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Committees Hear Pleas to Reinstate Health Commissioner Position
By Margaret Sternberg
More than seventy people attended the October 17, 2007 special joint meeting of the Legislature's Health and Personnel Committees and heard eight people, more than half of whom are county employees, plead for the Legislature to reconsider its decision to eliminate the Health Commissioner position, held by Dr. Sherlita Amler, in an effort to lower the 2008 county property tax increase from 40 to 23.34 percent.
The county would save about $118,000 through the elimination of the position.
The Health Department's Fiscal Manager, William Orr, appeared to make the biggest impact on legislators when he presented documents showing that $1,212,854 in additional funding, nearly tripling initial grant awards, was directly attributable to Dr. Amler during her tenure.
Also arguing for retaining the position was Associate Health Commissioner Loretta Molinari, who said that since Dr. Amler's arrival, the county has been able to open another WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) site and to enhance the county's immunization program. Molinari said the county is growing and that public health challenges are changing, warranting "having a commissioner level position."
A letter of support from the Putnam County Health Board was delivered to the Legislators by Arthur McCormick. McCormick added that he was there to "strongly" request that the elimination of the Health Commissioner position be reconsidered "in general, and Dr. Amler specifically." McCormick discussed the need for someone who can deal with emergent diseases, such as West Nile, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome,) drug-resistant TB, and variants of HIV. "Someone with Dr. Amler's credentials, expertise and connections…it's priceless that we have [her] here," he stressed.
Pat Tyndall, Jr. of Tyndall Septic Systems said that he had come on behalf of "all the septic installers in the county" in order to express their support of Dr. Amler, who, he said, has adopted an open door policy toward the septic installers, and that has resulted in "great strides to improve water quality." Tyndall said that through Dr. Amler communications had been facilitated between contractors and the Health Department and among the contractors themselves. In addition, measures had been taken to educate homeowners on septic regulations and to crack down on unlicensed installers.
Rick Carano, a public health protection supervisor, noted that the cost to keep Dr. Amler is approximately $1 per person per year in the county. He attributed to her changing the protocol of the Heath Department so that the county was now investigating the source of childhood lead poisoning sooner than NYS standards.
Dr. Amler did not attend the meeting but attended a subsequent meeting that evening that discussed revamping the county's recycling program.
Deputy County Executive John Tully, speaking on behalf of County Executive Robert Bondi who is recuperating from surgery, has said the County Executive will veto the elimination of the Health Commissioner position.
In order for the veto to be overridden and the position to remain eliminated from the budget, it would take six of the nine legislators to vote to override Mr. Bondi's veto. In originally voting to eliminate the position Chairman Dan Birmingham and Legislators Regina Morini and Sam Oliverio voted against, and Legislators Vinny Tamagna, Tony Hay, Terry Intrary, Mary Conklin, Mary Ellen O'Dell and Robert McGuigan voted for.
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