A former Mount Vernon police chief, who is fighting the state over his pension after he resigned from the force when Mayor Clinton Young took office and informed him he wanted to appoint someone else, isn’t garnering much sympathy among readers. The issue of a police officer’s or fightfighter’s final year overtime counting toward their pension is a source of continual debate among readers. Many think that the practice leads to abuse and excessive pensions, and should be discontinued. Others defend the system saying that police and firefighters work hard in dangerous jobs and take lower salaries and poor working conditions for the promise of that pension.

According to reporter Jonathan Bandler’s story, chiefs in the city are technically police captains who receive a stipend for the title and are eligible for overtime. Because the city’s system is a little different than other municipalities, this is where there is a dispute between Joseph Pizzuti and the state retirement department.

Here’s what readers had to say:

The entire system of permitting police or any public sector employee to drastically increase pension benefits by working extensive overtime in the last years of employment needs to be abolished. The state is on the verge of bankruptcy partly because of these excesses. Those who truly want to be public servants will still line up for these jobs.

This is what is killing the cities, towns, counties and state – police and fire pensions. Overtime is additional pay not salary. The unions have held taxpayers hostage for years and years to come. The only way out is for the various communities to go bankrupt.

Why don’t you try being a police officer in Mt.Vernon. I bet you would change your tune real quick.