Contrary to Ira Appelman’s statements quoted in the Sept. 2 Reporter, Islanders do care about his work history or what is probably better described as his lack of one. He refers to jobs that he apparently held more than 20 years ago and then to a research company that has no employees and which, according to state records, was only recently formed by him. It seems to me that he does not want to talk about his work history for a very simple reason — he has none.

Our Council has always been very fortunate in having men and women with solid work credentials. We expect them to govern our city using the expertise they have gained through their jobs and the life lessons that only come from having held a job. The benefits of this approach can be seen by the excellent financial condition our city finds itself in despite the current recession and the effectiveness with which we receive city services. This happens because we have people on our Council with real world experience who understand how to manage budgets and work with people.

Contrast Ira Appelman’s non-existent work experience with that of Dan Grausz. Dan has been a senior executive at Holland America Line, a major local employer, for over 20 years, and before that, a partner in a highly regarded local law firm. Time and again during his tenure on the Council, he has used that experience for the benefit of Islanders, most recently in his successful effort to fight off a 15 percent rate increase that was being proposed for 2009 by the company that collects our garbage and yard waste.

Islanders do care about the work experience our Councilmembers have because it does make a real difference in the quality of our lives and the future of our community.

Donald B. Summers