Job cuts link those fired with those doing the firing

What do Oswego Village Administrator Gary Adams and Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner have in common with many municipal leaders across the country? This answer is the unenviable job of laying off workers and enforcing painful spending cuts.

The grim job of informing workers that their means of earning a living no longer exists can give even the most entrenched politician pause. You see, elected officials are better at creating jobs and spending than they are at reducing payrolls and cutting things back.

For that matter, almost everyone, well except for a few, would find laying someone off among the most difficult of tasks. Those unlucky ones stuck with doing it are victims of a cheerless and increasingly frequent process.

Regrettably, this dreadful aspect of the economic downturn is gaining momentum as leaders nationwide face growing deficits with few alternatives. For those delivering the bad news, practice does not make perfect.

In the case of suburban leaders, who, in many cases have a personal relationship with those affected, it is enormously difficult to deliver the devastating news. No doubt, the bearers of this terrible news have tremendous empathy for the people whose lives are turned upside down by it.

Of course, it pales in comparison to what individuals and families affected by layoffs, furloughs and budget cuts must endure. However, if you take a moment to ponder how difficult it must be to deliver this awful news, your perspective might change.

In Aurora, where 63 city workers lost their jobs, I asked Mayor Tom Weisner how it personally affected him to convey the news.

A reflective Mayor Weisner put it this way: "The decision to let someone go is never easy. It is even more difficult because, in this case, the employees being laid off did nothing wrong.

"Over the last two decades, I've worked side-by-side with many of our employees and built friendships with some. City of Aurora employees are good, hard-working people, but with revenues down sharply and demand for service lagging in many areas, I was left with few options but to focus on core city services and reduce staffing accordingly."

In Oswego, Village Administrator Gary Adams, who was forced to cut several positions in order to meet a sizeable budget reduction, said this: "Not only do you know them by name but you get to know their families. ... The best we can do is hope and pray for them and their families that they can find employment and find it soon."

I believe that it is fair to say that unless you have lifted the load of the people who make these weighty decisions, it is impossible to know the personal turmoil caused by this responsibility.

News from the job sector offers little encouragement, with experts predicting that there will be more layoffs before things improve.

The Department of Labor recently revealed that joblessness has hit 9.8 percent. This equates to a staggering 7.2 million jobs lost since the economic downturn began. Among African Americans and Hispanics, unemployment is in double digits.

With more layoffs looming, the anxiety is palpable. It is likely that those delivering the dreadful news and those losing jobs are inextricably linked by the hope that things will soon turnaround.

Anthony Stanford is a freelance writer living in Aurora. Contact him at bmhtales@sbcglobal.net