Forced to get done

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the front page article that was in last week's paper.

First of all, I did not resign as the Mexico recreation director. I was forced to get done because of the selectmen's decision to cut my benefits and cut me down to 20 hours a week. I couldn't afford insurance and provide for my family with 20 hours.

They said it was a budget saving move but it seems funny that I was the only employee that was cut. I was the lowest paid employee and I was the only one that raised money to off set my budget.

I never took a paid vacation the whole time I was fulltime till this year. I also never spent all the money that taxpayers allocated me and at the end of the year that money would go back to the town's general fund.

I got paid for 32 hours a week and never got any overtime and many times I would work 40 to 45 hours a week but never got compensated for them. Peter Merrill, Byron Ouellette and Barbara Laramee decided for the town that we need this cut.

Peter Merrill has made a comment that I wasn't doing my job, but I never had any complaints or ever had to talk with the town manager about my job performance. I now feel that this cut in my job was personal not job related.

I know that I won't be there for my kids anymore but please don't stop going to the recreation center. We need you now more than ever because if it starts to fail, they will try to close the rec department and the rec building, which is Mr. Ouellette's motive. He has stressed this at many budget meetings. He wants to stop funding for all non-essential departments, but recreation for kids and adults is really needed now.

I hope this sheds some light on why I got done and that I didn't resign. Thank you, Town of Mexico for allowing me to be your rec director for the years that I was there. Thank you John Madigan for being there for me, and thank you all the other departments for all the help over the years.

I will miss working with you guys. Thank you very much.

Greg Arsenault,

Mexico