Jacqueline Smith’s letter of May 19 infers that Sen. Peggy Rotundo did something wrong. This is far from the truth.

What Sen. Rotundo and the rest of the Legislature did was simply balance the state budget. No money was taken from state retirement as Ms. Smith suggests. I am a retired firefighter, and I rely on the money I receive from my state retirement. I worked very hard along with Sen. Rotundo and other legislators to ensure that the retirement funds were not raided. The $10 million that Ms. Smith writes about was merely a short-term accounting measure to ensure a balanced budget in lieu of many medical service cuts.

I am proud to say that with the help of Sen. Rotundo we were able to enact increased protections for those receiving Maine retirement. Please cast your vote for a dedicated, positive and effective senator, Peggy Rotundo.

Robert Duplessie, Assistant House Majority Leader,

Westbrook