By Thornton CroweWe’ve all heard the horror stories about how many retired seniors not having enough income to cover basic living expenses, but there are retirees who live large on annual incomes that put most workers’ pay to shame! If you retire from Wicomico County service, you have the potential of raking in big bucks, watching Dr. Phil reruns on OWN all day!
And the best part is, it’s all on your dime! Yes, taxpayers working one, two or possibly three jobs to irk out a meager existence are footing for this rather hefty bill.
Reality is this: some retirees make in upwards of 80+% of their largest salary during their service (formula below). For example, well-known retiree, Matt Creamer, pulls in around $100K per annum, while his fellow retiree, Ed Baker, pockets around $50K per year. This income is in addition to their Social Security and any 401K or other investments payouts. Additionally, County retirees get 85% of their healthcare/prescription costs covered by taxpayers while 75% of their spouses’ medical is covered, too. (Guess it pays to marry a County employee, too.)
Stunning amounts considering most private sector and lower paid County retirees rely solely on meager Social Security payments and unstable 401K returns which, depending on who’s in the White House, can fluctuate like the Great Wonder at Six Flags!
To be or not to be Equal… the real question!
This percentage is formulated like this: 2% is a year multiplied number of years at an average of the worker's highest pay while employed. Meaning, the hefty 80+% is not for everybody retiring from the County – only a very select few. Hardly equal except for the health insurance payouts.
Who’s responsible for this…
We can hardly place all the blame the one Democrat member when the rest are registered Republicans. We also can’t point fingers at County Executive Bob Culver for this fiscal inequality because he’s seldom even consulted by the Council when they slash and trash the yearly budget. Example: Council, violating the County Charter, did away with the Correctional officers’ raises after their training period without consulting anyone during the last budget sessions? Hence, this all falls squarely on them.
Are you happy your tax dollars are going towards enriching a select few while you look at possibly struggling to make ends meet when you retire? Essentially, you’re paying for someone else to afford a spiffy new Mercedes while you drive a late-model hunk of junk…
107 comments:
This article cherry picks the exception to the norm. The fact is that the county pays nothing towards actual retiree income when they retire. Also, employees fund their retirement through payroll deduction, which is invested and payed out by an actuary. The majority of retired employees make nowhere near the numbers you are referencing. The county pay has always been low compared to private sector, and even similar public sector jobs statewide, the benefit to giving decades to serve the county and stay is because of the reward you may get down the road. If a typical county employee retires st 62, it is only a few years until he/she will be drawing Medicare. This lowers any county subsidy drastically. Maybe if the county was going to pay a competitive salary then they can offer mediocre retirement and still retain quality people.
You lost your credibility at payed instead of paid 813 and your numbers are cherry-picked. You didn't read the whole article or didn't comprehend it. The formula that calculates the percentage is there you just didn't bother to refer to it at all. This is how misinformation sprouts and grows. The formula has nothing to do with employee contribution. Private sector pays more than government jobs? In what universe? Please cite where you're getting this information from because I'd really like to know. In Salisbury, many private sector admin assistants are lucky if they make $10-12 an hour. $24,960 per year. Admi assistants with the county advertise at $32,000 per year. Which number is higher? hmmm.
8:13 maybe that was the way it was before county employees made more then the public sector workers. Not only are we on the hook for your retirement but also for state workers, and federal workers. yes even those who are under the old pension scheme. and if your pension fund is under funded then who pays? all these bs public sector pensions should be scrapped! you forgot to mention the health benefits too! total BS!
$25,000 and $32,000 are not enough to live off of in Salisbury with $1000 rent and other base costs of living. Pretty piss poor wages in either case.
Those administrative jobs also don't usually have pensions either. Where is 813 getting their info from? Canterbury Tales?
Glad that this has finally been exposed. It is absurd and financially unsustainable to fund health care of spouses as well as large retirement payments. As the tax base shrinks, how can the remaining tax payers support this? Services and infrastructure are already suffering - how many roads do you ride over that need repair? More and more funds are going to have to be diverted to support these excessive retirement packages. The whole retirement system needs to be revamped to reflect the reality of what is going on in this County. The good ole boys have put us in this hole. People like Culver need to try and save us from being completely destroyed.
that formula makes no sense much like the rest of anything government.
You can't even buy a used Ford Focus for $24K. What is local businesses thinking? You can hang up owning your own home unless you have a two-three income family to make the mark to qualify for a mortgage and that will get you a crackerbox house in the ghetto.
The manifestation of Two Sets of Laws.
Keep cheering.
Aren't Creamer and Baker working on the new personnel manual for Johnny? You really think they're going to reduce their retirement benefits? LOL You people are so blind you can't see the dirt for the forest for the trees. Talk about an inside job!
Remember the big retirement package under Pollitt - add 5 years to your service - all written by those who would benefit from it and then retired to get the extra five years? Corruption at its best. There was a time with Strasburg called in malfeasance, but he joined the gravy train and I guess it is all okay now. Hypocrisy!!!
8:32 - if they are working on it, it is to protect themselves. It is Cannon who needs to be looked at for being so blind and stupid as to hire them. Many of us can see the DIRT. Just hoped for better from a Republican Council and Executive.
I have a relative who worked for a major private sector company here in Salisbury since he was 18 years old. He retired at 65 and still has to work a part-time job because his 401K tanked during Obama years and his pension even though he worked his way to management wasn't enough to cover all the family expenses. His wife also worked her whole adult life too but didn't have things like pensions or 401Ks because her company never offered them to begin with. They aren't living off $100,000 a year plus healthcare bennies.
837 I have family members who also have to work part-time jobs well into the seventies. Sad that they don't have the luxury to retire in peace but have to deal with young whipper snapper bosses who think they know better bossing them around.
Why is Strausburg still there? I thought he was supposed to be gone by now.
The formula is simple, it is 2% for each year of service and is "paid" (excuse my typo) by an actuary, NOT by the county. The employee contribution has everything to do with the formula because the contribution every pay period is what is invested and then eventually pays the employee if or when they retire. The county salaries are low, always been and probably always will. The county has many jobs starting in the salary range of $10 to $12 dollars an hour. Very few even stay to retire which results in constant turnover. The point is that the benefits may in the long run make up for a lower salary.
Creamer continues to keep his nose in government. Does this add to his time served, John? Is that why you called him back to work on the personnel manual? Add some more years to his service because he wants to make 90% instead of whatever he's getting now?
842 where are these low paying jobs you're talking about? Working concessions at the Civic Center? Picking up garbage on the road? Okay. The job specified admin assistant. Can't you read? Sounds like you just want to scrap this morning with nothing to add to the conversation. The whole system is BS and you know it. Why hide it?
Prisoners pick up garbage and that be free labor.
8:23am. Piss poor? Get more experience and education. Until then its what the jobs pays. 24k is enough to live on if your spouse has a comparable job if you know anything about money managmemt.
Taxpayers pay for all this mess all the time. They wouldn't have base funding for any job if there was no taxpayer footing the bill. To argue over semantics is ridiculous because there are far too many government employees in some sections while other sections are grossly lacking. I have a problem any retiree taking home more than what the average working taxpayer makes in a year. Period.
848 when people get education they move out of Salisbury because there are no jobs for smart people here. They're all low paying jobs. You're a moron who should scroll down about three articles and read that TC's article from last week.
Look for the 2016 Maryland Association of Counties survey of salaries and benefits and compare similar job salaries of Wicomico County employees against their counterparts in all Maryland counties. The survey is available for view on the internet.
There are very few job prospects for the educated and experienced in Salisbury 8:48am. If you were staying up on current trends you would realize this truth.
County Attorney - Ed Baker's DEAL beats all that I have ever seen. First he is a sub-contract employed by the County for legal services. Then he gets on the County dole, retires, and now has lifetime benefits that are strapped onto the the backs of Wicomico's taxpayers.
Like I said - it beats all I have ever seen. And it happened right here in Wicomico County.
To 8:57 Poster - Wait a minute now - Matt Creamer is another one who shares the 'SPARTAN' lifestyle while the Wicomico County citizens barely have enough bread to live-on. Double dipping, and even now - triple dipping. The guy should have been booted out long long ago.
826: you think John Cannon will listen to Bob? Seriously? Cannon doesn't even side with him on the firefighters debate and you expect him to listen to Bob on retirement for his little buddies? He won't even let him alone long enough to do his job without sticking his big snout in everything Bob does.
Okay, I won't be holding my breath on that one.
Like Congress the Council holds the ultimate purse strings not the County Executive. Do you people know how our local government works? Bob has done a lot but John has fought him tooth and nail every step of the way.
Thornton, you are so wrong. When Eddie and Matt are working on the panel overseeing their own benefits, they ARE the SWAMP! Damn, such corruption is sickening.
Being a secretary to someone high up is lucrative. Look at Sharon Morris. She was a big wig and now is planning the personnel procedures for future employees thanks to Johnny. She doesn't even know crap about personnel issues but she's one of the retirees brought back to do John's bidding for him. What a sham.
8:57 - Baker bought in to retirement for pennies on the dollar, but the real issue, which has been kept secret, is just how much the County put in to make his retirement work. I've been told close to 7 figures. I don't recall being asked, as a tax payer, if I was in agreement with this. The REAL question is why they wanted Baker on the payroll so badly to begin with. Baker fled the County and now lives in Delaware, after he helped destroy the County for the rest of us. That whole bunch is disgusting and dishonest in a very shrewd way.
8:41 - Culver told everyone who would listen that he was getting rid of Strasburg, but instead, he has become vested and now we are stuck paying for him the rest of our lives. Just one of many reasons Culver has lost my vote.
932 if that's the reason you're not voting for the only person working for the county instead of against then you were never really with him to begin with. Now you've publicly told the rest of the county you'd rather have people in office who work against the taxpayers instead of for them. Good going, dweeb!
Sorry 9:32 have to disagree with you. This is the very reason to let John Cannon go not Bob Culver. Did it ever occur to you he was forced to keep Wayne because of John? How much of a fuss would John make over replacing the County Administrator when he's trying so hard to make that Administrator his go-to inside the Executive branch? John wants Wayne there because he's manipulatable. He's been in government so long, he'll do anything to stay there and John will exploit that to the hilt. This is no different than all the uproar about President Trump talking about getting rid of Sessions even though he knows the new AG is useless. Everyone has made such a big stink about it. You don't think that same big stink wouldn't happen here? Foolish!
932's knee-jerk reaction without further investigation shows why voters should really inform themselves about issues and personalities in play before making such a sweeping damnation about someone's actions. I agree with 939 because it makes sense! It's logical. We've all seen how Cannon has behaved since Culver took office and this brewha would be massive because of Strausburg's vulnerabilities. Maybe now that Strausburg is vested he can be removed from the position of his own accord. He should because that's a hot seat smack dab in the middle of a huge war.
By the way, 932, I'm not a big fan of Strausburg either but I am observant and see how he's easily a pawn in Cannon's game. I hoped Culver would let him go but understand why he might not be able to at this point.
Voters were gravely misinformed about the amendments they voted for last November. Allowing the council and Pollitt's picks to make up retirement policy was a bad move and one done on purpose. I don't trust any of the council at this point to look out for taxpayers. They're too interested in keeping their political clout than be concerned about anything else.
People should not become rich off the tax payers, Government jobs were never meant to be high paying lush jobs it's supposed to be a civil service.
Thank you revenue cap.
I don't agree with everything Bob Culver's done like the free education thing but one thing's for sure, I wouldn't want to have a uber-liberal like Day in his position. Thanks but I'll still vote for Culver. Cannon on the other hand has been a disappointment. He's done nothing for us and is too busy fighting this thing or that just because he doesn't appear to like Culver on a personal level. Silliness like this turns most people off.
When you think about it, Strawberry is not the only ward of the state. He should have been gone when it was shown he got his drink on while driving away in a county issue. Look at Creamer, sucking out the county trough. Sorry, don't know Cannon, just don't like his looks. He has the right to say the same about me.
813 the whole point was to show how some are getting special treatment. They are the top of the extreme and it's a high level. I haven't understood until now why Creamer keeps coming back time and again. It's obvious now.
I'd love to make $100,000 a year. WOW! Where do I sign up?
Now that this is out in the open, will it change? Let's hope so.
I never knew the retirement benefits or salary of some of our county employees no wonder they run for office over and over again, and have the high return to another county position. Ridiculous when I don't even get my full social security amount because left at age 61 due to physical health. If it wasn't for my husbands social security retirement through the state and pension. I worked 47 years and and get so little seems so unjust for working from age 14-61 if I had to depend on just myself.
Culver had the opportunity to clean house when he was first elected. Do you really think that Cannon could have prevented him from removing Strasburg at that point in time? Add the drinking while driving a county car and you have cause. I agree that Cannon is out to get Culver, but I don't feel Culver has shown the courage to take him on in a meaningful way. I would never support Cannon for any elected position, but I am disappointed in Culver. Several commenters act as if the next election is going to be between Culver and Cannon. I sincerely hope we have better choices than that!
Just arrived home from Church and opened SBYNEWS to check out the latest. I could have written many of these comments. So happy that many "secrets" are being revealed. I just wish that people who knew of all these sleazy deals came forward at the time instead of keeping quiet. Talk about a swamp that needs draining!
I'm so glad there are so many people in Wicomico that are perfect because I never knew so many perfect people ever existed.
I'm disappointed, too, 1131 but I don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I'll stick with Culver because so far, he's the only I see working. The rest of them are on the computer and texting during meetings concerning important problems instead of paying attention.
To all those commenting about Culver keeping Strasburg because of possible uproar caused by Cannon if he tired to remove him, I think you have got it wrong. I believe he kept him because he felt overwhelmed by the job and Strasburg provided some security for some crazy reason. To the person who said Strasburg has been in government a long time - wrong! Pollitt brought him in during his last term as I recall. Hadn't been there that long when Culver won. Strasburg wasn't vested and it takes 5 years. He became vested while working for Culver.
11:34 - really? You must have a huge bank account and don't care about how much tax you pay. Some of us feel ELECTED officials and county employees in executive positions should be held accountable for how they spend OUR tax dollars. Keep cheering!
amen
Is Joe ok? Haven'y seen any comments from him yet. Of course with his wife working for the county perhaps it is unethical for him to express his opinion.
As a retired county employee, I don't get these Hugh payouts that you speak of. At 65 I'm forced to go on Medicare can't keep the county insurance unless it's dental insurance. The big wigs nay get a payout, but the average employee does not. Barely making enough to pay rent and utilities.
Let's hope so. Been a huge disappointment so far.
Had hoped Culver would not have been so easily manipulated
"We also can’t point fingers at County Executive Bob Culver for this fiscal inequality"
WTF -- he was on the Council in the past, too!
So, now that Culver is in charge of the County has he asked for any change in this situation?
If not, why not?
Agree with 1140. Now that he's got some time, maybe Culver will now let Strausburg go and move forward with a better Administrator who can bring new ideas to the table instead of retreading old stuff year after year. 1218 you don't know he was manipulated. 1159, the government makes people your age go on Medicare, it is not up to the county. If you worked for the state or feds or any other company it would be the same. You can thank Obama for that one. Before Obamacare, people could keep their private insurance from their previous job and use Medicare as supplemental, now it's the other way around, if that. Now do you see why everyone wanted Obamacare to be repealed? It's a death curse.
Isn't Weston Young being groomed to replace Strausburg? Maybe the time has come. By all reports, Young has a lot on the ball.
1229 woulda, coulda, shoulda, water under the bridge = move on.
1233 can't do anything it's up to Matt, Ed and Sharon to rectify the situation because Pollitt and John have put them in charge of the new policies for employees which includes retirement. Yes, three retirees who make the most get to X-nay the policy making them rich. That'll happen. John did a great job continuing that insanity, but you voted for the council to do this so it's all on the voters now. Maybe if you'd read the damn charter before just voting yes, you wouldn't have the problems you have now. too bad, so sad.
title of post - SOME Retirees Get the Lush Life. Isn't it illegal to have different retirement plans for different people in county government? If it isn't, it should be!
Mr. Crowe asks: Why hasn’t the County Council addressed this issue?"
Here's a better question: Has Bob Culver asked them to?
@ 12:40 shouldn't it be illegal for politicians to have a different health care than what they forced on the people ?
1243 Matt Creamer and Ed Baker aren't politicians. They didn't hold elected office. They were in the Administration and the Legislative branches. Elected people are not even mentioned here so why are you asking?
1242 how do you know he hasn't already? Do you have some inside info you wish to share or are you just trying to bash Culver in a passive aggressive way because you know he's not able to change this policy and only the council can? Hate it when people act like they know everything and come on these comments with their sarcasm and BS.
12:43 = if you are talking about Congress having great health care compared to the rest of us. YES - that should be illegal too! Special treatment and rules for elected officials or government employees need to end. They are no better than those of us who pay taxes that support this absurdity!
If the problem keeps coming back to the Council, then Joe should mount a campaign urging all taxpayers to overwhelm the Council's email and voicemail with complaints. If they felt their re-election was in jeopardy, maybe they would stop being so stupid. The problem is - who wants to run for office in this environment. Remember when Joe Ollinger was running for just one term to clean things up. He had the right idea! Need someone with that kind of courage now.
Like football, it's all too easy to sit around and bash on people for what you think they should do without knowing the rules or what they deal with daily. You people really need to inform yourselves and try to understand your elected representatives' situations. Try to talking to them instead of bashing without having a clue about what's going on. It's the reason why your politics are so screwed up around here. It's why you have a mayor who doesn't know whether to wind his butt or scratch his watch and in-fighting in the county which has caused enertia. Why don't you people educate yourselves and maybe things will change. You had Cannon before, ditched him, then brought him back = smart. Same with Larry Dodd = smart again. Now you sit around bitching about stuff without knowing what's going or even bothering to figure it out. Email Culver and ask him to make a public statement about this. You never know, he might just come forward and confirm it all or deny it all but at least then you will ahve an answer.
What is going on in some county departments is they are totally so called supervisor heavy with no one to do any work.It is the trickle down process at its best.Some departments need to be completely reevaluated and overhauled.Tons of big chiefs telling middle chief then he tells the indian what to do. In the mean time middle chief cruzes around the county just looking at young girls and grinding down the taxpayers dime checking up on indian from time to time.Certain employees singled out and given forward pay increases to step up and get certain licenses and never did just kept the pay increase along with another 5 k last year.This has killed morale forever in some county departments and the list goes on.Not much can be done about it because really no one cares.
Sorry this rant was a little off track.I would love to see some of the retired people come back to work they were the best cream of the crop the county ever had. The working ones in the trenches that is.Not to up to date on the retired county white collar crowd.
Don't forget about Limelight Lewis. He's will be a double dipping retiree collecting from the state and the county.
Look at the top three at WCDC they all have state retirements and will now get a good county retirement. Not a bad gig.
I've heard Culver has reached out to Cannon and council members to meet with him but they have never responded. It looks bad on them not the CE. He's done what he can do to work with them but they're too busy thinking about elections to be bothered with taking care of county business.
Speaking of Ed Baker - County Attorney. As a taxpayer I would first off like to know just how many attorney's does Wicomico presently employ. Let's look at the record -
1. Ed Baker suggest that Wicomico retain a special attorney to handle the collective bargaining for Sheriff's department. So what does Wicomico County do - hires yet another law firm to handle collective bargaining.
2. I saw where Bob Taylor is now considered our County Attorney - but I still see Ed Baker hanging around town in addition to Paul Wilber.
3. I spoke with another County Councilman the other day and he informed me that the zoning department has authority to retain yet another law firm to help handle their case work.
Would someone out there please let me know just how much in money Wicomico County is expending in legal services. Surely - what I have said above is the gospel truth and I would simply like to know how many attorney's Wicomico has on the payroll. (ie Ed Baker, Paul Wilbur, Bob Taylor, Collective Bargaining firm, among others).
We give them these perks because they are much smarter than us . They deserve $100,000 a year for their work , they teach us how to do things the right way .
Sure it's that 201 or are they just good at conning people into thinking they're smart when they're really now?
1:50 if true then it seems we need to start voting out councilmen who aren't cooperating with Bob. We need both to work together to make Wicomico prosperous. One can't move us forward without the other. Seems if they can't play nice and can't grasp disagreements don't have to get personal, then they aren't mature enough to be there in the first place. Kudos to Bob for trying, it makes him the bigger man in the ordeal.
2:01 I trust you are being sarcastic!
Culver has been ill-served by his Executive staff as his message doesn't get out. Strausburg claimed he believes in transparency. We don't seem to get much of that from Culver. It seems he spends more time digging out of a hole instead of being transparent upfront. If the Council isn't cooperating with him, why don't we know that from him? Why isn't he speaking up? Why isn't he speaking up about the crime in the City, which is part of the County he runs? We are starting to see an increased number of photos on Facebook of Culver and other pols attending events. You can tell an election is coming. They all need more than photo ops to get re-elected.
Culver needs to start telling us about the issues of trying to work with council who want work with him. if he did maybe we could apply pressure to help move it along. Stop being so quiet and speak up.
I see now we are going to hire the county auditor a assistant at the tone of 50 k a year.I remember seeing on here a couple months ago were a assistant to a deputy director of one department at 75 k a year was tossed from the budget.All these hi end paid department heads needs someone to shuffle their paperwork and read and delegate there emails.It is the most crazy thing ever.Kudos to councilmen Holloway for questioning the civic center about if the alcohol monies made were enough to sustain hiring a beverage manager and of course the answer was sidetracked into another question.The question I have why is so many people leaving the civic center? Seems to be a in and out door as Mr Crowe says in the article.Is it bad management that does not care? Or could it be just be employees are fed up with low wages,crazy work shift and not a straight answer from to many bosses.
1:54, I hope you are on to something with Bob Taylor. I remember when he use to attend city meetings and was like a watchdog citizen. I don't know him, only from watching the meetings on PAC14. I saw him one day while getting fuel for our vehicles. I wanted to walk over and thank him for his effort, but he had gone before I could get to him. I'm sure Mr.Taylor would be a good choice.
As for as Paul Wilbur, can't say much for that dude when I witnessed him lie under oath in court on a land matter. He is one of the good ole boy's.
I'm glad to see TC didn't make this all Ernie's fault. He's odd man out in the council.
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate civil discourse, and you both have valid points.
The answer, of course, is a compromise between both of your points of view, alas, near impossible in today's polarized body politic.
They do get paid a small amount.
Weren't we supposed to eliminate some of these positions when we switched to the County Executive form?
Just a little tidbit. Not all county employees get retirement from the county. When one dept. finally agreed on retirement package in the 90's, in order to get your years you had to pay in an huge amount, which a lot could not do because unlike Baker the county did not offer the same deal to low end employees , so no retirement. But the ones that are getting it are paying in a percentage of their paychecks bi-weekly (mandatory), somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.25% of their gross pay to have it when they leave. Think about what they put in, in 25-30 years service. Then if you have no retirement you can not have health care either because it is deducted from your retirement, so there are some who get nothing when they leave regardless of the years there. The good ole boys take care of themselves though.
I still don't understand Creamer's areas of responsibility .
I never really understood any of his comment at the meetings. What did he do that was productive? I certainly don't dislike this guy , but I had know idea he was making this kind of money. I jealous , I'm joining the good ole boys team. I've heard him sing and play at the Roost , nothing impressive.
Good for them...this is America! I did the same in the poultry industry...two retirements plus SS....retired life is great on Delmarva!
Nobody has been able to top ol norm conway when it comes to triple dipping.
I'll second that. Why is th he County's supposed pursuit of prosperity such a secret. Unless of ride, it as nothing to do with COUNTY and everything to do with keeping ones office in the next election
Inquiring minds want to know ....clearing the decks, creating more transparency, recruiting business, driving up property values, dispensing with the childish bickering from our fire and police, confronting MYor Day about the blight and crime that most definitely detract from the County and on and on and on
Not free tuition and more lawyers while rolling with the same ZERO performance entrenched self serving beaurucrats
Well Mr Culver when are we moving on the big boy stuff?
To 7:34 Poultry farmer - better go check your lungs. Many of my friends raised chickens and I have yet to find any of them who could ever explain as to how they were being compensated. Between the fuel adjustment charges, poultry feed conversion expenses, mortality rates (all controlled by the Poultry Co.) neither one could ever figure out as to how much they were going to be paid. Not to mention the chicken house upgrades.
I call the scam price fixing.
Obviously chicken man here is not understanding the taxes he's paid is what's funding the retirements we're talking about. It's not that these people worked private sector jobs and got their retirement the hard way. They lived off the government teat which involves taxpayers funding their existence. Get a clue, chickenman.
This corruption started back on January 1, 1988. Think about who was running the county government, the jail and county/city police department during that period. These people got their lavish life style off the cheap and hard slave underpaid labor of their employees. The folks who worked underneath a welch, matt, the police officer who died in an airplane crash and a doctor where the most corruptible individuals in charge of the county government. They were so corrupted, working for this system 25 to 30 years got you nothing. That's why so many of us at 62 years are still working even with a small social security check. We just could not wait until for our full social security benefits. We still have to work. Those greedy azz county administrative from the 70's and 80's did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to protect the county employees and their families in the past and present. These people are greedy. Do not trust the Administration of from any department.
All will be better with hockey and alcohol
Their jobs were just as important as anybody else...they happened to have state, county or city jobs. Sadly I do understand taxes. I paid enough taxes to support two more families over 40 years. But I also invested and didn't touch it....were there tight times hell yell....but we survived and the wife stayed at home raising the kids. So I have a clue, it takes sweat and hard work but it can be done.
I'm sorry for your friends, this was not my experience. Upkeep of houses, prompt removal of dead, monitoring feed usage and shipments received and water consumption, walking the birds in stressful heat all need to be closely monitored...we did well without any outside labor.
1057 (chickenman) then you of all should be offended that gov workers without investing and saving have lived off your dime and continue to because they were lucky enough to land a sweet deal without having to really work for it.
Maybe they should have had better jibs with retirement benefits, or invested/saved better. Can't put blame in somebody else.
That's what is needed. Another beaurucrat
Joe, i really don't think you should single out employees and name them. Its not their fault that they received these generous pensions. Blame it on the poor decisions of uninformed burócratas who think it is wise to put taxpayers on the hook to pay pensions, many times longer than the employee worked for the county.
The longevity of pensioners MUST be taken into consideration if we are going to use real actuarial numbers to calculate how many tax dollars will be needed to fund public pensions.
Please report on Somerset's County Government schemes because the highest paid department heads live in Wicomico County and the County Administrator is the cousin of a County Commissioner and the attorney is the County Council members brother. Another County Council member's son is married to their niece who also works for the county.
Federal/State/local governments years ago set up nice retirement pensions for all. Unfortunately these nice pensions are not sustainable in the current environment. Not enough money is coming in with the current crop of new employees (who make less) to compensate those exiting (baby boomers, et al) who have 30+ years of service and are making very nice salaries based on longevity. Cannot blame folks who have put in 30+ years and make $100,000 or more.
Old adage is if you can beat'em join'em! Or move to where the FOOD is and that's west across the bay bridge, who house Fed gov't employees and the wealth counties like Montgomery, Prince Georges in MD or Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Alexandria, Arlington in VA. Or move to a bigger city where the wealth is - do you 30+ years THEN move back to the shore.
Sorry folks, things around here on the shore will not get any better for the next 10-15 years - IF that. Our local government council's are run by inexperienced youngins or out of touch geezers who don't want 21st century to take over. Joe knows this, TC writes about it every month - we (the shore) have become the "jam in someone's jelly roll" and until someone steps up to the plate (not Mathias in Annapolis either), we will continue to hemorrhage not only on via gov't service, but with private industry as well.
Remember $15.00 an hour min wage will hurt way more than it will help!
if culver was a true conservative he could go over to wrecks and parks and save the taxpayers about $200,000 a year easily
OC will be crippled on day with the high incomes of so many city workers.
Is Ollinger running again?
Good new 744, our OC city workers (and some LEOs) who are on the high end of years of service - will be retiring very very shortly. The downside to that (yes there is a downside) is the historical/institutional knowledge loss that takes place - regardless of the employee, there is a loss of knowledge.
Hopes are for those you continue to linger, download some of those knowledges, skills, abilities into the younger generation. Something/anything can be useful long term.
Must continue to think long term and big picture for all.
Amen. But little chance of this happening. Anyone under 40 thinks they know and have seen it all
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