Letter to the Editor
February 14, 2018
The Chenango County Board of Supervisors were faced with approving two positions of
the Behavioral Health Services with no cost to the county:
Community Health Nurse and Clinical Social Worker
The process begins in the Health and Human Services Committee of the County Board,
if passed goes to the Personnel Committee and finally to the Finance Committee before
going to the full Board of Supervisors. It passed the Health and Human Services unanimously; the Personnel passed it lacking one vote. In Finance the vote was three to three, not allowing it to go forward.
The effect of the vote went out into the community, voicing the lack of concern for the immediate need of the two positions and the general well being of the community.
Where were the concerned supervisors to go from there…back to Committees or was
there another way? Tom Grace, Supervisor of Columbus, found another approach – bringing a resolution before the full Board to discuss, to vote upon and determine its fate.
I was so relieved and proud that there were strong voices in favor of the two positions.
But I was disappointed in my own supervisor, Lawrence Wilcox and also Robert Wansor
choosing the committee process to repeat, rather than meet the immediate human need
in our community Michael Khoury and Dennis Brown were additional nay votes. Wayne Outwater had previously voted it down in two of the committees. The positions were finally passed by weighted vote with great relief.
Anger and sadness rose up in me during this whole process, watching it proceed from committee to committee and finally to the full Board, on Monday. I am grateful for the leadership that I saw evolving in our Supervisors; we have many talented persons in these positions and I look forward to other concerns being brought forward, studied and acted upon.
Sincerely,
Canice Paliotta