County Worker Worth Debated

Re “Debunking the Myth of Overpaid County Workers,” June 2:

The editorial implies that the private sector versus public sector pay should be on equal footing. This is debatable since the latter is dependent on the former. Furthermore, managing a public agency is much different than a profit-driven private enterprise. Then there are public employee unions and civil service. Do you think anyone would have been laid off if there hadn’t been the largest municipal bankruptcy in history?

Even if you accept the premise of comparable pay for comparable work, the editorial’s factual comparisons are not only misleading but incorrect. Calling Jan Mittermeier a chief executive officer is like calling a captain of a boat that never goes to sea a ship’s captain. She does not have the authority. The supervisors are still the CEOs of this county. Some things never change. The most egregious statement is the pay comparison of the janitors without benefits. If you add the county’s benefit package to their janitors’ salaries of $25,000, the real number is closer to $35,000, almost double what the private janitor makes.

JEFF INGLISH

Irvine

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* I disagree with your position that county employees (management in particular) deserve wages comparable to their counterparts in the private sector.

The Orange County bankruptcy has demonstrated to me that county management is inept, financially illiterate, and lacks the skills and education necessary to manage the business of government.

I also find it irresponsible to make the distinction that some employees are more deserving than others. As purchasers of services, taxpayers should only be concerned with the final product of their local government.

Like the private sector, county employees should share in the rewards of their enterprise in good times and make sacrifices in bad times.

DEAN J. TURNER

Irvine

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* The obvious, logical conclusion to be drawn from your May 18 article “O.C. Workers’ Pay Within ‘Market Rate’ ” is to immediately fire the air-conditioning mechanics and custodial workers and to subcontract this work to the private sector. Do you think it would happen? It is a cost savings that poor old bankrupt Orange County could use. Don’t bet on it.

JON R. APPEL

Yorba Linda