The following rebuttals By Mike Walsh, East Hartford's Finance Director, have been published by the East Hartford Gazette in selected issues noted below. The purpose for listing these extracted statements is to counter the steady drum of outlandish claims made by the town's notorious gadfly, Susan Kniep. Walsh has patiently observed the many years of generally unfounded criticism by Kniep concerning present and past administrations in an effort to somehow promote her own political career. Walsh has recently begun nailing Kniep's claims as a spokesperson for the present administration headed by Mayor Tim Larson.

Pertinent excerpts have been extracted intended to make the reader aware of this on-going political campaign by Kniep who although running for election every chance she gets, hasn't won anything in many years.

March 25 04 Ed. "CORRECTING KNIEP'S INACCURACIES" "...you will probably remember that just recently, Mrs. Kniep reported that taxpayers footed the entire bill for for town employee medical benefits. Recently I made readers aware that statement was wildly inaccurate..." Walsh also pointed out ..."hard work that could have been accomplished when Kniep was mayor (this issue) was left to succeeding administrations, delaying tax relief to taxpayers for years."

April 1 04 ED: Dialogue between former mayor and East Hartford Finance Director getting personal" "The hole Susan Kniep continues to dig with her inaccurate comments gets deeper by the week...conveniently Mrs. Kniep again dodges the question of why she didn't negotiate health insurance premiums cost sharing into labor contracts to save $1 million dollars per year in taxpayer money when she was mayor..." After reviewing his education and business background as a Fortune 100 Co. as financial officer, Walsh stated, "While saddened by such preposterous claims, in my opinion, it underscores the frequent personal attacks riddled with inaccuracies that Mrs. Kniep propagates to the detriment of the community."

April 15 04 Ed: "MRS. KNIEP DISTORTS THE PUBLIC RECORD-AGAIN" "It's hard to sit idly by and let Susan Kniep's inaccurate portrayals of business at go unchallenged. For instance, her attempt to explain the Deferred Retirement Option Pension was sadly lacking and misleading." Walsh goes on to describe in detail the actual workings of the Pension plan..."the town's longtime actuary, the Sigal Company in an April 27 2001 letter to the town finds the DROP provision to be cost neutral, or not costing the town one cent more than the existing benefit package."

April 29 04 Ed: "AS MAYOR KNIEP COULD HAVE TRIMMED OVERTIME" "Recently, in her never-ending pursuit of media attention,Susan Kniep complains about high levels of overtime paid to EHTFD Police Officers. Her criticism is usually coupled with additional complaints of generous pensions paid to retired police and firemen. However, few people realize the fact, and Mrs.Kniep never discloses, the police and firemen are not covered by social security, and as such, the town never pays the 6.2% employer salary matching contribution into social security. Instead, the town contributes this money, about $1 million annually, into a police and fireman pension fund....(thus comparing this pension with a pension from private industry is not comparing 'apples to apples'obviously funded in very different ways)...also, I find Mrs.Kniep's overtime complaint curious because as mayor she was responsible for paying $8 million of overtime payments to (town employees)...payments that,like today, go to toward pension calculations for the employees. Mrs.Kniep actually spent $1.1 million more during her four years...So Mrs. Kniep was in charge for four years when she paid $8 million in overtime that went into calculating employee pensions, and she's criticizing whom?"