Editor:

On June 23, I am asking for Shelby residents support electing me to represent them in District 1 on the Shelby Republican Committee.

Shelby deserves steady, informed, and accountable representation. That starts with showing up, listening, and paying attention to the decisions being made on behalf of residents. For that reason, attending town and other local municipal meetings has become a regular priority for me. Staying informed is the best way I can understand local issues and how decisions affect my family, my neighbors, other taxpayers, and businesses.

Orleans County has always been home to me, and Shelby has been home for more than 20 years. My family’s long business ties in the area have also shaped a deep respect for the people, values, and traditions that make this community strong.

Community involvement has always mattered to me. That includes being a member of and supporting local organizations such as the American Legion, Jr. Wilsons Club, VFW, Sacred Heart Club, and Knights of Columbus. These groups bring people together and reflect the kind of service, respect, and commitment that help keep our community strong.

Local government works best when it is open, accountable, and responsive to the people it serves. Shelby residents deserve to know how decisions are made and who is being recommended for elected positions that affect how the Town of Shelby functions.

If elected, I will take accountability for the individuals I recommend for Town positions. I believe Shelby needs more leaders with professional skills and real-life experience that can help the Town get ahead.

Candidates endorsed by the committee should be chosen for their skills, merit, integrity, and accountability, not by the “good old boys” mentality.

Shelby needs more independent thinkers who ask questions, review the facts, and make decisions that are best for the community. And voters should also have more information and a better understanding of the Shelby Republican Committee’s work.

That is why I am running for the District 1seat.

I respectfully ask for your support on June 23rd and for the opportunity to serve Shelby residents on the Shelby Republican Committee.

Sincerely,

John “Yonic” Parada

Shelby resident, District 1

Editor:

The Town of Shelby is considering a change for the Highway Superintendent position to go from elected by the people to appointed by the Town Board.

The New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. (NYSAOTSOH) opposes this change. Currently, the Highway Superintendent is accountable to the people of the town and should remain that way.

Voter Accountability: According to the State Comptroller the single largest expense in New York State’s towns is maintaining their local infrastructure. By having an elected highway superintendent the voters decide directly the person who will administer the largest share of their tax dollars.

As a full-time elected official with this sole purpose in mind, highway superintendents are constantly in touch with their constituents’ needs. If the position is no longer elected town residents will lose the ability to make a direct change for themselves.

The Bottom Line: It does not seem wise to take the power from the people to elect and transfer that power to the Town Board.

Keep your power to choose!

The New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. is the State’s largest transportation association representing Highway Superintendents in 933 towns responsible for maintaining local transportation infrastructure.

Sincerely,

James A. Dussing

President of New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways

Highway Superintendent, Town of Clarence, Erie County

Editor:

Tuesday is election day in the Village of Holley. I am running for trustee.

I have been a trustee in Holley before and was also the Coordinator and DPW Chief.

I am running because I believe there needs to be a refocus of priorities. The taxes have increased 25% over the last 3 years, utility rates have gone up multiple times, and additional fees have been added.

No roads paved because the money to do that was taken out. Police building in deteriorating condition because the money to fix it was taken out. Veterans Drive unusable because no one addressed it.

I worked with many boards. Mrs. Formally attended the meetings for the Power Authority and made sure our electric bills stayed stable. Mayors Carpenter and Passarell did streets and water, built the park and did some sidewalk. Mayor Sorochty got the deal to rehab the old school and did major water and sidewalk in Main Street.

Now the focus is on a covered bocce courts, decorations and festivals.

My focus is on cutting taxes, repairing infrastructure and reducing costs.

I also will ask the state to put a crosswalk near the Dollar General to facilitate the pedestrian traffic. I will oppose regulations which make life difficult for the few remaining businesses.

Please consider voting for me.

Ron Vendetti

Holley

Editor:

For more than a century, Catholic Charities of Buffalo has stood beside our neighbors in their most difficult moments — offering not just assistance, but dignity, stability, and hope. Every day, Catholic Charities is often the first place people across Western New York turn to when they are facing hunger, mental health struggles, family crises, addiction, isolation, or the uncertainty of tomorrow.

Today, that need is growing at an alarming rate. More families are struggling to afford groceries and utilities. More seniors are living alone and vulnerable. For many households, one unexpected medical bill, car repair, or lost paycheck can spiral into a devastating crisis.

In Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, Catholic Charities provided hope and help to more than 2,500 people last year, through programs that are lifelines for our neighbors. Services include basic emergency assistance; multisystemic therapy for youth; and home visitation and friendly phones programs for seniors.

But none of this work happens without community support.

We’re in the final month of Appeal 2026, with a goal of raising $8 million by June 30. Every donation helps keep hope alive for someone in crisis.

Western New York has always been strongest when neighbors help neighbors. Supporting Catholic Charities is one of the most direct and meaningful ways to do exactly that.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call Catholic Charities at 585-343-0614. If you are able to give, now is the time. Our community’s most vulnerable neighbors are counting on it.

Katelyn DiSalvo

Tri-County District Director, Catholic Charities

Editor:

As retired educators, we support the candidate with the experience and passion to reverse the assault on public education in America: Diana Kastenbaum.

Historically, the expansion of education and democracy went hand-in-hand; a defining feature of American democracy is the right to vote. Diana will protect mail-in voting, early voting, and other measures which make casting a ballot by legally registered voters less, not more, arduous.

Wealthy campaign donors and Political Action Committees shift the focus of officials elected by “dark money” to school choice, culture wars, and divisive policies, often fracturing local communities. Diana’s engagement via Concerned Citizens for NY24, her opposition to taking corporate PAC money, and her commitment to undo Citizens United are specific examples of her leadership.

Our Founding Fathers believed an educated electorate was essential to a stable democracy. Diana demonstrates that conviction as a SUNY Genesee Community College Trustee and appointee to the Association of Community College Trustees Rural National Advisory Council. She serves as a member of the Government Relations committees on both the national and state associations of community colleges where she advocates for our students, educators, and institutions in Albany and Washington.

Diana Kastenbaum is highly qualified and the right choice to represent NY-24 in Congress; we urge Democrats to vote for her in this month’s primary election on June 23rd.

George Ann Carter of Warsaw

Peggy Fusco of Canandaigua

Dr. Gregory Geer of Williamson

Dr. Michael Glover of LeRoy

Edward Orman of York

Loren Penman of Batavia

Editor:

State Senator Rob Ortt wrote an illogical letter opposed to State Senate Bill S399A which is designed specifically to address Glock pistols that can easily be converted into illegal machine guns.

In his unhinged rant he claims that banning this pistol would “strip New Yorker of their freedoms.”  This proposed legislation does not ban the sale of handguns by other companies. It does not increase regulations or create a burden on gun owners or those wishing to buy a handgun.

Mr. Ortt even acknowledges that: “By law, the very thing Democrats are trying to prevent is already illegal.” Since it is already illegal how does it “strip New Yorker of their freedoms” or chip “away at the constitutional rights and liberties of responsible citizens?”

Mr. Ortt’s logic further falls apart when he criticizes statements made by Governor Kathy Hochul in her state of the state address as “complete nonsense” and then, in the very next sentence, writes that what she said, “may be factually true.”

The Glock pistol is sought after by criminals because they can be easily modified into machine guns. Over 11,000 devices to convert semi-automatic firearms into illegal machine guns have been recovered between 2019 and 2023. These devices have been recovered from numerous crime scenes.

California, New Jersey, and Connecticut have or are considering bans on Glock pistols. Last October a New Jersey judge allowed a lawsuit against Glock Inc. to continue writing that the lawsuit: “sets forth factual claims that Glock deliberately designed its handguns to be readily convertible to illegal machine guns, marketed those products, and failed to employ responsible controls or modify the design despite numerous warnings and increased harm.”

Rob Ortt is being very melodramatic and exaggerating claims of Constitutional harm. If we didn’t have government regulations, people could sell broken glass to children, like in the Saturday Night Live sketch.

This proposed law does not affect law abiding responsible citizens. As a taxpayer and as a citizen I am tired of reading about school shootings, or church shootings, or shopping mall shootings.  And I am tired of reading that every proposed gun safety law is a Constitutional crisis. This is a common-sense law.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Thank you to the Genesee County legislative members who took time to meet with us several months ago regarding the proposed Stream data center project at STAMP. We appreciated the opportunity to discuss our concerns and wanted to follow up with additional perspective.

We have taken note of the Legislature’s strong and public opposition to large-scale industrial solar developments in our rural communities. We understand that many of you feel these projects are rapidly transforming agricultural land and altering the character of our region in ways that residents neither expected nor welcomed. On this issue, we agree.

We also recognize that the County has gone so far as to retain a lobbying and consulting firm, allocating significant taxpayer funds to oppose these industrial-scale solar projects and advocate for local interests. That level of commitment demonstrates that the Legislature understands the long-term consequences that large industrial developments can impose on rural communities.

We respectfully ask that you apply that same scrutiny and concern to the proposed Stream data center project.

While data centers and solar facilities may appear different on the surface, they share many of the same impacts that have led the Legislature to oppose large-scale solar development. Both involve the permanent industrialization of rural land, substantial construction disruption, habitat and hydrological impacts, heavy reliance on public infrastructure and emergency services, generous subsidies and tax incentives for multinational corporations, and minimal long-term employment opportunities relative to their scale.

Perhaps most importantly, both types of projects are being advanced rapidly, with limited transparency and growing public concern from residents who feel their communities are being fundamentally transformed without meaningful local benefit.

To help illustrate these parallels, we have attached a side-by-side comparison outlining the shared impacts and concerns associated with industrial solar facilities and hyperscale data centers.

We urge you to reconsider your position on the Stream data center project and evaluate it using the same standards you have applied to other industrial developments that threaten the rural character, environmental integrity, and long-term sustainability of our communities.

We appreciate your time and consideration and hope you will stand consistently in defense of the residents and landscapes you were elected to protect.

Sincerely,

Alyssa Beuler, Alabama

Kelly Hallenbeck, Bergen

Gina Schelemanow, Batavia

Richard Beatty, Batavia

RaeAnn Engler, Batavia

Liz Thompson, Batavia

Editor:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and Congressman Nick Langworthy’s economic policies are hurting Western New York.

Their tariff policies are driving up cost of supplies and equipment for farmers. Fertilizer prices have increased between 4.7% and 37.6% according to a report from the National Corn Grower Association released last July, before the war with Iran.

Meanwhile, exports by New York dairy farmers declined by 12% in the first half of 2025 and soybean exports dropped from 985 million bushels in 2024 to 218 million bushels in the first eight months of 2025. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation farm bankruptcies in New York are increasing.

The Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Association (BNMA) survey showed that Ms. Tenney’s and Mr. Langworthy’s tariffs are increasing cost of material and supplies harming manufacturing across Western New York.

Manufacturing Association of the Southern Tier found that more than 80% of their respondents reported that tariffs were increasing cost of raw materials. Peter Ahrens, Chief Operating Officer of the BNMA, reported that “the data shows far more manufacturers are struggling than benefiting under current trade policies.”

Small businesses that depend on tourism like lodging and hotels, rentals and restaurants are significantly hurt by the Republican’s policies. New York State Department of Labor reports that unemployment is increasing in Western New York.

It is no surprise that Moody’s Analytics put the possibility of a recession starting in the next 12 months at 49% before the war with Iran now with oil prices going up they predict a recession by more than 50%.

Farmers, manufacturing, and small business are all negatively affected by Republican economic policies. Your fuel costs are skyrocketing; food costs are increasing and the rise in inflation is eating your income.

While your economic condition worsens, Ms. Tenney and Mr. Langworthy are taking your tax dollars to fund a vanity ballroom for $1 billion dollars, a Triumphal arch for about $15 million, and their war in Iran for over $29 billion.

Now they are contemplating pulling $1.776 billion from the treasury, of your money, for the President’s slush fund to reward his supporters. Republicans are not working for the needs of Western New York.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

I recently bought a made-in-China T-shirt (accepted by USA customs and tariff paid) with the numerals 8647 included.

In my long experience, to “86” something is to discard or cancel it as useless or silly.  Any attempt to describe this as promoting murder is also silly.  We have larger free speech issues in this country without a ban on numbers.

Sincerely,

Gerard M. Morrisey

Albion

Editor:

In Albany this week, the Democratic majority put the Public Protection and General Government Bill to the floor for a vote, and despite its deceptive name, this package of bills strips New Yorkers of their freedoms.

This package aims to ban Glocks in New York State – another out-of-touch gun grab championed by Democrats, who understand very little about firearms and even less about the Constitution.

For over 40 years, Glock pistols have been known around the world as some of the most reliable sidearms. They are trusted by police departments and military branches across the globe. Our very own state police issue the Glock 47, and I carry a Glock 43.

Despite their reputation for safety and dependability with individuals and families who rely on these weapons for self-defense and home protection, we’re looking at a bill that will ban the sale of the most reliable, most user-friendly, and one of the most affordable pistols on the market.

Gun owners and licensed dealers have been anxiously watching this bill, and know full-well it has nothing to do with public safety, and everything to do with Democrats acting tough on guns.

In her state of the state address, the governor said pistol converters turn Glocks into “fully automatic machines capable of firing 1,200 rounds per minute.”  Anyone who knows guns knows this line is complete nonsense. It may be factually true that an illegally converted Glock can fire rounds faster than a semi-auto, but let’s look at reality.

In New York State, to legally obtain a Glock, you need a pistol permit – and if you don’t currently have one, there is a long and expensive process ahead of you. On top of that, it is already illegal to purchase or manufacture the so-called Glock Switch. It’s also worth noting, pistols are limited to 10-round magazines.

So tell me, how is a law-abiding gun owner a danger to public safety? By law, the very thing Democrats are trying to prevent is already illegal. I cannot, under current law, modify my Glock to fully automatic, nor load 1,200 rounds into it. Not to mention, having over 1,000 rounds loaded all at once would require a magazine the size of a watermelon.

It’s just not practical, and neither is this bill.

Democrats are targeting one of the largest and most popular gun manufacturers in an election year so it looks like they’ve actually done something. What they’ve done is hurt local gun stores who will no longer be able to sell their number one product, and are continuing to drive business to neighboring states.

The only thing this bill truly accomplishes is stripping New Yorkers of their second amendment rights and Constitutional liberties. But as usual, Democrats in Albany who know nothing about guns and less about the United States Constitution, are more concerned with taking away our freedoms instead of going after criminals.

As a State Senator, a taxpayer, and a gun owner, I am tired of seeing our state place greater burdens on law-abiding citizens than on those who break the law. New Yorkers deserve leaders who will hold criminals accountable and protect public safety without chipping away at the constitutional rights and liberties of responsible citizens.

Rob Ortt

New York State Senate Minority Leader and representative of District 62

Editor:

What’s the tradeoff? Are data center jobs worth the mental anguish and harm?

At each of the recent public hearings on the STREAM Data Center at STAMP, the only supporters have been a handful of union construction workers. Their support is understandable.

Large data center developers, including STREAM, promise lucrative construction jobs. But are these jobs worth it?

Around the country, workers are raising concerns about the labor practices of Apollo Global Management, the private equity firm backing STREAM. Critics have named a litany of workers’ rights violations involving Apollo-owned companies.

Additionally, research increasingly shows that data center construction and operation jobs involve serious workplace hazards, including electrical dangers, arc flash risks, excessive noise, and fall hazards.

Should communities be forced to choose between economic opportunity and protecting their land, water, health, and future? At the three public hearings on the data center proposal, opponents have presented extensive testimony and evidence from doctors, lawyers, economists, environmental experts, hydrologists, urban planners, and sound specialists bolstering their concerns with the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the proposed data center complex.

While STREAM trumpets its intent to hire “local” workers, GCEDC in fact defines local as encompassing a 14-county radius. Do the jobs promised by STREAM meaningfully follow through on GCEDC’s original promise of 9,000 jobs for the GLOW Region? We think not.

In their recent testimony and other public statements, citizens and leadership of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, along with scores of local residents, have objected to large numbers of outside laborers benefiting from a project that has the ability to harm them and has already caused such mental anguish. They fear this monster could permanently affect their health, well being, harm the delicate local ecology, and ruin their way of life.

In addition to criticism of its labor practices, Apollo also faces mounting transparency and accountability concerns. Former CEO Leon Black was forced to resign because of his deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, shareholders have filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Apollo of deliberately misinforming them about the documented connections of current CEO Marc Rowan to Epstein.

For many residents, these controversies deepen concerns about placing long-term environmental and economic risks in the hands of a multinational investment firm with no connection to the community – in fact, a track record of harming local workers.

Increasingly, workers are grappling with the moral conflict – and tradeoff – of building projects meant to support their families today while fearing those same projects could create a less secure and less humane future for their children and neighbors tomorrow.

Organized labor is not the problem. Workers deserve respect, fair wages, and safe jobs. But communities also have every right to question whether massive industrial projects backed by billion-dollar corporations truly serve the public interest.

As residents and citizens of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation have urged, we ask union members and public officials alike to be good neighbors. Consider how this project would affect future generations: permanently altering the rural landscape, threatening the way of life of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the quality of life of local residents, and harming our irreplaceable local environment.

Kelly Hallenbeck, Bergen

Christine F. Zinni, Batavia

Richard Beatty, Batavia

RaeAnn Engler, Batavia

Editor:

When farmers can not afford to buy fertilizer and their bankruptcies are at all times high, people in this rural community have to know the cows are out the gate and going down the road.

Despite very clear  warnings we are now into an era in which a few hundred mega billionaires and election denying politicians would rather burn the country down if it means they get ahead. I have seen the propaganda build for decades as voodoo economics and divisive political pandering  became accepted articles of faith.

The Secretary of Energy Chris Wright admitted in testimony that the President knew oil prices (and profits) would go up if he went into Iran. The new nominee for the FDA sells aphrodisiac tinctures on TV.

Theft of public money is going without investigate and criminal and (terrorist) court cases lost as experienced FBI investigators and senior DOJ are either driven out or leave with middle finger salutes.

The man who spat on Obama’s Iran deal (not the best but working) just made a first offer to Iran which is much worse.

Our friends who have financed our budget (tax) deficits, are being treated like dirt while our  enemies sneeze and we jump. They are findings ways to cope by starting new trading blocks which collectively dwarf our economy. That is permanent lost business.

This plot to break up our country is like a toilet flushing and is going to accelerate.  Government by tweet is not government. It’s like dealing with someone in the early stages of dementia.

To remain a strong country we need to preserve our economy, our science, our universities, our health, our election system in which all could be elected and we could go to the polls without fear, our homeland security spends its time and resources defending from terrorism.

We can build back better but everything was either known or foreseeable by any leader (politician) worth their salt. People got gaslit like a deaf, dumb and blind monkey. I have friends who were that naive. But it’s a form of suicide to reelect leaders who participated, and still participate, in this gaslighting and destruction.

Massive turn out can still beat a stacked deck no matter how fast or underhanded the shuffle.

The danger is in not loving either your country or your future enough to stand up and shout.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Barre

Editor:

Much has been reported regarding Stream Data Centers’ proposed project in Genesee County’s STAMP business complex. Unfortunately, the majority of it hasn’t been accurate.

Non-local opponents have traveled from far and wide to spread fear and misinformation. Using old industry data – and ignoring the cutting-edge technologies and best practices being employed – they’ve claimed it will damage the environment, increase residential energy rates, and result in the region “losing money” due to economic incentives.

None of that is true.

The truth is, Stream Data Centers will bring more than a half a billion dollars in property tax payments alone to the Town of Basom, Genesee County and Oakfield-Alabama School District over 30 years. This is over and above the thousands of construction jobs which will be filled over the project’s muti-year buildout, the money those workers will spend and sales tax they’ll generate, the 125 permanent jobs whose average annual salaries will exceed $100,000, and the dozens of additional contractors and vendors who will do business with Stream once they are operational.

Stream has already invested $130,000 in the district, working with school leaders to identify initiatives to best impact students and families. This includes the rebirth of its after-school program, paid agricultural summer internships, new high school CAD lab machinery, and new exercise equipment to enhance the district’s health and wellness.

They’ve also committed to operating their facility with rigorous environmental responsibility. Once their cooling system is filled, it requires no additional water; thus, its daily water use will be similar to a typical 125-employee office space, with standard sink, toilet and daily dishwasher use.

Speaking of dishwashers, that’s how quiet the facility will be. Stream has engineered this project to guarantee no more than 45 decibels of sound emanating at night – on par with a quiet residential dishwasher. During the day it will be not exceed 65 decibels, akin to normal human conversation.

There will be no problematic air or light emissions and their operations won’t harm local wildlife or habitats. Their designs incorporate eco-friendly lighting and windows, along with landscape architecture that will ultimately add native vegetation to the acres of currently abandoned farmland.

Moreover, Stream is not asking us to take their word for it. Members of the Alabama Town Board and Planning Committee have toured existing Stream Data Center complexes. Those representatives witnessed quiet, clean operations and asked whatever questions they wanted to employees – along with unscheduled visits to neighboring residents, who assured them of their unobtrusive presence, with several having no idea they lived near a data center.

Then there’s the project’s site: not on pristine, undisturbed lands, but on an established campus, in between a 17-acre, nearly complete electrical substation under construction since 2022; and the 50-acre Edwards Vacuum facility on Crosby Road which took nearly three years to complete. Some insist the construction will cause wildlife to leave the area. Yet, if construction has been happening for years – and none of it has left yet – why would it now if something is built between these established facilities?

Lastly, there’s the issue of energy, which is effectively already in place. Dedicated, high-power electrical lines pass through the property, forming the backbone of Upstate New York’s electric power grid. These lines are purpose-built for reliable, large-scale power delivery to major industrial users and operate separately from local lines that serve residential customers.

Stream has worked with utilities, state authorities and the state grid operator to ensure its thoughtful integration into the grid without impacting residential supply or rates. Stream is paying for the infrastructure to deliver this existing power to its facility. Moreover, it is subsidizing the remaining 100 megawatts in the STAMP park for future business projects. That’s enough electricity to power nine more projects the size of Edwards Vacuum – another proactive community investment.

It’s time we stop letting outsiders tell us what’s best for our community. Stream has come to Genesee County with an excellent reputation and a decades-long commitment. They’ve been open and fair neighbors at every turn. It’s time we welcome them – not fight them. Let’s sit down and have a rational discussion to discover how else Stream might benefit our community. Because the only way our region will lose money from this relationship is if we turn them away.

Thomas Snyder

Attica

Energy Systems Engineer and Genesee County landowner

Editor:

It’s nice to be in a small community where people support one another and share ideas and goals.

It is an eye-opener to see how a new industry, Data Centers, would seek to take advantage of our ideal setting and exploit our resources. I never thought it might be happening here—or close by—near the Orleans County line.

I encourage you to become aware of the dangers posed by the planned Data Center. Learn about it and ask questions. Will it substantially affect our electric bills? How will it impact our water supply? Wildlife habitat is likely to be affected adversely.

Public officials should support the will of the people and what is best for our cherished community.

If you would like to know more about this Data Center and ask questions, attend the Green Orleans information session on Thursday, May 7th at the Hoag Library in Albion beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Thanks for your interest,

Gary Kent on behalf of Green Orleans

Albion

Editor:

In the continuing dialogue between citizens and the proposed data center, another factor to throw in the mix: In Europe and especially Ireland, Finland and Sweden, Microsoft and Google are recycling waste heat from their data centers to warm homes and businesses.

What if the data-center company was able to provide free heat to Orleans and Genesee County homes. Could that be something to negotiate? It works in Europe, why not in New York State?

Jack Capurso

Ashburn, Va.

Member of Albion High School class 1960