To the Editor:

This letter is to all the citizens of Ogdensburg. I for one support what the current council is trying to do and believe there is more who also feel that way.

It is never easy having to make difficult decisions but they have to be made. I want to say I fully support our fire, olice and city workers. But at what cost? Stop blaming the current elected officials for doing the right thing. And that is putting the city back on a strong financial base.

If fingers need to be pointed at anyone, it's the previous administrations. Currently approximately $.75 cents of every tax dollar goes to paying the salaries of the fire, police, DPW and administration. That leaves approximately 25 cents to take care of everything else.

What we get for that is terrible road repairs, sidewalks that are unsafe, parks that can't be maintained, infrastructure that are repaired with bandaids, city rec buildings you have to rent because city needs money, distressed homes because people are afraid to fix up or repair for fear of being unreasonably taxed, city vehicles that are outdated because no capital improvement money has never been budgeted, a water treatment facility that is so outdated, again no capital improvement monies in the previous budgets to account for updates, this list is never ending.

New business is totally non-existent. To make matters worse our previous council were poor losers and decided to give out contracts that were just absolutely unheard of and not sustainable with this cities current financial situation. Even the state has stated that to improve finances there needed to be personnel cuts. So lets put the blame were it clearly belongs. On them not the current council (meaning 4 newly elected). I'm sorry there have been layoffs.

But when my taxes are being raised just to cover these unheard of contracts enough is enough. What makes the approximately 150 city employees more important than the 9900 good citizens of Ogdensburg who want a better city to live in. Many who live on fixed incomes. I have not seen any protests for all of the people who have lost their jobs at Claxton Hepburn (300) or United Helpers (150) and many other small business layoffs, are those peoples jobs not just as important .

Obviously not. So what makes city jobs more important. Absolutely nothing. It's just a cold hard fact that the city has no money. That's it, nothing more. I'm all for getting a pay raise within reason. These contracts are not within reason. Especially when it's put on the back of the 40 some percent tax payers. About 60 percent of the city property is exempt.

So if the city is going to return to being a vibrant growing city, then all this me first mentality needs to end. Learn to agree to disagree. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.

It is fine to have different opinions without being disrespectful and making it personal. So let's come together and bring Ogdensburg back to the city we all want.

Mark L. Demers

Ogdensburg