Bee Heard

(Editor's note: Call The Bee at 632-0390 and record a one-minute comment on our Bee Heard line. It gives readers an opportunity to comment quickly and candidly on items of local or regional interest. Callers do not have to identify themselves and no callers' names will be used. In the interest of fairness and good taste, The Bee will not publish derogatory or insulting comments. All comments are by our readers and are subject to editing.

.After reading this week's Bee, it's obvious that Supervisor Satish Mohan has never heard the phrase, "play nice in the sandbox." Supervisor Mohan throws out false accusations and information.

.Shame on you, Dr. Mohan, for not doing your homework on the police contract. You let us down.

.Each year we like to participate in Walk the Village. Some of the merchants have done a great job beautifying their storefronts with beautiful pots of flowers and weeding the area between the sidewalk and curb, while at the same time some merchants have done nothing and have tons of weeds and a couple of dead trees in front of their property. Don't they realize the walkers and potential customers notice this? It's a reflection of them and their business. Our village could look a lot nicer if everyone par ticipated.

.It's time to say goodbye to the dysfunctional state Senate and dysfunctional Assembly members. They are on vacation now until November. It's time to put these state legislators out to pasture, for they did nothing for us in Erie County, such as lowering property taxes and providing relief on gasoline prices.

.Regarding the Amherst Police Department contract, the police department is overpaid, overstaffed and overrated.

.Dr. Mohan, when will you be a leader and not a talker? What have you done for the taxpayers except put up road blocks?

.There is nothing corrupt about negotiating fairly with Amherst Police employees. It is in the town's interest to have a good relationship with our wonderful, honest and effective police.

.To the person who noted the Amherst Police driving and using cell phones, the cell phone law excludes police officers and peace officers from using cell phones. They are exempt from the law forbidding use of cell phones while driving.

.Attention Amherst and Williamsville civil servants, it's time to come and help the taxpayers. We have to consolidate things and find a way to lower taxes. The taxpayers are doing a lot more with an awful lot less. We need help from the public servants. We need to consolidate the school districts under one superintendent; we need to start thinking about merging the Village of Williamsville with Amherst. We put these people in office; they need to serve taxpayers. They need to come up with ways of consolidating, asking their employees to do more with less and finding ways to lower taxes in Amherst. It's the only way we are going to survive. We need your help. This is the time to do it.

.I've always supported giving the town police officers good remuneration and certain perks beyond the ordinary, but allowing unused sick leave to be accumulated and then getting paid for it at retirement is way out of line. Getting paid when sick is a deserved benefit, but getting paid for not being sick is double-dipping.

.The village Garrison Park playground is great. Thank you, Brian Geary, and all the families who put it up.

.Supervisor Mohan said someone has to speak for the people of Amherst. Police pay is $57,000 a year plus overtime and benefits. What about the teachers making $80,000 a year? Teachers should make $57,000 a year for their nine months work, and police should make $80,000 a year with the teachers' benefits.

.The health care costs printed in The Bee are staggering. In only 10 years' time, the increase is just staggering. Something has to be done to curtail this for the people who will be retiring in the future. None of us will be able to afford to live here and continue to pay these outrageous costs.