I am a resident of Onancock and a friend to Cape Charles.

While Ms. Bender has the correct idea,- wear multiple hats and trim fat. It seems to me there is room for further study.

The data used within the confines of any financial comparison need to be commensurable. We need to compare apples to apples.

Numbers can be a tricky game. At a glance it appears the loser of the fat category based on avg salary alone is Onancock at 65,000. while the leaner Cape Charles comes in at a laudable avg salary of $50,000. But this doesn’t tell the whole story does it. We need to break it out further- what pay with commensurate experience and certification.

Ms. Bender is on the right track, let’s just do a bit more homework before any one town is held up for emulation or any jobs are slashed.

I love my town of Onancock but it’s has had it’s share of pork and of suet. It’s most recently been lambasted for hiring the Attorney Deborah refers to in her article. Onancock’s “expert out of towner” (play on words – he took the job and refuses to live here in the town he manages) has been given a salary nearly double that of the previous town manger. He also receives benefits the previous manager did not. Defending this town manager has turned out to be an expensive proposition for our small town. Certainly more costly in legal fees than any realized savings in salary.

Further consideration should be given to the influx of part time residents and tourism which is significantly higher in Cape Charles and puts further burden on town administration and public works.

And finally ethics. We may desire to trim the fat – but first let’s find out exactly what that fat is. Some towns decided basic health care and a decent salary for most of their public works employees were fat. These hard working folks deserve better – both down and up the road.

Thanks for the soap box.

Any successful businessperson applauds Debbie for continuing the fight over the obvious waste and ignorance.
I gave up on those “sitting in their own dirty diaper” several years ago.

I’m back to work wearing 6 hats –7 days a week.

SUCCESS DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.

So, I will to be polite, pay my taxes and fees, keep up my property, be a good neighbor, support causes I believe in, and hope that in the future, the town government will be more open to and accepting of citizen hopes, expectations, and input. For in the end, I just don’t want to believe that anything deceitful or selfish or illegal is going on here.

Or, I could consider my father’s advice of many years ago. “Instead of complaining about them, on election day, just vote the scoundrels out!” Hummmmm. That is something to consider, even though it would require me to change my official residency.

My one suggestion to the Cape Charles “watchdogs” who comprise much of the Wave activity: Stop tying all of your observations and good suggestions back to the Old School incident and that basketball court. If you truly want to improve Cape Charles, make suggestions absent of your frustrations with that effort. They would carry a lot more weight with the readership in general, and perhaps with the town leaders.

Re: The basketball court. If there were a vacant lot next to my house, I would love to have a basketball court next to me!

Just sayin….