Dear Mayor Berry: 
  
I have heard and read with great displeasure that you proceeded with cutting the pay of our first responders. As a citizen, I truly believe this is an egregious error in judgment on your part. These people are the ones we depend on to not only protect and serve on a daily basis; but in the case of catastrophic events such as 9-11 we would expect them to be on the front lines. To cut their pay is inconceivable. You look at salaries or positions (as I would hope you have) that are waste, people on paid administrative leave while under investigation for alleged wrong doing; people taking advantage of the City's more than generous paid injury policy (see Albq. Journal, City's Tab for Injured Workers, June 27, 2010, City Injury Pay Policy is in Need of Repair, July 4, 2010 OpEd, and Sick Leave Abuse Just the Tip of the Iceberg, July 5, 2010). 
 
From what I have read; both unions made the City a more than reasonable offer to assist with the budget issues and you refused, why?  As I understand it, it was well over 12 million total from the two unions. It seems to me this was just chest thumping just to show the unions you are in charge? The offer made by both unions should be reconsidered, this affects their long term retirement and isn't the right thing to do.  I understand a need for reducing recurring costs but the salaries of first responders is not the way to do that. 
 
The voters were told when the contracts were signed by the previous administration that the money for law enforcement, at least, was already appropriated and in the budget for the next three years. As someone who deals daily with budget appropriations;  I know that once funding has been appropriated you can't just take it and use it elsewhere when you need it. What happened to the funding? Where was it used?  If dollars were appropriated for law enforcement, specifically raises, that money MUST be used for that specific purpose. If the contracts were signed, they should be honored, no one deserves it more than our law enforcement officers, EMTs and firefighters; this isn't where you cut salaries. I have to ask how much of this is because of animosity for the  previous administration? 
  
The attitude that our experienced officers, firefighters and EMTs can be easily replaced is ludicrous. There is NO accounting for experience. You have succeeded in lowering morale of our first responders and it will be the citizens of Albuquerque who pay the price. If I were one of the approximately 60-100 officers or 85 firefighters or EMTs who could retire, I would do so in a heartbeat; and where will we be without the experience? These men and women,  put their lives on the line and personal lives on hold, in a lot of cases, because of a sense of responsibility to the citizens and they should be rewarded at every opportunity not made to feel like they are just another pawn in a chess game. They should be praised at every turn, not have someone from the Mayor's office make statements that can be construed, by the public and media, to mean experience isn't valued, they aren't valued and oh well they can be replaced. Not true - you can't replace experience that quickly.  I have to wonder what comes next, is there any way this administration could possibly demoralize our first responders any further? I sincerely hope not. 
  
I truly hope you find some way to rectify this blatant error if it isn't already too late. While I have been able to support some of your recent decisions; I don't feel I can support an administration who doesn't seem to value or support our first responders. 
  
Sincerely, 
B. L. Sipes
 

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1 Civic Plaza

PO Box 1293

Thank you.