January 10th’s article about city pension benefits claims that there were “generous pension giveaways during prosperous years in the Giuliani administration” (“180G Retirement”).

For the record, only the state Legislature can enact changes to the pension plans provided to municipal workers. Furthermore, Mayor Giuliani vigorously opposed all state Legislature-mandated proposals to enhance the city pension plans during his two terms.

The “prosperous years” you refer to resulted from Giuliani’s relentless policies that resulted in unprecedented crime reduction, new levels of street cleanliness, unequaled tax reductions and overall economic development.

Joseph J. Lhota

Budget Director, 1995-98

Robert M. Harding

Budget Director

1998-2000

Adam L. Barsky

Budget Director, 2000-01

Manhattan