Vets Protest Agency Chief’s Ouster

Dozens of Idaho veterans descended on the state Capitol on Monday in a concerted campaign to reverse last week’s decision by budget writers to eliminate the job of administrator of Veterans Services.

And leaders of the veterans contingent promised to intensify pressure on lawmakers.

They predicted they would secure the votes needed to reverse the Joint FinanceAppropriations Committee’s 11-9 decision to keep the Veterans Services agency operating, but without popular and longtime administrator Gary Bermeosolo.

“We think as vets he has done an excellent job,” said Deke Johnson of Boise, a ranking officials with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Idaho. “It appears they’re picking on the veterans.”

Johnson and others packed the committee’s meeting room as the panel continued drafting the 1996 budget, finally drawing recognition from Senate Finance Chairman Atwell Parry of Melba. Both Parry and House Appropriations Chairman Kathleen Gurnsey of Boise were part of the majority voting to eliminate Bermeosolo’s $66,000-a-year job.

`The action taken by this committee was by no means to cut any of the services you have,” Parry told them.