Sheriff, county are fiscally responsible

In response to Mr. Skinner's letter of Feb. 21, in which he "shames" the county board for not giving the Lake County sheriff deputies a raise, I want to applaud the county board and sheriff for their fiscal responsibility. There is a reason that Lake County has one of the best bond ratings in the nation and that is because the county board does not play fast and loose with taxpayer dollars.

The men and women of the Lake County sheriff's office certainly do deserve a raise. They are some of the most talented and dedicated public servants in Illinois. But I am sure there are processes and negotiations that have to be worked through. It appears by all accounts that the new sheriff is handling things well and I trust that he is quite capable of working through negotiations that will be best for both the deputies and the taxpayers of this county. In addition the county board has a long history of being fair and productive with the wages of Lake County employees and I know that will continue in the future.

It seems that Mr. Skinner is viewing this more through the shades of politics than through the clear perception of administrative reality and fiscal responsibility. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and call for wage increases, and no-one deserves them more than the men and women of the sheriff's office, but give the administrators a chance to do the right thing. In Lake County, they have a good track record of doing so.

Chester Macrowski

Waukegan