President’s Message
 2012 is Already an Interesting Year of Many Challenges: By Carlos Clayton, P.E. Unit 501, DPW

I was honored to be elected by my colleagues on the Board as CAPE President in September 2011. In the months since, the number and severity of challenges facing the Association, and public employees across the state, have grown exponentially.

State legislative efforts and proposed ballot measures aimed at reducing or eliminating public employee pensions are making headlines daily. Another ballot measure, already qualified for the November Presidential Election, threatens to eliminate political activities by employee groups.

The state’s budget deficits still inhibit the ability of the State Legislature to solve longstanding structural problems in state government, and the Governor is attempting to place a sales and income tax hike for high income earners on the November ballot.

At the local level, CAPE will be at the negotiations table to discuss our salary contract and our fringe benefit contract later this year. Preparations on both negotiations are already well under way, and the effort to make sure CAPE members’ interests are protected will require resources and attention of CAPE members.

In the political arena, the CAPE Political Endorsement Committee has already interviewed more than a dozen candidates in the open districts for the State Assembly.

Term limits and the decennial redistricting process have created a record number of open seats in the Assembly and the Senate. The PEC engaged to determine which districts and candidates would produce the best individuals to represent the interests of quality public services and County professional employees when the 2013-14 Legislative Session begins next year. After some lengthy interviews, the CAPE PEC recommended endorsements in several of the open seat races. A full list of the endorsements approved by the CAPE Board of Directors will be available on our website soon.

As the 2011-12 Legislative Session starts its second year, the attacks on public employees are not subsiding. In fact, the assault on public employees is now a national trend that could threaten public service for generations. To help turn that tide, CAPE has engaged in public education programs and stakeholder development to underscore the importance of public service programs. County professionals work each day to help keep County residents and businesses safe and to help expedite the region's economic recovery. Through 2012, CAPE will work to promote better attitudes towards public employees and the vitally important services we provide.