I would especially like to thank Dr. Calvin Luther Martin for creating such a fine article about me. (I really was taken aback when I read the finished story.)

Information that has been uncovered proves Nancy Reich and the Board of Directors do not have ComLinks’s best interest in mind. I and others feel it is critical to continue the fight to save ComLinks. It is such an asset to the community; we would hate to see it destroyed.

However we never thought we would be up against such entrenched barriers. I do not understand why the Board of Directors would rather save Nancy Reich than save ComLinks. I ask John Ray, Rick Ellis, Joe Bruso, Fred Mueller, Carol Leary and the other board members: Why? What hold does Nancy Reich have on you?

Don Moll
Owls Head

Don is a hard worker and always took pride in what he was doing. He got things done with a smile on his face. Don Moll kept things running around here. His absence is obvious now.

We all miss him very much.

He is missed very much by the tenants who have known him.

I look at entries from Pam Nostrum and Jan and realize that they didn’t leave for a better paying job, they left their jobs and the people they worked with, which they loved. They simply left due to ethical issues, like myself.

There are some incredible employees past and present at Comlinks, but there are also a few bad apples who spoil it for everyone else. Many of us have been fortunate enough to leave and put it all behind us. Many with whom I have spoken, to this day simpy cannot leave because they cannot find comparable positions locally.

I know of a few people that do work at ComLinks, and actually I worked there for a short time myself. I know of Don Moll. I have seen him outside on the picket line – by himself.

What he is doing is taking a stand for the people of Malone. Why aren’t there others out there showing him support? He deserves support from the community! Get out there and give him your support.

Get rid of Nancy Reich once and for all.

I have been following the recent ComLinks drama even though I have no connection to any of the players. When over 40 employees vigorously complain about their managers, I wonder how can so many be wrong and so few be right? You often hear from “disgruntled employees,” but it is usually only a few. Forty is not a few. And even though these people were apparently encouraged to speak openly by the board, after doing so, some were fired. Now that is a nasty lesson about freedom of speech and the seeking of truth!

Having read the recent letter to the editor about “siccing the auditors on ComLinks,” I thought, well now, there’s a good idea. At least we will find out the truth! Now I read on Friday, March 21, that the director admits to, but excuses, her misusing funds. No wonder our local politicians support ComLinks’s director; she contributes agency funds to their campaigns. Using “unrestricted funds” is still money from the agency. That money is supposed to help the poor, don’t you think?

As for installing a new kitchen, furnace, and who knows what else in the director’s house so that a conference could be held, frankly I’m appalled. Why wasn’t this installed in one of the many homes that desperately need help? Does ComLinks normally work in homes as good as the director’s? Other local organizations hold conferences at Gallagher’s, the Villa, and other establishments set up for that type of activity, and I’m certain they don’t charge $3600. What professional organization holds conferences at a director’s private home? And installs new appliances? I want to remind taxpayers that Malone Central has a beautiful home economics room that can be used by filling out the appropriate paperwork—free to the taxpayers who paid for its construction.

I want to inform ComLinks and all the other organizations in town, that for a new kitchen and furnace I’ll not only let you use my house for your conference, but I’ll cook dinner too! (Was the food charged to ComLinks? If so, I bet it wasn’t hotdogs!)

ComLinks’s director states that “we live on grants.” Well, if any of those are government grants, that is taxpayer money. As New York State residents, you and I pay for ComLinks. I am all for them helping people in need, but I am not in favor of this money being used to update the director’s kitchen, paying for rental cars in Hawaii, and making political kickback contributions.

I do not underestimate the good deeds ComLinks does. But often people think that just because an organization does some good deeds that it is above criticism. It’s only above criticism when it serves with integrity, responsibility and accountability. The director admitted to the Telegram that the abuses Mr. Moll describes are indeed true. Obviously it is time to consider that the other 40+ employees are also telling the truth. Doing some good for the community does not eliminate all corruption. It may mean that while helping the poor you also help yourself to a new kitchen. And anyone who dares tell the truth about this abuse gets fired.

Something is dreadfully wrong with this picture. When Tom Casey retired from Malone Central, I didn’t think he could be replaced. But I worked there another 20 years, and the school continued. Even good people can be replaced. And if they are dishonest, they should be replaced.

I don’t know any of the players personally, but I have to say to the public, considering that the director admitted that Mr. Moll’s assertions are true (though she made excuses), that perhaps we should join the “disgruntled employee” in his march for justice.

Mary Scharf
Malone

If Comlinks were being run by people of the same caliber as Don Moll it not only would continue to benefit the community as a whole, it would also be a pleasant place to work. Comlinks has lost so many good, honest, capable people over the years because of the atmosphere of the work place. That problem is due to one person, Nancy Reich. Why the board of directors can’t see this I don’t know, but I suggest they each try working for her for a few months.

It was a pleasure to work for him, and we all miss him.

I am no expert in corporate structure or personnel relations, but all of these situations seem to beg the need of a large dose of common sense and just plain decent treatment of individuals.

One cannot help but wonder about the personnel practices of the parent organizations. One thing that prospective employees consider is staff turnover at the place they are considering working for. To be trusted, to be heard, to be respected, to receive backing of the administration are reasonable expectations for any employee.