Working fo the City

I had some one read the comments for the letters to the editor about the board of fiances anti 3% thing.
If I told you that I am surprised at the animosity I heard in the remarks, would you be surprised?
I have worked for the City of Stamford for almost 30 years, I have worked in large and small corporations and independent labs as well. I did well in the big oil company, but it was not my thing. I did not do well with the secrecy and disregard for consumers health in the small corporation. i was down right disgusted with the lies and falsifications in the independent lab.
I came to work for the city because i thought I might make a difference. I was right. In the 30 years that i have worked I think I have managed to help over half the population in one way or another, through tick testing or lead screening or rabies testing or water analysis or forensic testing or screening for bio terrorist agents or just giving oput freely the mass of information i have accumulated over these 30 years on any number of topics.. Some times I can not help, most of the times I can.
I didn't take the job for the money, but at the time the money was okay even compared to offers I had from other corporations in the area.
I did not take the job for the benefits, but as everyone reading this blog knows, I needed and am using those benefits during a very difficult time.
I work as a chemist, but my title is a lab technician. The work I do would get me at least 20 K more a year in the private sector, but i would not be happy and it would not help people the way i do now.
Could I do with out a 3% increase this July, yes, but i also make on the high end of the scale for the union that I am in. I do have a problem with the issue that it seems to be a pissing contest between the Board of Representatives and the Board of Finance and I do have a problem with the way people talk about people who work for the city as if they are less than nothing.
Most of us live here to.