The War Years


“STANDING FAST “

RETIRED BUT STILL THE BRAVEST

Welcome to “Standing Fast” The official newsletter of the Gene Okane Division of “FDNY Retired., the first & oldest FDNY retirees organization ever organized. We have been chartered in the state of Florida since 1979.

Email: okanefdny@verizon.net Postal Address: FDNY Retired, Box 76 P.O. Box 76, Port Richey, Fl 34673-0076



March 2023

Upcoming Events

3-4-23 Spring Picnic

3-17-23 St Patrick’s Day

3-21-23 Monthly Meeting – St. Patricks

4-7- 23 Good Friday

4 -9 -23 Easter

4 -10 -23 Martin Luther King

4-18-23 Monthly Meeting


March 2023

I hope that letter finds everyone well. We have had a busy few weeks with our club. The day at the races was a huge success and we had a great time at the installation dinner on February 24th. Big thanks to Mike Doyle for putting together the day at the races. Also a big thanks to Louie and Vickie Kikis for running the dinner dance. At our last meeting we discussed the Florida retiree Solstice dental plan. I spoke with Margaret Howley from the security benefit fund and she sent the form to apply for the plan. It seems the solstice plan is widely accepted in Florida. I would suggest everyone look into it if you want a new plan. We are looking forward to our spring picnic on March 4th at Fred Howard park. Hope to see you all there. Thank you and God bless. Fraternally, Kevin Doherty 

Okane Club Dues Were Due By Jan. 31, 2023

Just a reminder that your 2023 club dues were due by Jan31,2023. The dues remain unchanged – $25 = $20 dues + $5 for the widows fund. It is important that you pay your dues on time since, like you, the club has bills which must be paid on time. You can make the check payable to F.D.N.Y. Retired and mail it directly to our Financial Secretary Mike Doyle , 10838 Candy Ln, New Port Richey, Fl 34654

Healthcare Fight Update

Greetings!  

 

Hello everyone! The City Council did NOT vote on Intro 874 on January 19th that would have changed the benchmark to which we were all equally protected for health insurance. While we wait to see if the Mayor, Labor Relations and MLC live up to their threats to eliminate all our choices of health plans, we have been working to protect our hard earned benefits.  


Right now, there is nothing coming from City Hall. But we stay vigilant. In the mean time, we are working on the next homework assignment!


Also, a reminder, the Copay case is still waiting to be heard. The City appealed the Preliminary Injunction.  Emblem took the position that the Injunction began January 12 and still requires copays to be paid from 2022.  IF… your doctor will permit you to NOT pay them great.  If they insist on them being paid to see you, pay them.. Keep the receipt. But under no circumstances should they be collecting copays after 1/12/23. Print up a copy of the court document from here and give it to your doctor.  Under no circumstances should you not get care because you don’t want to pay them. Pay, see the Dr., and hold the receipt.  It we win, you will eventually see a refund. Keep the faith.  You should be getting a letter from Emblem regarding this, and there is a note on Labor Relations website. Also, consider asking the Dr’s office to call Emblem to confirm this situation.  Their customer service will advise them.  


Here are a few video updates until the next update!


If you are on Twitter and Instagram, please comment and share our messages.


We also created an OPEN FaceBook Page https://www.facebook.com/NYCRetirees


And Please send your donations in to continue this fight! We have THREE lawsuits running concurrently, and if the Mayor eliminates all health plans, we WILL have a 4th!! See below if you donate via VENMO, we changed our name. 


Subject: Super Bowl tickets
Friend of mine in Elkhart, IN has two tickets for the 2023 Super Bowl, both box seats. He paid $11,500 each. It comes with ride to and from the airport, lunch, dinner and $400.00 bar tab. Also a back stage pass to the winners locker room. He didn’t realize last year when he bought them, it was going to be on the same day as his wedding.  

If you are interested, he is looking for someone to take his place… It’s at St Paul’s Church, at 3pm. Her name is Ashley. She’s 5’4″, about 115 lbs, and a good cook too. She loves to fish and hunt. She’ll be the one in the white dress.



Mayor Eric Adams lets fired anti-vax workers re-apply — but with no back pay or job guarantee.

by B Hogan, N Hicks and C Campanile – NY Post – 02.11.23

Mayor Eric Adams is refusing back pay to fired workers reapplying for their jobs, who failed to get vaccinated. He lifted the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for city workers effective Friday.


Mayor Eric Adams on Friday let workers who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine re-apply for their jobs — but with no back pay, guarantee of jobs or even their previous seniority or specific job assignments.

Unions representing the axed workers quickly responded: See you in court, Mr. Mayor, vowing to sue for those conditions to be met.

“Nope. Nope. Their back pay is the pay they got when they got another job somewhere. I mean, New Yorkers should not be paying for someone that wasn’t working,” Adams said Friday on the Caribbean Power Jam radio show as the city lifted its mandate.

“And now keep in mind, there were some people who applied for city work and were told you have to be vaccinated to get the job. And they took the job with that understanding and still said, ‘No, I don’t want to be vaccinated.’ So no, no,” Adams said.

About 1,780 workers were fired for refusing to get vaccinated. The city did not release figures Friday on how many reapplied for jobs on the first day they could.


Workers such as firefighters who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine can reapply for their jobs, but Mayor Eric Adams doesn't want to provide them back pay.

Workers such as firefighters who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine can reapply for their jobs, but Mayor Eric Adams doesn’t want to provide them back pay.

William Miller

“You have a right to come back and be employed and file for your job again. But no, there’s not going to be any back pay,” Adams said.

Labor leaders and the lawyers for fire workers vowed to sue.

Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association/Teamsters Local 832, said he will file a lawsuit against Adams and the city next week to win back pay and benefits for his members reapplying for their jobs. Twenty-nine sanitation workers were fired for refusing to get vaccinated.

“That’s the whole point! They should have been working!,” Nespoli emphatically told The Post.


Mayor Eric Adams said he won't provide back pay to fired workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, who are new reapplying for their jobs.

Mayor Eric Adams said he won’t provide back pay to fired workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine who are new reapplying for their jobs.

ZUMAPRESS.com

Nespoli, who acknowledged he personally complied and got his COVID-19 shots, said the city shouldn’t take such a hard line because it’s having trouble recruiting workers and many former employees have fled New York.

“They can’t get people to do jobs anymore,” he said. 

There are already several cases in state and federal court that have challenged the legality of the vaccine mandate, and lawyers say back pay is a key issue.

“The first thing that the city’s doing wrong, is they’re saying ‘yes, you could reapply for your job, but you have to waive your civil rights,’” said attorney James Mermigis, who represents more than 200 city employees — predominantly those who worked at the NYPD.

He says that any reinstatement would include restitution for lost pay, lost time for pension eligibility and benefits.


Fired Police officers who refused to get vaccinated are seeking back pay when they reapply for their jobs, after the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted Friday.

Fired Police officers who refused to get vaccinated are seeking back pay when they reapply for their jobs, after the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted Friday.

William Miller

“A lot of my clients don’t want to start over, they’re 15 years in. We’re going to pursue litigation that ensures my clients are made whole and go back to where they were before the mandate,” Mermigis said.

“We’re not going to stand up and cheer and say hurrah because Eric Adams decided to rescind the mandate. He needs to make these people whole.”

Adams insisted he’s being fair and responsible, citing people he personally knew who died from COVID-19 or became seriously ill.


Firefighters were among the city workers who were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

Firefighters were among the city workers who were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

Workers such as firefighters who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine can reapply for their jobs, but Mayor Eric Adams doesn't want to provide them back pay.

Workers such as firefighters who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine can reapply for their jobs, but Mayor Eric Adams doesn’t want to provide them back pay.


“You have a right to come back and be employed and file for your job again. But no, there’s not going to be any back pay,” Adams said.

Labor leaders and the lawyers for fire workers vowed to sue.

Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association/Teamsters Local 832, said he will file a lawsuit against Adams and the city next week to win back pay and benefits for his members reapplying for their jobs. Twenty-nine sanitation workers were fired for refusing to get vaccinated.

“That’s the whole point! They should have been working!,” Nespoli emphatically told The Post.


Mayor Eric Adams said he won't provide back pay to fired workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, who are new reapplying for their jobs.

Mayor Eric Adams said he won’t provide back pay to fired workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine who are new reapplying for their jobs.

Nespoli, who acknowledged he personally complied and got his COVID-19 shots, said the city shouldn’t take such a hard line because it’s having trouble recruiting workers and many former employees have fled New York.

“They can’t get people to do jobs anymore,” he said. 

There are already several cases in state and federal court that have challenged the legality of the vaccine mandate, and lawyers say back pay is a key issue.

“The first thing that the city’s doing wrong, is they’re saying ‘yes, you could reapply for your job, but you have to waive your civil rights,’” said attorney James Mermigis, who represents more than 200 city employees — predominantly those who worked at the NYPD.

He says that any reinstatement would include restitution for lost pay, lost time for pension eligibility and benefits.


Fired Police officers who refused to get vaccinated are seeking back pay when they reapply for their jobs, after the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted Friday.

Fired Police officers who refused to get vaccinated are seeking back pay when they reapply for their jobs, after the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted Friday.

“A lot of my clients don’t want to start over, they’re 15 years in. We’re going to pursue litigation that ensures my clients are made whole and go back to where they were before the mandate,” Mermigis said.

“We’re not going to stand up and cheer and say hurrah because Eric Adams decided to rescind the mandate. He needs to make these people whole.”

Adams insisted he’s being fair and responsible, citing people he personally knew who died from COVID-19 or became seriously ill.


Firefighters were among the city workers who were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

Firefighters were among the city workers who were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

 “The goal was not to be punitive, it was to be protective. We had to protect city workers, first line responders, and deal with the crisis that we were facing,” the mayor said.

“This was a very frightening period of time for our city, our country, if not the globe.”

More than 96% of city workers overall got vaccinated.


Family Of Brooklyn Fireman Who Died LOD, Donates Organs

Fr. Billy Moon died LOD as a result injuries sustained on December 12th. After it was clear that FF Billy Moon R-2 would not survive the injuries he sustained, his family decided to donate his organs, in accordance with his wishes. This generous action saved 5 lives. Retired Lt. Terry Jordan received a double lung transplant. Pat Reynolds, retired Captain and former UFOA Retiree Liaison, received a liver transplant. Both are doing well!

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh

Facing Mutiny over ‘Breach of Trust’

by S Edelman and R Calder – NY Post – 02.11.23 – UPDATED




Embattled FDNY Chief Laura Kavanagh is facing a mutiny by her top chiefs, with five already demanding demotions and others threatening to follow suit in solidarity.

The 40-year-old rookie commissioner set off a firestorm last week by violating an unofficial, long-standing Fire Department protocol and chain of command, insiders said. 

Kavanagh — who Mayor Eric Adams tapped as the city’s first female fire commissioner in late October, in part to tackle the department’s ongoing struggle to diversify — made the unprecedented move of demoting three officers without consulting her two highest-ranking uniformed officers.

In protest, Chief of Department John Hodgens and Chief of Operations John Esposito immediately asked to return to their civil service titles of deputy chief – both citing a “breach of trust.”

Days later, two other staff chiefs — Frank Leeb and Kevin Woods — also requested demotions in a show of unity, and another, Michael Massucci, followed suit Friday. Insiders say they expect many more to follow.

A picture of Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

The commissioner set off a firestorm last week by violating an unofficial, long-standing Fire Department protocol and chain of command, insiders said.

The moves have roiled the department, with the unions representing fire officers and rank-and-file firefighters taking opposing sides. 

The Uniformed Firefighters Association says Kavanagh is doing a good job and has its members’ full allegiance. The Uniformed Fire Officers Association is fuming over what it calls a lack of communication, transparency, and respect coming from Fire Department headquarters in downtown Brooklyn.

Old-guard critics charge Kavanagh’s moves — and the job action they triggered — could put the safety of citizens and firefighters at risk.


PICTURED: Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and Chief of Department John Hodgens.

Kavanagh made the unprecedented move of demoting three officers without consulting her two highest-ranking uniformed officers.

“It’s easy to put firefighters into a building; it’s knowing when to get them out that saves lives,” Roger Sakowich, a Manhattan borough commander who retired in 2019, told The Post. “By eliminating the seasoned leaders, we are one incident away from a disaster.”

But Kavanagh supporters said the department is simply resistant to change.

Longtime activist and organizer Bertha Lewis said Kavanagh is fielding “disrespectful, unfair” criticism from “good old boy” subordinates turned off by her attempts to “modernize and bring more diversity” to the FDNY.

“Why all the controversy? Because it’s not a man making decisions?” said Lewis, who lobbied hard for Kavanagh to become commissioner last year as a member of Adams’ transition team.

Sources slammed the leak of a recording of the contentious meeting to a New York newspaper on Sunday.

“Secretly recording a meeting with your staff that the commissioner herself called, allegedly under the pretext of talking about respect, team-building and trust,” said the veteran FDNY source who called it “disgraceful.”

“Facts are the commissioner doesn’t know the definition of leadership,” the source charged. “This is not how you change culture, or team building. Trust is earned. You get back what you put out.”

Another veteran FDNY source pushed back at Kavanaugh’s call for top brass to think “outside the box” for how to improve the department.


“We have tons of solutions because we get input from the field,” the source said. “We sent emails up the chain all the time. What we really need is funding. Tons of funding.”


Pictured is Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and Chief of Department John Hodgens.

In protest, Chief of Department John Hodgens immediately asked to return to his civil service title of deputy chief.

“She has the right to shake up her staff. She is the commissioner now! Give that girl a chance, and let her do her job the way she wants — and then judge her!” added Lewis, whose advocacy group Black Institute honored Kavanagh at its Juneteenth gala last year.

Both Lewis and Adams are longtime allies who have known each other and worked together for decades, dating back to the mayor’s years as an NYPD cop when he headed a group whose goal was trying to ease relationships between police and communities of color. The relationship continued while he was later a state senator and then Brooklyn borough president.

The FDNY has historically struggled to recruit women and minorities, making modest strides in recent years while paying $42 million so far to a court-ordered diversity monitor. 

More than a decade ago, 91% of the department’s firefighters and fire officers were white males. Today, 9% are black, 15% are Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 74% white, according to the FDNY. Less than 2% of firefighters are women.

Under Kavanagh’s brief reign, she’s named the first black Emergency Medical Services chief, the first black female executive officer, and the first Hispanic chief of staff on the executive team. She’s also credited with helping the City Council pass legislation expected to help improve FDNY’s hiring practices.

UFA President Andrew Ansbro praised Kavanagh for taking steps to diversify the workforce and regularly soliciting the union’s input for ways to improve the department, adding they have a “great working relationship.” He also said the UFA “doesn’t need to take sides” between the commissioner and the officers’ union over a “labor-management issue.”

“The [officers’ union is] upset about lack of notification, but that happens all the time with my members,” he said. “They get moved around all the time and can be sent anywhere.”

But other department insiders say Kavanagh surrounds herself with a few close allies with little or no fire service experience.


PICTURED: Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and Acting Chief of Department John Hodgens.

Some critics say Kavanagh’s moves could put the safety of citizens and firefighters at risk.


PICTURED: Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and Chief of Department John Hodgens.

There are some Kavanagh supporters that say the department is simply resistant to change.

They include JonPaul Augier, the civilian deputy commissioner for dispatch and public safety technology she brought on in 2019. He was first hired as a $219,000-a-year deputy commissioner in the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, which never posted the job, then immediately transferred to the FDNY.

Besides Augier, Kavanagh’s tight inner circle includes Capt. Brendan Deehan, executive officer to the acting First Deputy Commissioner Lizette Christoff – a budget and finance exec – and chief of staff, Luis Martinez, an ex-NYPD lieutenant. That Kavanagh relies on an ex-cop irks some of New York’s Bravest, insiders said.

An FDNY spokesman countered that Kavanagh holds regular meetings with all senior leadership, including fire, Emergency Medical Services, and civilian chiefs.

After growing up in Half Moon Bay, a coastal city in northern California, Kavanagh rose to the top of the nation’s largest fire department in part due to left-wing political connections forged years earlier. 


A picture of JonPaul Augier.Other department insiders say Kavanagh surrounds herself with a few close allies with little or no fire service experience, including JonPaul Augier (pictured).

From 2006 to 2012, she worked for The Advance Group, one of New York’s top lobbying firms, as its vice president of campaigns and elections. Her long list of clients included Lewis’ controversial and now-defunct community and housing advocacy group ACORN.

In 2012, Kavanagh served as deputy director in Pennsylvania for then-President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign and parlayed her stint there into a job a year later as senior advisor for Bill de Blasio’s successful mayoral campaign. 

Following his election, de Blasio hired Kavanagh as a “special assistant” – a post typically reserved for political operatives – but by mid-2014 she went to the FDNY as its director of external affairs.

Kavanagh quickly moved up the ranks, becoming first deputy commissioner in 2017, and then acting commissioner in February 2022 following then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro’s retirement. Eight months later, she was officially named commissioner overseeing the FDNY’s 17,216 employees and $2 billion budget.

Sources told The Post that Mayor Adams has privately ordered Kavanagh to “fix” the burgeoning FDNY crisis, but in a statement to the newspaper he stood behind his appointee. 


“Commissioner Kavanagh has my full support. She is promoting a culture of true leadership, accountability, and performance within the FDNY,” Adams said. “New Yorkers can rest assured that the FDNY is as prepared as ever to keep them safe and respond to any and all emergencies.”



Hispanic Firefighters Group Calls for FDNY Commissioner Kavanagh to Be ‘Terminated’

by Larry Cellona and Lee Brown – NY Post – 02.17.23


The National Hispanic Firefighters Association on Friday demanded FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh be sacked, claiming she’s done nothing to increase diversity while only dividing the ranks.

The group’s president, Dr. Manuel Fonseca, sent Mayor Eric Adams a scathing, three-page memo alleging Kavanagh needs to be terminated at least partly for creating the city fire department’s infamous “ongoing and dangerous mutiny.

“Mayor, we ask you to investigate the bizarre facts and circumstances … that could only provoke dissent and distrust among FDNY members of all ranks and positions,” Fonseca wrote.

These “circumstances” include Kavanagh’s alleged mishandling of her demotion of three top brass, which prompted a slew of other department deputies to resign their titles in protest.

Her alleged lack of leadership also includes the leaked recording of her telling fire chiefs to think “outside the box” before the sudden demotions.


FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh sworn in by Mayor Adams.

The group told Mayor Adams that “Comm. Kavanagh needs to be terminated.”

Kavanagh used “old canceled and unsustained [Equal Employment Opportunity] complaints” against the demoted chiefs “to besmirch their reputations and justify her action,” Fonseca claimed.

That played a part in the first female commissioner’s self-created “ongoing and dangerous mutiny at FDNY,” he said.

Kavanagh claims “she is suffering the fallout from a racist, misogynistic, and bullying FDNY which is resisting her singular championing of minorities and women,” but “This is a demonstrably false narrative,” Fonseca maintained.


National Hispanic Firefighters Association President Manuel Fonseca.

Fonseca blamed Kavanagh for “bizarre facts and circumstances, that could only provoke dissent and distrust among FDNY members of all ranks and positions.”

He added that the top fire official “removed every member of the Hispanic Society (3) who had a position in the prior Commissioner’s office,” and her hiring and day-to-day operations show “neglect and lack of effort for Hispanic FDNY Members and other minorities.”

Fonseca noted that he was among those interviewed for the top job in February last year when Kavanagh first took over as acting chief.

“A year has passed, and the exact topics of diversity, inclusion, promotions, and staff assignments that we discussed … have yet to be addressed,” he complained.

“We have yet to be sent one proposal for improving diversity within the FDNY.”


Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh at a ceremony.

“Well listen here, you may not resign while I have my hand on my hip.” jg

Fonseca also said his association had planned to hold back any lawsuits in the mistaken belief that Kavanagh “would keep her word and work with the affinity groups.”

“Now Fire Commissioner [Kavanagh] has forced our hand to move forward with our lawsuits because of her neglect and dishonesty,” he said in the statement, which misspelled Kavanagh’s last name.

Fonseca also asked ripped Kavanagh’s lack of “leadership and outrage that a secret recording of her meeting with top chiefs was leaked.

“FDNY policy bars any recording in FDNY facilities to protect members … This recording leak may even be a criminal matter and violate state and federal statutes,” he noted.

In a scathing summary, he told Adams: “We believe that once you review [Kavanagh’s] questionable judgments below, you will come to the same conclusion: The urgent need to terminate Fire Commissioner [Kavanagh] and replace her with a competent and unifying commissioner with emotional (and rational) intelligence.”

City Hall did not respond to a request for comment.

But a Fire Department source said in an e-mail, “The Commissioner’s focus on diversifying the department has been successful. 

“Commissioner Kavanagh has worked closely with the administration and the City Council to pass and enact a historic package of bills to improve diversity in the ranks of the FDNY.

“Commissioner Kavanagh has also hired the FDNY’s: First Black Chief of EMS; first Black female executive officer; first Latina woman to serve in the role of First Deputy Commissioner (acting) [and the] first Hispanic FDNY Chief of Staff for her executive team.”

Posted 3 days ago by Unknown


*BILLS – PROHIBIT DIMINUTION OF HEALTH BENEFITS

DID YOU EMAIL OR TEXT THE MEMBERS IN THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY ?

ASK THEM TO COSPONSOR A3768 IN THE ASSEMBLY AND S2728 IN THE SENATE !

OR JUST SIT BACK AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT.


ASSEMLY BILL A3768 – SUMMARY

2023-02-07Assemblyreferred to governmental employees

SPONSOR-Stacy Pheffer Amato [D]

Prohibits the diminution of health insurance benefits of public employee retirees and their dependents or reducing the employer’s contributions for such insurance; defines employers to include the state, municipalities, school districts, and public authorities and commissions.

Assembly Member Email | New York State Assembly (nyassembly.gov)

————————————————————————-

Senate Bill S2728


2023-2024 Legislative Session

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one provides that the level of health insurance benefits, and the employer contributions made toward such health insurance, for certain retired firefighters, police officers, and their dependents
shall not be diminished below the benefits. and contributions in place as of May 1, 2008.

S2728 (nysenate.gov)



                                                 


A 12″ Piano ?

A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender gives the man his drink and the man asks “If I show you something crazy, would you let me have free drinks for the rest of the night?”
 
The bartender thinks for a minute and then says
“It would have to be something spectacular to take that offer.”
The man leans down and picks up a box and sets it on the bar.
He opens the box and inside is a small piano man, who is only 1 foot tall, and a little piano. The piano man starts playing classical music like Beethoven and Chopin.
Once he finishes, the bartender is in utter disbelief. He tells the man “You can have free drinks for the rest of the night, but only if you tell where you got this.”
The man says “In the alleyway behind your bar, there is a Genie who is granting free wishes to everyone who wants them.” Elated, the bartender heads behind his bar to see if it was true.
A few minutes pass and out of the alleyway erupts a cacophony of quacking.
The bartender rushes back into the bar and shuts his door against a wave of thousands of ducks.
He manages to secure the door and says to the man “I think that the Genie is hard of hearing because after I asked for a million bucks, these ducks appeared by the thousands.”
The man chuckles and says “Did you really think I wished for a 12-inch pianist?”
Rich Miccio
 


George Washington: a Model for All Americans Even Today

Editorial Opinion – NY Post – 02.19.23

November 22 is Presidents Day and George Washington’s actual birthday.


U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are sculpted on Mount Rushmore National Memorial


Though rarely honored these days exactly on Feb. 22, his actual birth date, “Presidents Day” is actually still Washington’s Birthday officially. And that’s entirely right and proper, as every American should happily honor our first chief executive.What was most remarkable about Washington was (to riff off a fellow whose birthday we celebrated last month) the content of his character.

Richard Brookhiser rescued this view of our first president in his landmark 1997 book, “Founding Father.” Hidden behind myth, written off by revisionists as just another dead, white, male slave-owner, Washington was in fact a man for the ages.

Born a Virginia aristocrat, he carefully cultivated his virtues — self-control, moderation, civility; his strengths physical and moral — to become the most widely admired presence first in the 13 colonies, then in the new nation.

He created two American institutions.


First was the army, which he commanded from 1775 to 1783, shaping a collection of untrained and undisciplined ragtag soldiers into a fighting force that defeated the world’s superpower, Great Britain.

He also set the future course of the US government itself. Presiding over its first years from 1789 to 1797, he understood he was setting precedents that had to last — even as many disagreed on what precise form that government should take.

Yet his importance goes far beyond his ­résumé. It was Washington who emphasized that America was a republic when he rebuked those who wanted a monarchy or an exalted president.

Likewise, he set the precedent for presidential limits by refusing entreaties that he accept a third term. “Washington’s last service to his country was to stop serving,” writes Brookhiser. He was also the only slaveholding founder to free his slaves, albeit in his will.

For all these reasons and more, there was no dissent when Henry Lee famously described Washington in death as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Portrait of George Washington at age 64 renouncing his third term as president, by Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828) (oil on canvas from the White House Collection), 1779.

Washington renounced having a third term as president.

Far-left efforts like the 1619 Project now claim that many Americans have no reason to honor Washington. Far more accurate is the understanding reflected in the musical “Hamilton”: One of the show’s most compelling moments is the entry of Gen. Washington as the rebels suddenly face 32,000 British troops in New York Harbor

It’s not just his dramatic, staccato lines (“We’re outgunnedOutmannedOutnumberedOutplanned”), but the fact that the guy playing him is black. The show powerfully, magically, claims America’s founders for all of today’s Americans. The principles they fought for belong to us all.

Unlike other notable presidents — Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, JFK, Reagan — Washington left no memorable lines that we continue to quote today.

But, as Brookhiser tells us, “His life still has the power to inspire anyone who studies it.” Give it a try.



INSTALLATION DINNER DANCE A SUCCESS

Members & invited guests assembled for the annual Installation Dinner Dance. They were treated to an “Italian Buffet”, & deserts.

More pictures on the “Photo Gallery #1″ page

KAVANAGH NAMES RET. HERO CHIEF AS 2ND IN COMMAND

Embattled FDNY Commissioner Names Decorated, Retired Hero Chief as Second-in-command

by Rich Calder – NY Post – 02.18.23


Joseph Pfeifer

Joseph Pfeifer retired in 2018 after 37 years at the FDNY.


Embattled FDNY boss Laura Kavanagh named a decorated, retired former assistant chief as her first deputy commissioner on Saturday.

The commissioner, who is currently facing a mutiny by her top chiefs welcomed back Joseph Pfeifer, who retired in 2018 after 37 years at the FDNY.

His long career included being the first battalion chief to arrive at the north tower to set up communications after the attacks.

Insiders say the move ensures there’s firefighting experience among the top ranks of the FDNY as Kavanagh, 40, has none. The 67-year-old Pfeifer will manage the day-to-day operations and activities of the FDNY across all offices and bureaus.

“Chief Joe Pfeifer embodies what it means to be New York’s Bravest, being the first chief to respond to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 and founding the department’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness,” Mayor Adams said in a statement.


FDNY boss Laura Kavanagh.

FDNY boss Laura Kavanagh named a decorated, retired former assistant chief as her first deputy commissioner.


“With nearly 40 years of experience with the FDNY, he is an excellent choice to assume one of the highest-ranking positions in this great department and is someone that New Yorkers and firefighters can count on to innovate in all aspects of fire prevention and safety.”


Joseph Pfeifer pictured speaking into a radio on 9/11.

Pfeifer was part of the first FDNY battalion to enter the North Tower on 9/11.

“Having already worked closely with Joe for many years, I am thrilled he has returned home to the FDNY and joined our executive leadership team.” the FDNY commissioner said.

Before being named acting fire commissioner last February and then being appointed to the post permanently in October, Kavanagh served as first deputy commissioner under her predecessor Daniel Nigro, earning $242,767 at the time.

Pfeifer — who lost his brother Kevin, an FDNY lieutenant during the 9/11 rescue efforts — said in a statement he’s glad to be back.

“The heart of FDNY is the ability to unify efforts to solve complex problems in the face of great tragedy,” he said. “Our united team is a sign of resilience to reflect on the past and envision the future so that we can enhance the present.”


OKANE “DAY AT THE RACES” HELD AT TAMPA BAY DOWNS

The weather was beautiful for the 2023 edition of the “Okane Day At The Races”. More than 30 members & invited guests assembled at Tampa Bay Downs to enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch & reserved seating for this great day of sport.  The featured race was named for our organization and some of our members assembled in the winner circle for a group photo. Event chairman Mike Doyle said that there were no “Big” winners that we know of but a great time was had by all


Skyrocketing Medical Costs Fuel City’s Growing Budget Woes

by Bernadette Hogan and Nolan Hicks – NY Post – 02-23-23


 


City Hall’s mounting budget woes are fueled by the exploding cost of providing municipal employees and retirees health care — which could potentially add $3 billion annually to the Big Apple’s deficits by 2027, statistics obtained by The Post show.

The analysis from the Independent Budget Office and provided to the paper shows that the cost of providing medical, dental and optical care and prescriptions for employees will hit $8.2 billion by 2027 — up from $6.1 billion in 2023.

Retiree costs will spike to $3.9 billion from $3.1 billion over the same four-year window, the IBO projects.

“Something’s got to give and if you wait until you’re in a crisis situation, that’s when you slash budgets and everyone suffers: the public, unions,” said Andrew Rein, the executive director of the Citizens Budget Commission.

Nowhere have costs risen faster than at the major hospitals across the region — which has brought together an unusual coalition of employers, labor unions and city lawmakers, who are demanding the major medical systems rein in costs.

A recent report by building services union 32BJ used medical billing data provided by its members to uncover that private hospitals across New York City are charging far more than the city’s own public hospital system for identical procedures.

For example, an outpatient colonoscopy runs $10,368 at New York-Presbyterian, but costs just $4,139 at Mt. Sinai Hospital. At the city’s public hospital system it’s even cheaper: $2,185.

The union projects that containing hospital costs could save the Big Apple $2 billion annually.