To the Editor:

In a front page article of the Watertown Daily Times on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, dealing with cuts to the county workforce, it quotes a particular Legislator that said, “Counseling for mental health and substance abuse is one area the county could consider privatizing”.

I read it a few times to make sure there wasn’t a misprint. There has been several times this legislative year when that same comment was directed to the County Administrator and the Director of Community Services.

Every time that question was asked the same answer came back, “There are no providers in our county at this present time that can fill the gap if St. Lawrence County government did not offer these services”.

This seems pretty plain to me, because in the end if you are really concerned about the amount of drug and alcohol abuse that is going on in our county the last thing any elected person should be pushing for is a reduction in the type of services that have shown to be helpful to those facing substance abuse.

It wasn’t too long ago when the State of New York came to our county and told us that they should shut down the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center because we could just as easily travel to Syracuse or Utica to receive any in-house service for mental health concerns.

This attempt to privatize mental health services is the same proposal that the State of New York tried to push on us last year!

There is no difference in the State of New York limiting the availability of mental health services and the shortsighted attempt by this particular legislator and his fellow followers!

It is irresponsible on their part to even suggest that the same level of mental health or substance abuse treatment would be available if St. Lawrence County government was not providing those services!

I hope the voters understand what a contradiction the idea to privatize these services is to the reality of the issues these diseases cause in our county and what the connection is to the criminal justice system!

By eliminating government services we create an atmosphere that fosters more crime and domestic abuse! Instead, let’s work with our Department Heads and rank and file workers to be as efficient and productive as possible.

That’s a common sense approach.

Vernon “Sam” Burns

St. Lawrence County Legislator District 1