Fire union president

Dear Editor:This is in response to a letter to the editor dated April 4 by one Helen Burns. I was a resident of Downey from 1957 through the end of 2006. My wife and I raised our four children in what was a great city during our time living there. I am presently a resident of Yorba Linda but still have many friends that reside in Downey and follow the city "happenings" because of how close the city is to my heart. I do not have all of the particulars in dollars and cents relative to the changes that the fire union wants but I do know that the city of Yorba Linda just went through outsourcing the police service to the Orange County Sheriff's Department and saved millions of dollars. The real reason for my response to Ms. Burns is the attack she lodged on Steve Davis. She is obviously misinformed or not informed at all. I am pretty confident that Mr. Davis receives no compensation for his service as president of the firemen's union. However, when she said, "He (meaning Mr. Davis) doesn't care about you or me," she really showed her ignorance. This is a man who has dedicated his career and service to the city of Downey as a firefighter and paramedic. He puts his own life on the line to save others every day he reports for work. For Ms. Burns to say he doesn't care just shows who she is. His driving force is not straight up money, rather his driving force is for the betterment of the city of Downey and its residents like you. Shame on Ms. Burns for saying he doesn't care. And please, if you feel so compelled to chime in on this matter, then get your facts straight or don't say anything at all. Peter Marchica Downey

********** Published: April 11, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 52