I am appalled that Tim Matthews is getting a $60,000 pension that is protected by law. I am surprised that there is not an uprising to this fiasco. He is a fairly young person and we taxpayers are going to be paying him this pension for the rest of his life. Think about the dollars wasted going to a convicted felon and that could be used to protect/help citizens of Ulster County. If he lives another 20 years, he’ll get at least $1.2 million of our tax dollars.
As we all know, the legislators ensured passage of such a law so they also protect themselves should they be arrested and convicted of a crime. This law ensures that they and others in the government will not lose any pension funds. So Matthews is going to pay us back the $212,000 that he admits stealing. Thus, he is paying us taxpayers back with our money. Does this make sense to you? Isn’t anyone else angry that these public employees and government officials who are convicted of crimes against the public are protected and rewarded with a pension?
Also, Matthews did not receive the maximum sentence, 15 years. It was noted that it was his first offense and he appeared to be the most remorseful defendant the judge had seen. I should hope so since he was supposed to be a trusted law enforcement officer. All in all, this smells as bad as other trials and convictions of various public employees and government officials. We need a change, but don’t hold your breath. The legislators would have to vote on it. What a joke.
Michael Petrikat, Lake Hill and Hoboken
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