HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10 CC U STY .4 Newsletter for
Employees and Retirees of
Tompkins County
CCU Ul IDCUS October, 2002
Volume 15 Number 10
P wor F y Qet'Spoo1ce44!
Lockwood., 1lAuccy
With four divisions now at the facility 9
A decorating team tested their abilities 1' I
The "girls", with assistance from Are! F' '
Decorated the building and would like to tell.
The team used donated dollars and dimes `'
And spent some of their break /lunch time a
To make the place look festive outside to be seen, ,
Sri
And would now like to say, "Happy Halloween "!
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mpottorff(a;tompkins -co. org by N o ve,vvt brev 5, 2002!
Now available COUNTY CORRIDORS ONLINE!! Come visit and
bookmark us at the County's website:
www.tompkins-co.org/countycorridors.
REpdRr `pray back when..
_ _ !tm,1111111 By Liz Croop, Mental Health Dept.
FROM — 1110 May, 1966: My dad was ill, and I had to fly to San
Diego, so I called the Tompkins County Airport. I had
THE COUNTY ' never flown before, and the conversation went
ti something like this:
ADMINISTRATOR
pr
Aa r
By Stephen Whicher Ar Airport: Tompkins County Airport. How may I help
you?
Liz: I have to fly to San Diego Monday!
A: You do!
We are now entering the final phase of the budget process. L: Yes. If there's any way possible I want to land and
The program committees have completed their review and, take off as many times as possible, but I don't want to
although very few adjustments to my recommended budget pay any extra.
were made, the program committees gained a very thorough
understanding of all the over target requests. The full Board, A: Are you kidding?
acting as an expanded Budget Committee, has begun their L: No.
review of the over target requests, capital program needs and
fiscal policy issues. A: May I have your number? I'll call you back.
As of this writing, the tax rate increase remains at
approximately 22% and the Board has not reached any If memory serves me correctly, the lovely T.C. Airport
consensus as to whether this level of increase can be tolerated person routed me from Ithaca to Binghamton to NYC to
or whether substantial program cuts should be made. The one Atlanta to Dallas to San Diego. I loved it! The
issue that is clear is that there are few, if any, possibilities of stewardesses had to pry me out of the plane. I would
fiscal one -time fixes such as the use of fund balances available have lived there if I could.
to the Board. Thus the Board is faced with the very difficult
task of choosing between program cuts, a substantial tax rate It was time to go home, and my brother called the San
increase, or both. Diego airport; it went something like this:
The Budget Committee intends to complete the first round of Airport: How may I help you?
reviews by October 21 At that time they will begin the
revisit process. During the first round of review the Bill: My little sister has to fly to New York tomorrow,
committee is relatively strict about addressing each program and she would like to take off and land as many times as
committee's area in turn. However, during the revisit phase, possible.
any area of the budget can be addressed at any time as the
committee members search for areas where an agreement to Airport: Don't bother us with this nonsense.
modify the budget can be reached. The revisit phase should {Sigh} Don't we wish they were all as great as
be completed by the end of October with the final budget vote Tompkins County?
scheduled for November 19.
The final phases of the budget process are certain to be
stressful for all, particularly if the Board determines that the
best course of action is to reduce services. Please recognize A Winter Re m i nd e r
that those whose jobs or programs are potentially at risk will
be understandably anxious. I am sure that anything and By Katy Prince
everything you can do to show your concern and support will Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie
be very much appreciated. Who's not ready for the holidays
This month's recognition of an extra effort goes out to the
Editorial Board of the County Corridors for their work on Holler "I!"
moving this publication to an electronic format. While the Remember...only 54 shopping days left
move was not universally welcomed, everyone recognized the until Christmas!!
budget realities and pitched in to resolve the difficulties. I am
sure that the final product will be accepted by all and many
may find the electronic format more convenient. Thanks for a
job well done.
October is Domestic Violence ➢ Love for Spouse: Most people enter a relationship
for love, and that emotion does not simply disappear
Awareness Month easily or in the face of difficulty. After a violent
By Sue Robinson, Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinator incident, the abuser is often extremely penitent.
When we hear about a victim of domestic violence Because her self - esteem is so low following the
returning to her abuser, once, twice, or many times, how incident, the apologies and promises of reform are
often do we say, "Why does she keep going back to often perceived as the end of the abuse.
him ? ", when the more appropriate question might be, Action Steps: How to approach or respond to a friend
"Why is he abusive to his girlfriend/wife ?" In fact, who you know or suspect is being abused
there are a lot of good reasons why a victim of domestic ➢ See It: Notice That Something is Wrong
violence would return to their abuser and no good ➢ Say It: Talk About the Abuse
reasons for an abuser to be violent to his intimate
partner. Try the following steps when talking about abuse:
Why She Stays: 1. Tell her/him what you see "I noticed a bruise on
your arm...
➢ Fear: The number one reason for not leaving is fear. Express concern for her/him "I am worried
According to the FBI, up to 40% of female about you."
homicides in any given year occur when the woman 2. Show support "No one deserves to be hurt."
decides to leave the abusive relationship. Given this 3. Refer her /him to a help source "I have the
fact, it is very important that the abused woman's phone number for..."
expression of fear not be minimized.
➢ Lack of Resources: Since one of the major If your friend begins to talk about the abuse .. .
components of abuse is isolation, the abused woman
most often lacks a support system. Her family ties Just Listen: Listening can be one of the best ways to
and friendships have been destroyed leaving her help. Believe her!
psychologically and financially dependent on the
abusive partner. Keep It Confidential: Don't tell other people
➢ Lack of Finances /Economic Reality: The economic that s /he may not want or be ready to tell. If there is
reality for women, particularly those with children, a direct threat of violence at work, tell her you both need
is a bleak one. This is especially true for women to inform the employer.
who have not worked outside the home. Economic
dependence on the abuser is a very real reason for Provide Information, Not Advice: Give her the phone
staying in the relationship. number to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-
Children: Being a single parent is a strenuous 800- 799 - SAFE), or the local Task Force for Battered
experience under the best of circumstances, and for Women Hotline (277 - 5000). S /he knows best how to
most abused women, conditions are far from the judge the risks s /he faces.
best. The enormous responsibility of raising
children alone can be overwhelming. Often, the Be There and Be Patient:
abuser may threaten to take the children away from Coping with abuse takes time. S /he may not do what
her if she even attempts to leave. you expect her to do when you expect her to do it. If
➢ Feelings of Guilt: The woman may believe that her you think it is your responsibility to fix the problems,
husband is "sick" and/or needs her help; the idea of you may end up feeling frustrated. Instead, focus on
leaving can thus produce feelings of guilt. building trust, and be patient.
➢ Religious Beliefs and Values: Religious beliefs
reinforce the commitment to marriage. Many faiths Check out the County Domestic Violence Prevention website with
hold that the husband is head of the family and it is links to other relevant sites:
}' an s a http: l/ www .tompkins- co.org /pubinfo /dvpl
wife's duty to be submissive to him. This may be a
powerful reason for staying in a destructive
relationship.
* Adv I use the pronoun "she" for victim and "he" for
abuser, recognizing that men are victims of intimate partner
violence perpetrated by women and men, and women are
victims of intimate partner violence by women. 80-95% of
domestic violence is men being abusive to women.
CLASSIFIEDS I Welcome:
To Karen Simpson, Administrative /Computer Assistant
For Sale: I in the Information Technology Services Department
For sale: 2TT 150 Numark Belt Drive Turntables, 1 To Judy Tynyk and Skip Ellis, Weights and Measures,
pmx 20 gemini mixer, 2 turntable dust covers, 2 to Public Works Facility on Bostwick Road
slipmates, 2 cartridges, headphones, 5 records, all cables,
and all is in great condition. $400 o.b.o. Call 539 -7215, I Congratulations:
ask for Jesse.
For sale: Solid Uak Curio Cabinet, 2Y'w x 14"d x 16"h; To Kim (ITS) and Brian Moore on the birth of their
Recessed dome light; side door; 8 adjustable shelves; daughter, Kailee Marie, born Monday, September 16 at
plate glass mirror back; $450 o.b.o. Call Autumn at 8 a.m.
589 -6041. CLASSIFIEDS
For sale: Black, tubular steel, single lofted bed with Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County
desk chair, and shelves. Asking $175. Call Steven at employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may
be for any purpose, however personal ads will not be
898 -4734. accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers
For sale: 22' whole house fan ($60); Kerosun space may be listed in your ad, however, we do need your full
heater 9024 BTU /hr ($10); 9100 BTU Kenmore room name and County telephone number submitted with the
AC ($200), 100 clay targets /launcher ($10); 257 -2792. ad in case there are questions. Submit your ad to County
Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Board of Representatives,
Binding in Costa Rica: January 8 -19 and July 16 -27. Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850 via US or interdepartmental
$1,250 includes lodging, food, local transportation, mail or e-mail to: mpottorff @tompkins- co.org
excursions. Contact Sandra Pollack at 277 -1416 or at NOTE:
iournevweavers@aol.com for specific itinerary. If you would like to modify your classified or want to
run it again, you must re- submit it!
For sale: 1981 Suzuki 1000, loaded with hard saddle
bags and a trunk. Asking $2,500. Call Katy or Tommy
at 539 -6885. DEADLINE: 1 TUESDAY OF THE MONTH
I Articles to be considered for the November 21S issue,
Services: must be received by noon on Tuesday, November 5st.
Submit articles via e-mail as an attachment or on disk in any
Tioga Technical - Don't kill your computer! Let me file format that is readable by Word for Windows '95.
help with troubleshooting, training, upgrades - whatever Send disk and hard copy to County Corridors c/o Michelle
it takes to get you and your computer working together Pottorff, Board of Representatives, Courthouse, Ithaca,
again. Call James Keegan at 273 -7957 evenings or NY 14850. Please include a contact number in case
weekends. questions arise.
COUNTY CORRIDORS
Tense? Stressed? Achy? Therapeutic Massage can put Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are
relaxation and comfort back into your life. For an selected by the Editorial Board based on their interest to
appointment or information call Richard Reed at 753- Tompkins County employees and retirees. They do not
6383. necessarily express the opinions of the Editorial Board.
Material is solicited from current employees, retirees and
Kinetic Performance — specializing in Motorsports others. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit
engines, carburetion and general racing fabrication. Call submissions, except in the instance of copyright materials.
Dayton Umholtz at 277 -6462 evenings or weekends.
EDITORIAL BOARD
French Tutor — Call Sarah at 257 -3047. Please leave a Michelle Pottorff (Editor) Board of Representatives
Iretta Ellis (Chair) Information Technology Services
message. Liz Croop Department of Mental Health
Katy Prince Health Department
Goosa Arts - See our beautiful and affordable traditional Vickie Wagner (Artist) Department of Assessment
Russian arts: nesting dolls, eggs, jewelry boxes, amber, Geri Lockwood Highway
etc. Alisa Mengel, 277 -2917, hours by appointment, 120 Tammy VanOrman Assessment
Linn St. Donna Deputron (Distribution Coordinator) Facilities