Can't a resident of Duluth make a suggestion on improving city operations without being skewered on the News Tribune's editorial page (Our View: "With or without Miletich, retirees can help solve crisis," Jan. 8)? Anyone else making a suggestion like reducing city councilors' pay would have been regarded with civility. But for the sake of sensationalizing a situation and garnering readership, the News Tribune trashed Eli Miletich, one of Duluth's most prominent figures. Readers who can't see the significance of this tactic should put themselves in Miletich's shoes. Would they speak out again? This was a bully tactic overused by the News Tribune -- and is as uncivil as it gets.
Regarding city of Duluth retirees who are in step with Miletich: More than 400 donated to the cause of preserving retirees' contractually guaranteed health benefits. That's hardly a narrow subset of hardliners, as described by Mayor Don Ness. Donations to the court case now in progress prove that lots of other retirees are in the same mind-set as the ad hoc committee. Anyone who wants to change their individual insurance plan with the city should be able to do it simply by contacting the city. Good luck getting a written guarantee that the insurance plan will remain the same when the next round of employee contracts is negotiated.
Those who know the facts will testify that Miletich and other ad hoc committee members are not representing retirees in a legal sense. They are speaking up where others are afraid to come forward, and most of the retirees involved have a great deal of respect for their uncompensated dedication to this ongoing fight to preserve health insurance coverage.
Robert Winkler
Duluth
