To the Editor:

The total amount of self-imposed raises proposed by Massena Mayor Hidy is $13,000 tax money. I thought tax money was to be used for improvements and to help citizens in communities and villages.

There are citizens in Massena who skimp and save to pay their taxes or face losing their houses. There are citizens in Massena who don’t have money to pay for medicine and health related costs.

There are citizens in Massena who go hungry every day and the list goes on.

Some of this money could go to Meals on Wheels, programs could be set up at drugstores and/or supermarkets to help these citizens. If the preference is not one of these, then take a look at downtown.

There have been no improvements in the last several years except to go down. Take a look at the roads – especially in back of the shopping center. There are so many potholes and cracks in the roads that need to be fixed along with many structures.

If the preference is not one of these , then take a look at the police department, the fire department, the village workers all of whom are on the job 24 hrs. a day working to protect the citizens of Massena. All these employees are hard working and deserve a pay raise.

Above are some of the many needs Massena citizens need. What they don’t need is a mayor who self-imposes a $5,000 pay raise for himself and a $2,000 pay raise each for four trustees.

What did you and your trustees do to deserve these raises? I think less than the other mayors in St. Lawrence County – they have nice decent towns where future Alcoa employees might decide to settle down in.

And for your comment of "I think the taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck." The best bang the taxpayers will get for their buck is to vote you out of office.

Rita Rinke, Massena