The Publisher’s Historical Series has been a delightful look at life in the early days of Deerfield Beach. As a frequent visitor, who is refreshed by your citizen’s unpretentious hospitality, the candid and informative recollections of one whose family has inhabited Deerfield Beach for nearly a century are particularly illuminating.
Wes Hiller
Delray Beach
Depression is a good teacher
Dear Editor:
I used to think when you had depression, you took a pill or two and it would go away. But the Depression [Recession] we have today affects our pockets and, for awhile, it’s here to stay.
Believe it or not, it’s a good teacher in its own way. It’s like going to school again, the things you have to learn. Like seeing how far a buck can go or finding a place where it can earn … going to the store and looking for the bargain of the day or finding a two-for-one or whatever else they are giving away … finding fun without spending a dime. Just being with family and friends and having a good time.
So enjoy your life the best you can and will. You can do it without having to take a pill.
Carmen Friedman
Deerfield Beach
Budget woes
Dear Editor:
Anyone who reads the papers these days knows that the cities that are struggling the most to balance budgets are those that have employees’ defined pension plans. In Deerfield, the Fire Department has theirs and the non-uniform have only 47 members left since the plan was closed to new non-uniform hired since 1993. This commission now has the opportunity to reduce the members left in that non-uniform plan by allowing participants with 30 or more or even 25 years to retire without penalty, regardless of age. The savings in salaries would more than offset the cost to the city as the Broward School Board figured.
The Broward School Board paid employees that were earning big salaries a $10,000 incentive to retire. Deerfield could also use other city employees to fill in the gaps; thereby, negating any reason for employee layoffs as other cities are threatening.
If they had to hire replacements, they could do it for a lot less than the salaries the retirees were making. THE commission needs to take a look at what was being recently proposed.
