To the Editor:
With regard to the recent appellate court decision, United Public Service Employees Union regional director Wayne Gilbert said, “… stop spending taxpayers money foolishly and sit down with the union and do the right thing."
Mr. Gilbert suggested that the cost of the appellate court decision could conservatively be a few hundred thousand dollars plus attorney's fees. Mayor Jackson countered, indicating that the state Appellate Court's dismissal of the town's appeal of a union grievance regarding four layoffs two years ago won't cost the town as much as some think.
Now I ask you, who has the better track record of assessing damage to the town - Mayor Jackson or Wayne Gilbert?
Let’s look at the facts as reported in the Hamden Patch: In July 2010 five employees were laid off as part of budget cuts. But union officials said that was illegally done because of a stipulation in a 1992 Public Works agreement with the town that said no PW employees could be laid off as long as the town has an outside contractor handling the town's recyclables.
This seems so obviously clear it’s hard to believe there is any room for interpreting this any other way than what was stated in the agreement.
In fact, it was so obvious Gilbert said the following, "We told the town council several years ago when they took this action that they would lose and they didn't listen. We submitted a grievance and won the grievance, and then they said they would appeal to the state Superior Court and we told them they would lose that too, and they did.”
In the end, according to the Hamden Patch, the Appellate Court Monday dismissed an appeal the town filed after a Superior Court judge ordered the rehiring of four laid off Public Works employees.
It is apparent that Mayor Scott Jackson has taken on more than he can manage. He has surrounded himself with poor advisers that are making the mayor look foolish attempting to defend the indefensible. The mayor ought to consider severing the relationship with those individuals that help persuade him of the decisions that have led us to this point.
Where are the consequences for ineptitude? This town appears to reward ineptitude with re-election. Things are about to change. Stay tuned!
Ron Gambardella
Republican Town Committee Chairman
