Midday News Brief
Written by Dan Fischer on November 9, 2021
What’s wrong with working for the Batavia Police Department.
Just recently, three officers have left BPD. Some left for more money and benefits.
The city is looking to fill those positions and hire four new firefighters.
Council members John Canale and Rose Mary Christian suggested that the city look into a better pay and benefits package and look at what other police departments are paying in similar size cities.
Council President Gene Jankowski questioned if the city can get back some of the cost of training officers who leave shortly after being hired. Chief Shawn Heubusch said New York State’s Civil Service bureaucracy is partially to blame.
There is now a vacancy on City Council Ward Six. Rose Mary Christian is leaving council after 30 years in the seat. Council President Gene Jankowski said, she will be missed
PHOTO: Rose Mary Christian
There could also be a flap brewing on just what party Christian’s replacement on council should be from.
When first elected, Christian was a democrat when elected to her recent term but changed her affiliation to republican.
The city charter provides that if a vacancy occurs, a temporary appointment is made of the same political party as the person leaving.
Governor Hochul is taking aim at putting an end to those annoying robocalls. She has signed a new law that’s intended to build on federal action to better protect New Yorkers who are tired of the predatory calls. Under the legislation, telecommunication companies now have to block robocalls from certain numbers which are most likely illegitimate and prevent their spread across additional providers.
Thousands of employees at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo will be returning to work after voting to accept a new labor contract. The agreement will be in place for the next four years and put an end to a strike that began several weeks ago. Officials say 94-percent of union workers voted yes on the deal.
