Potential costs shoot down widow pension proposal

REVERE – A proposal introduced in 2007 as a well-intentioned effort to help a local widow has been defeated because of potential costs to the city associated with spouses of 84 other retirees.Fire Capt. John Walsh died on July 30, 2007 from cancer-related causes. He was 52-years-old and had retired in December 1995 with a back and neck injury.Two months after his death, City Council members crafted a proposal to ensure Walsh’s widow, Kathryn, received a retirement allowance. That plan received council approval and made its way to the state Legislature for review before cost concerns prompted councilors to take a second look at the plan last week and kill it.State retirement law allows public employee retirees to provide after their deaths for their spouses in the form of a benefit payment the widow or widower is eligible for regardless of how the retiree dies. The problem for Kathryn Walsh is that this benefit was not extended to accidental disability retirees like the late John Walsh until November 1996. The plan drawn up by the council would have extended the post-1996 benefit to his widow. It fell apart when councilors realized spouses of up to 84 other accidental disability retirees could potentially be eligible for the same benefit.The 11 councilors voted 8-3 to defeat the proposal with George Rotondo, Ira Novoselsky and Charles Patch in favor of paying Walsh the allowance. One of the opponents, Councilor at Large Anthony Zambuto, said cost was the final convincer.?My main concern is the taxpayer. How can we justify it? This opens the door,” he said.Zambuto said the Walsh allowance would have cost the city $500,000 but Fire Chief Eugene Doherty said councilors founded their cost concerns on misleading “figures/cost.”?I am quite disappointed in the turn of events for this widow of a retired firefighter and I truly believe the Council has been given some misinformation,” Doherty said.Although he did not object to the Walsh allowance at any time during its development, Mayor Thomas Ambrosino noted in a September 2007 letter to the council: “While we are all committed to providing for Ms. Walsh in light of the tragic and untimely death of her husband, we are struggling somewhat with the precise method for capturing the uniqueness of this situation.”For now, at least, there are no plans to mount an appeal on Kathryn Walsh’s behalf.?The Council has spoken and so be it,” Doherty said.