Letters to the Editors

Housing director well worth her pay

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

The St. Petersburg Times has run several articles on Pinellas County Housing Authority director Helen Piloneo's recent salary increase.

I was a commissioner for the Pinellas County Housing Authority for more than 14 of the last 19 years and served as chairwoman four times during that period. I've known and worked with Piloneo that entire time and have always been impressed by her knowledge, integrity and the fact that she is highly regarded among her peers.

I went off the board in December 1999 and, therefore, was not involved in the salary discussions and/or the subsequent decision to increase Piloneo's salary. However, had I still been there, I would have supported the increase. I strongly supported the salary study that apparently was the basis for the increase (not only for her, but for other employees as well).

In addition to her position as executive director of the housing authority, through the PCHA Piloneo serves as executive director of the Dunedin Housing Authority and the Palm Lake Village Housing Corp. (a non-profit). Combined, she oversees over 4,200 units (not the 1,000 or so your articles mentioned), and a budget of more than $18-million per year.

Based on her responsibilities and the findings of the salary study, if anything, we should be embarrassed by the fact that she was underpaid to the point that the increase seems so large. Based on my experience and knowledge of the person and job, I truly believe Helen Piloneo is now being justly compensated.
-- Virginia P. "Pam" Meador, St. Petersburg

Director's raise is a disgrace

Re: Pay increase for the Pinellas County Housing Authority's director.

I wondered if anyone asked other housing authority employees about Helen Piloneo's pay increase. What about the tenant lease co-coordinators, the inspectors and receptionist who have worked there as long as Helen? These are the people who keep the Housing Authority running, not Helen Piloneo. These hard-working employees get yelled at, cussed out and threatened daily. They deal with the sick, the poor, the pregnant teens, people who are dying of AIDS and have no place to live. I know. I worked there and was proud to do so, but I never thought anyone who worked there deserved that kind of salary. We were there as a public service, to help others in need to provide housing to the sick and elderly.

I am ashamed of her, that she would even take this raise. At least let her get in the trenches with the other hard-working people there. Have her interview 12 people a day who are down on their luck with no place to live and a sick child. Let her decide who to put in a unit and who to turn down. Let her inspect homes and deal with angry owners who didn't pass an inspection. And -- my God -- let her take hundreds of calls a day and tell people, "No, I am sorry, we have no funds. . . . But I got a huge pay increase!"

And then see how she likes herself in the morning.
-- Tracy Perry, Largo

Director earns the pay she gets

I am writing this letter to everyone who is criticizing the Pinellas County Housing Authority and our executive director. I think that all housing authority employees and clients can appreciate how fortunate we have been that we have an excellent executive director, that she truly feels the people's needs, that she is doing, creating and implementing programs to help our community. Our executive director, in conjunction with her employees, is working hard to give this agency the position in this community that we have deserved for a long, long time.

In my opinion, our executive director has deserved the new salary rate, no doubt about it. She is a hard worker, spending too many hours on the job every day. Nobody in this agency stays in the office more time than she does. However, people not related with this environment could not have the correct perception, and I understand. But I wish to invite everyone to visit our office to see how hard we are working for our clients.

I believe that everyone who works hard can find the way to win, to reach the top and get the rewards.
-- Carlos R. Pizarro, Largo

Huge piece of good news missed

With all the really "bad" news you seem to feature daily, how could you not cover (in depth) one of the most positive community building activities that took place in Pinellas County, and especially St. Petersburg, on April 29 -- Community Action Day?

Scores of volunteers worked tirelessly to complete 24 projects countywide, with 14 projects located in St. Petersburg. These wonderful volunteers were from all areas, all ages and all backgrounds. They were helped by city and county crews and by generous private company donations of materials and services. These projects may seem small in scope (paint a room at the Y, fix a schoolyard playground, clean a school, help with landscaping), but the impact and the good will these projects generated were felt citywide and countywide. It was huge.

Connie Kone and her group of helpers are to be commended for their tireless efforts to organize and coordinate. They fostered a spirit of cooperation and partnership among government, business and the community that we do not see as often as we should.

Let's please give news space to these types of very positive community building activities. Let's really start saying "Thank you for making a difference" to these great volunteers. This is really what a community is all about. It's about neighbors and being neighborly and helping when you can.

It should have been your lead article on the front page of the April 30 Neighborhood Times.
-- Barbara McCormick Heck, president, Snell Isle Property Owners Association, St. Petersburg

Skaters are true champions

My wife and I attended the 11 a.m. "Ice Skating With Champions" with Nicole Bobek and Todd Eldridge at the ParkSide mall on April 30. With the heavy schedule these great champions have, it is wonderful to see them without fanfare, helping these excited and enthusiastic young skaters.

Inspiring is the word for the time and effort these champions so graciously gave to these fine young skaters.
-- William F. Dwyer, Pinellas Park

Add another right answer

Re: Gifted Math Meet, May 3.

Boy, I sure hope all the kids who answered 1, 7, 11 to the question about three different primes totaling 19 weren't marked wrong, since the paper explained that there were only two correct answers: 3, 5, 11 and 1, 5 ,13!
-- Charles Clarkson, St. Pete Beach

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