@gilfordnh.org
Memo:
To: Board of Selectmen; Budget Committee
CC: Town Administrator; file
From: Town Clerk – Tax Collector
Date: December 10, 2008
Re: 2009 Budget Adjustment RequestThis memo serves as a request for a reduction in salary in the amount of $2,173.00 (3.75%) of the Town Clerk – Tax Collector (line item #01-4140.1-100) for the 2009 proposed budget.
This memo serves as a request for a reduction in salary in the amount of $2,173.00 (3.75%) of the Town Clerk – Tax Collector (line item #01-4140.1-100) for the 2009 proposed budget.
As this budget was due back in August of 2008 the original request was being made inline with the overall budgeted request for town employees. However, due to the economic downfall I am requesting that the line item remain the same as budgeted in 2008 at $57,952.00 and appreciate having my job and benefits currently provided to me by the Town of Gilford taxpayers.
THAT is an elected official putting the needs of the taxpayers first. Here is an elected official that shows appreciation for her job when others in the private sector are losing theirs. She didn't have to do it; no one asked her to do it. But because she and her staff deal with the taxpayers every day, she related to me (I called her the next day) how some of those come in almost in tears of not being able to pay their property taxes, or having to really choose between paying and other important issues in their lives.
This is why I get SO mad at politicians that seem to be so cavalier about spending taxpayer money on things that are wants, or even vanities to the politician's ego, instead of only those things that are the proper role of government.
Well done, Denise, and thank you! Just like another elected official who is turning down HER raise:
A new state commission appointed by [Sarah] Palin recommends boosting the governor’s pay from $125,000 to $150,000. The State Officers Compensation Commission says the lieutenant governor, department heads and legislators need more money too.
But if the commission pushes ahead with a pay raise, Palin won’t accept the money, said spokesman Bill McAllister.
“Her view is, it’s just not appropriate to accept a pay raise in the middle of the term.”…
It’s unclear if Palin would give the money to charity — as commission chairman Rick Halford predicted Tuesday — or simply not receive the extra pay.
Sarah - WAY to go, ma'am!
How about you folks out there - have any of your elected officials deciding to "help out the taxpayers"?
