Mayor Dannel Malloy's bold lie that "there's no attempt to strong-arm" the Turn of River Fire Department is as outrageous as it is transparent - a whopper that is not just a smack in the face to Turn of River, but also an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of Stamford.

The undisputed facts are that Malloy is dangling Turn of River's traditional full budget of $330,000 in Turn of River's face - "if mediation is successful" under Malloy's terms. Otherwise, if Turn of River stands its ground, Malloy has threatened to slash its budget to $40,000 - roughly 12 percent of the minimum budget Turn of River needs to survive.

This is dirty pool, Mr. Mayor.

It would be one thing if the money just wasn't there, but to offer the full budget as a bribe to be more pliant in negotiations is a disgusting tactic. As Turn of River Chief Jacobellis has pointed out, Malloy's new budget is barely enough to cover fuel costs. If you're an investor in a business, and you're reading this, ask yourself: "Could my business survive if I had to cut the budget by 88 percent?"

It all started out when the power-hungry Malloy wanted paid firefighters to answer to "the city" (i.e., Malloy's colleagues) rather than the chiefs at the volunteer firehouses where they are stationed. The fire chiefs have publicly, repeatedly and plainly stated why this would create a conflict of interest that could adversely affect all aspects of firehouse management, from discipline to morale to safety, but Malloy didn't care.

Mr. Mayor: When your plan includes cutting the budget of a fire department by 88 percent - and not just any fire department, but the department that, by far, covers the largest percentage of Stamford - how dare you disguise your dishonesty, selfishness, and blatant irresponsibility behind the identity of "the city," as if we're in this together. If this is how you conduct the city's business, then I am not on your side, sir. I am on the side of those of us who believe that the mayor is not above the law, that contracts should be honored, and most of all, that if my house is burning down, the fire department should have enough money to fuel their fire engine long enough to get to my house and put out the fire.

Alexander Higle

Stamford