Kat Country Hub

Letter to the Editor from Therese Magill

Dear Editor,
I am writing about the recall of two board members in Decatur. I am encouraging every registered voter to vote yes for the recall. We need all your votes and they do make a difference. In regards to the answers that Loretta Kellogg and Alta Wolf have answered.
#1 The quarterly budget reports have been in place since I started at the Village office in 2000. The budget sheets were in the Board members packets at each meeting.
#2 The reason that the Village has money for now is because we had no police officer for seven months, one of the full time maintenance took another job.
#3 As far as the $200,000.00 loan for the Community Center, Alta Wolf was on the Board when that happened. The Village had a $250,000.00 grant plus the $200,000.00 loan to (fix a building that continues to leak and flood the basement.
#4 The “working” session that Loretta mentioned; is she being sexist by mentioning that the two “male” board members did not show up to, in a working session there can be no decisions made. If the only thing they discussed were the surveys, then why was one of the Village maintenance men let go that day?
#5 As far as Alta Wolf’s authority; she offered me $15.00 an hour to stay with the Village if I would work half of my day at the maintenance shop to make sure they did their job. This all happened before she was voted into office.
#6 As far as Joe Gatto paying for his own schooling at the academy; the Village is now paying for it. Then they hire a part-time police officer that sued the Village. This in no way means that I have anything against the officers.
#7 You let a 15 year dedicated employee go that was only making $12.50 an hour. She worked in the office, cleaned the Community center, helped read meters, cleaned the park bathrooms and anything else that was asked. I have nothing against the two part-time people that were hired at $10.00 each, but that doesn’t make much sense.
#8 You want to take the family insurance away from the two full time employee’s, that is the only benefit they get. Yes they get reduced lights but it is added on their W-2’s at the end of the year.
#9 We had a brand new police car. It was never taken care of. Is the information accurate about the used police car that the Board is considering purchasing from Oakland?
#10 As far as paying the deductible on Joe’s vehicle (I am sorry that someone would do that) we had a police officer a few years ago that he had his vehicle completely destroyed in one of the Village’s buildings and he was not given anything.
#11 As far as Dan Magill not having his certifications. He is certified in water, yes he has taken the test three times, but did anyone ask how many times it took the other maintenance men to pass? For further information he was told by board members not to worry about his sewer certification.
#12 Because we have our own opinions about things does not mean we are fools!!
#13 If you are going to take someone’s pay away for doing something to help the community, you better make sure that it was him. Maybe you should have stopped to see instead of taking it for granted that it was him.
#14 The white truck that you have been seeing at the Green Lantern belongs to John Hightree. Again maybe you should have stopped by!!
#15 One of the Board members did not even know where the sewer plant was.
#16 We have lost our recycling center and dump.
#17 You mentioned employment of Village officials; what about paying a spouse of one of the Board members for fixing a vehicle? The Village is audited every year and they have never had a problem with it and they receive a 1099 for their work.

#18 Infrastructure-the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
#19 Our power is bought from Burt County Public Power and they take care of the primary lines, we own the lines in town.
#20 One of the Board members writes for the Lyons Mirror- Sun, is that not a conflict of interest?
Sincerely,
Therese Magill