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Newark Democratic Candidates Pledge To Rescind Health Insurance for Part Time Elected Officials

Contact:  John Sauter   614-221-6563 x. 115 (office)  

Contact: Cary Rader (740)973-8399 caryrader@yahoo.com

Irene Kennedy IreneKennedy2005@yahoo.com

Based upon the recently passed 2005 Newark City budget, $212,352.00 is projected to be spent over the next four years for health insurance for four City Council members and the current City Treasurer. $212,352.00 is a lot of money to spend on five, part-time, elected officials serving in the City of Newark.

At a time when many full-time working citizens of Newark are challenged to afford health insurance and Newark faces its own severe fiscal problems and bugetary shortfalls, providing this benefit for part-time elected officials seems questionable, at best.

The Democratic Candidates for Newark City offices unanimously pledge that we will vote to rescind the health insurance option for part-time, elected officials of the City of Newark. We believe there is more effective ways to spend $212,352.00 that benefit all the citizens of Newark, not just five part-time, elected officials.

We present this giant check to the Citizens of Newark as a symbol of our commitment to a better future for our community and to effective government through fiscal responsibility.

For example, the $212,352.00 saved could be used to patch approximately 20,000 potholes. It could also be used to resume televising City Council meetings, encouraging citizen participation in our democracy and in our community. The $212,352.00 could be used to hire additional police officers to address the growing drug problems in our city.