Letter: Agrees with opinion on VNA issue

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To the editor,

I agree with Sharon Hebb, retired from the Naugatuck Visiting Nurses Association, (March 21 letter, “Confused at direction of borough.”) and add Mayor Robert Mezzo, his administration and the burgesses have been, what I call, contributing to the “assisted suicide of services for the residents of Naugatuck.”

The mayor, his administration and a go-along burgess team, have just continued the caveman era ways by reducing patient care of the NVNA from 100 patients per month to about 60.

No wonder why my wife, who just underwent a major operation at the University of Connecticut Health Center, inherited the Milford VNA (a very good organization, to its credit) rather than have the NVNA, for which we would have liked to see happen but was referred by UConn. Why now? I know why. It’s a disaster and going to get worse in the near future. Also layoffs of staff are occurring, hospitals and healthcare institutions are not referring patients to the NVNA.

There is no concern, compassion, wisdom or knowledge with this administration and the newly elected go-along burgesses. Back in January 2012, this administration showed no concern or compassion for residents of the Oak Terrace public housing complex. Specifically an elderly resident, who had mold and mildew, proven with factual data, in her apartment for years. Also another woman lived in the same building with the same problem and both sent letters to the mayor and his housing commissioners for which he appoints. One was helped by me and Sharon Hebb, having factual evidence in getting her relocated to a Derby housing complex. The local NVNA serves this housing authority complex in its entirety.

All the mayor said to me at the time when I emailed him on these quality of life issues is that he did not run the housing authority complex and he had no say. Also he and his commissioners never sent a letter of response to these both very respectful elderly women. He is the CEO of this town — look what the Prospect mayor gets himself involved in — especially on safety and health issues of elderly women. He displayed no concern or compassion for these women and such lacks wisdom and knowledge. 

I am a Bridgeport Housing Authority construction management retiree, and know what influence and authority a mayor has on a community-based housing authority complex.

The privatization of the NVNA by this mayor, his administration and the newly-elected burgesses, in my opinion, is “assisting in suicide of the NVNA services.”

Also another assisted suicide of the trash hauling by this mayor, his administration and the newly-elected, go-along burgesses will and has created the following: Market will drive any and all costs higher — look at Southbury and other city trash costs — tipping fees to go higher; The CRRA transfer station per in Naugatuck proposal has serious operational issues; Local DPW union mechanics never had training for the new trash trucks for which is why they breakdown continuously; The new one-arm trash trucks now serve 800 to 1,000 stops per day for which their only geared for 600 stops per day; Change order costs will be done assertively by private contractors and will cost the town dearly; DPW director’s cost estimate on municipal costs versus private sector costs does not have the same foundation to compare apples to apples; Local DPW union did not challenge for its members and for the citizens of Naugatuck, who pay their wages/benefits, to keep trash hauling in house. Just accepted it, that’s it.

The mayor, his administration, union and the go-along burgesses are selling out our entire trash hauling department at all costs in its entirety in order to get their way of privatization. Nobody from the city inquired about other cities that had privatization then reversed it back to in house.

To layoff employees of the NVNA and keep the trash hauling department workers is wrong.

Elected public officials who have their email addresses listed on the Naugatuck website should remove their email addresses from the website, because they do not answer residents emails sent to them, and then they should resign.

Seven out of nine burgesses responded to my first email and two out of nine burgesses responded to my second email. The mayor never responded to my second email. From most of the emails sent by the burgesses to me, in my opinion, they lack the wisdom, knowledge and compassion to make a realistic decision.

Emidio Cerasale

Naugatuck

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