Fairfielder Weighs In on Pension Debate

Jim Brown is a resident of South Pine Creek Road in Fairfield. He submitted this letter to the editor in regard to ongoing debates over pension plans for town employees.

 

Few people, including many politicians around town, who have entered the debate on the town pension plans demonstrate any understanding what the plans entail today. Blame that on the very secretive approach to human resource matters by the Flatto administration, which, unlike our state government, doesn't post the bargaining unit agreements on line, and the press, which doesn't seem to have ever asked any questions beyond the political spin.

I think it is important for the public to understand that the Fairfield town cops, paid firefighters and school teachers do not participate in the Social Security retirement and disability system. Town hall employees, middle management and public works employees do participate in Social Security just as most ordinary Americans  in the private sector have participated in Social Security since its inception as an old-age benefits program in the mid-1930s and as expanded to include disability insurance in the mid-1950s. All federal workers, including members of Congress, were put into Social Security in the mid-1980s, and all workers on the state payroll were rolled into Social Security in the 1990s.

So if there is to be any talk of pension reform lets start by getting all new cops, paid firefighters and school teachers into the Social Security retirement and disability system as a base benefit. That’s going to require changes to town governance documents here in town for the cops and paid firefighters that nobody has yet to talk about. And for the teachers, that change needs to happen in the state capital (Hartford) because the teachers retirement system is a state plan.

On top of that, the town should offer a competitive retirement package to its employees, but first things first.  And when we do get around to talking on that competitive retirement package, let no one forget that Fairfield was the only public pension plan in the country to place a bet with Bad Bernie Madoff.

 

Jim Brown  982 S. Pine Creek Road

Want to voice your opinion? Start the conversation in the comments below, or send letters to the editor to gcanuel@mainstreetconnect.us.

 

CORRECTION: This story originally incorrectly identified the author as a member of the Board of Finance.

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