Editor,

Jeez. I am so tired of having to correct Jim Pace’s wildly incorrect assumptions per his letter to the editor in Wednesday’s Whidbey News-Times.

First, my husband and I both retired in 2010. It is standard policy that all employees get unused vacation paid back when they leave and a percentage — depending on their length of service — of their unused sick leave. This is standard practice in most agencies. My husband’s last check, which included his regular pay, was $20,000 because he had 12 years of accumulated unused sick/vacation pay.

My last check was $8,000, which included regular pay, due to the fact I had almost no unused sick leave because I’d been flying to California to take care of my mother.

My husband did not rake leaves. He is a master diesel mechanic who worked for Seattle Metro, Community Transit and was supervisor for IT’s vehicle maintenance department. Twice since we’ve retired he was hired back as a contract employee to fill in when IT lost its maintenance manager until they could fill that position.

Jim’s incorrect statement that my husband “was given” $35,000 in 2010 as a buyout is false. This also included contract pay at the end of 2010 when he was first called back to fill in.

The 2009 levy meeting he references was after two years of IT suffering through the recession and because Martha Rose was so frugal with our money, we were the only transit agency that had not yet severely cut service.

Even through her herculean effort, there is only so much recession deficit we could absorb.

Trying to discredit the hard working employees of Island Transit to use as a diversionary tactic to erase the point I made about Martha Rose being a warrior of the people is boring and ridiculous.

So, Jim, I will see your interpretation of our financial reports and raise you with W2 forms and tax statements.

Sandra Kuykendall

Retired IT admin & finance manager