HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10 (2) I] INI7 H Newsletter for
Employees and Retirees
of Tompkins County
t V■V■i!O6V October 2002
Volume 15 Number 10
PLL&W' worker F G S o-lc�;d�l 1
y p
by ery Lockwood', 1-f 14hnu
With four divisions now at the facility
A decorating team tested their abilities
MIN
The "girls'; with assistance from Arel
Decorated the building and would like to tell.
The team used donated dollars and dimes e "
And spent some of their break/lunch time
To make the place look festive outside to be seen.
And would now like to say, "Happy Halloween "!
0 nee/ ciwaini the Comity Corr%dor Board/ will. bee
host- vu'cvl -( ill a-weon/C Contestwith' Wftce vti te'
be1.vg amarcleth to- th.e w ' Ple,a4e/ sulyvnit
p h,crto- e'wtrie4- to- 1■4 ' P otto-r f f a the 3 o-avrc' af
2epres atiye/s/0ffizeior viareANi. abmpottorff @tompkins- co.org by
IV ovemwlle r 5, 2002!
Now available COUNTY CORRIDORS ONLINE!!
Come visit and bookmark us at the County's website:
www.tompkins-co.org/countycorridors.
REPORT This month's recognition of an extra effort goes out
to the Editorial Board of the County Corridors for
FROM ER their work on moving this publication to an electronic
j format. While the move was not universally
welcomed, everyone recognized the budget realities
THE COUNTY and pitched in to resolve the difficulties. I am sure
that the final product will be accepted by all and many
ADMINISTRATOR may find the electronic format more convenient.
Thanks for a job well done.
By Stephen Whicher
Way back when..
We are now entering the final phase of the budget process. By Liz troop, Mental Health Dept.
The program committees have completed their review and,
although very few adjustments to my recommended budget May, 1966: My dad was ill, and I had to fly to San Diego, so
were made, the program committees gained a very I called the Tompkins County Airport. I had never flown
thorough understanding of all the over target requests. The before, and the conversation went something like this:
full Board, acting as an expanded Budget Committee, has Airport: Tompkins County Airport. How may I help you?
begun their review of the over target requests, capital Liz: I have to fly to San Diego Monday!
program needs and fiscal policy issues.
A: You do!
As of this writing, the tax rate increase remains at L: Yes. If there's any way possible I want to land and take
approximately 22% and the Board has not reached any off as many times as possible, but I don't want to pay any
consensus as to whether this level of increase can be extra.
tolerated or whether substantial program cuts should be A: Are you kidding?
made. The one issue that is clear is that there are few, if L: No.
any, possibilities of fiscal one -time fixes such as the use
of fund balances available to the Board. Thus the Board A: May I have your number? I'll call you back.
is faced with the very difficult task of choosing between
program cuts, a substantial tax rate increase, or both. If memory serves me correctly, the lovely T.C. Airport person
routed me from Ithaca to Binghamton to NYC to Atlanta to
Dallas to San Diego. I loved it! The stewardesses had to
The Budget Committee intends to complete the first round pry me out of the plane. I would have lived there if I could.
of reviews by October 21St. At that time they will begin
the revisit process. During the first round of review the It was time to go home, and my brother called the San Diego
committee is relatively strict about addressing each airport; it went something like this:
program committee's area in turn. However, during the
revisit phase, any area of the budget can be addressed at Airport: How may I help you?
any time as the committee members search for areas where Bill: My little sister has to fly to New York tomorrow, and
she would like to take off and land as many times as possible.
an agreement to modify the budget can be reached. The
revisit phase should be completed by the end of October Airport: Don't bother us with this nonsense.
with the final budget vote scheduled for November 19. {Sigh} Don't we wish they were all as great as Tompkins
County? l
The final phases of the budget process are certain to be
stressful for all, particularly if the Board determines that A Winter Reminder
the best course of action is to reduce services. Please By Katy Prince
recognize that those whose jobs or programs are potentially Apple, peaches, , p ,pumpkin pie
at risk will be understandably anxious. I am sure that Who's not ready for the holidays
anything and everything you can do to show your concern Holler, "I!"
and support will be very much appreciated. Remember...only 54 shopping days left
until Christmas!!
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
By Sue Robinson, Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinator
When we hear about a victim of domestic violence returning to her abuser, once, twice, or many times, how often do we say,
"Why does she keep going back to him ? ", when the more appropriate question might be, "Why is he abusive to his girlfriend/
wife ?" In fact, there are a lot of good reasons why a victim of domestic violence would return to their abuser and no g
reasons for an abuser to be violent to his intimate partner.'
Why She Stays:
➢ Fear: The number one reason for not leaving is fear. According to the FBI, up to 40% of female homicides in any given
year occur when the woman decides to leave the abusive relationship. Given this fact, it is very important that the
abused woman's expression of fear not be minimized.
• Lack of Resources: Since one of the major components of abuse is isolation, the abused woman most often lacks a
support system. Her family ties and friendships have been destroyed leaving her psychologically and financially
dependent on the abusive partner.
➢ Lack of Finances/Economic Reality: The economic reality for women, particularly those with children, is a bleak one.
This is especially true for women who have not worked outside the home. Economic dependence on the abuser is a very
real reason for staying in the relationship.
• Children: Being a single parent is a strenuous experience under the best of circumstances, and for most abused women,
conditions are far from the best. The enormous responsibility of raising children alone can be overwhelming. Often, the
abuser may threaten to take the children away from her if she even attempts to leave.
• Feelings of Guilt: The woman may believe that her husband is "sick" and/or needs her help; the idea of leaving can thus
produce feelings of guilt.
➢ Religious Beliefs and Values: Religious beliefs reinforce the commitment to marriage. Many faiths hold that the
husband is head of the family and it is a wife's duty to be submissive to him. This may be a powerful reason for staying
in a destructive relationship.
• Love for Spouse: Most people enter a relationship for love, and that emotion does not simply disappear easily or in the
face of difficulty. After a violent incident, the abuser is often extremely penitent. Because her self - esteem is so low
following the incident, the apologies and promises of reform are often perceived as the end of the abuse.
Action Steps: How to approach or respond to a friend who you know or suspect is being abused
➢ See It: Notice That Something is Wrong
➢ Say It: Talk About the Abuse
Try the following steps when talking about abuse:
1. Tell her/him what you see "I noticed a bruise on your arm..."
Express concern for her/him "I am worried about you."
2. Show support "No one deserves to be hurt."
3. Refer her/him to a help source "I have the phone number for..."
I f your friend begins to talk about the abuse .. .
,lust Listen: Listening can be one of the best ways to help. Believe her!
Keep It Confidential: Don't tell other people that s/he may not want or be ready to tell. If there is a
direct threat of violence at work, tell her you both need to inform the employer.
Provide Information, Give her the phone number to the National
Not Advice: Domestic Violence Hotline (1 -800- 799 - SAFE), or the local Task Force for
Battered Women Hotline (277 - 5000). S/he knows best how to judge the risks s/he
faces.
Be There and Be Patient: Coping with abuse takes time. S/he may not do what you expect her to do when
you expect her to do it. If you think it is your responsibility to fix the problems,
you may end up feeling frustrated. Instead, focus on building trust, and be patient.
Check out the County Domestic Violence Prevention website with links to other relevant sites: http: / /www.tompkins- co.org /pubinfo /dvp/
• Advisedly, 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.
3
CLASSIFIEDS I Welcome:
To Karen Simpson, Administrative /Computer Assistant
For Sale: in the Information Technology Services Department
For sale: 2TT 150 Numark Belt Drive Turntables, 1 pmx To Judy Tynyk and Skip Ellis, Weights and Measures,
20 gemini mixer, 2 turntable dust covers, 2 slipmates, 2 to Public Works Facility on Bostwick Road
cartridges, headphones, 5 records, all cables, and all is in
great condition. $400 o.b.o. Call 539 -7215, ask for Congratulations:
Jesse.
To Kim (ITS) and Brian Moore on the birth of their
For sale: Solid Oak Curio Cabinet, 25 "w x 14 "d x 76 "h; daughter, Kailee Marie, born Monday, September 16 at 8
Recessed dome light; side door; 8 adjustable shelves; a.m.
plate glass mirror back; $450 o.b.o. Call Autumn at 589- CLASSIFIEDS
6041.
Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County
For sale: Black, tubular steel, single lofted bed with desk employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may
chair, and shelves. Asking $175. Call Steven at 898- be for any purpose, however personal ads will not be
4734. accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers may
be listed in your ad, however, we do need your full name
For sale: 2T whole house fan ($60); Kerosun space and County telephone number submitted with the ad in
heater 9024 BTU/hr ($10); 9100 BTU Kenmore room case there are questions. Submit your ad to County
AC ($200), 100 clay targets /launcher ($10); 257 -2792. Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Board of Representatives,
Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850 via US or interdepartmental
Birding in Costa Rica: January 8 -19 and July 16 -27. mail or e-mail to: mpottorff@ tompkins- co.org
$1,250 includes lodging, food, local transportation,
excursions. Contact Sandra Pollack at 277 -1416 or at NOTE:
journeyweavers @aol.cont 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 DEADLINE: 1 TUESDAY OF THE MONTH
at 539 -6885. Articles to be considered for the November 21 issue. must
Services: I be received by noon on Tuesday. November 5s Submit
articles via e-mail as an attachment or on disk in any file
format that is readable by Word for Windows '95. Send
Tioga Technical - Don't kill your computer! Let me help disk and hard copy to County Corridors c/o Michelle
with troubleshooting, training, upgrades - whatever it Pottorff, Board of Representatives, Courthouse, Ithaca,
takes to get you and your computer working together NY 14850. Please include a contact number in case questions
again. Call James Keegan at 273 -7957 evenings or arise.
weekends. COUNTY CORRIDORS
Tense? Stressed? Achy? Therapeutic Massag@ 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
Michelle Pottorff (Editor) Board of Representatives
French Tutor — Call Sarah at 257 -3047. Please leave a Iretta Ellis (Chair) Information Technology Services
message. Liz Croop Department of Mental Health
Katy Prince Health Department
Coosa 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 Van Orman Assessment
Donna Deputron (Distribution Coordinator) Facilities
Linn St.
4