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Editor:

The Orleans Hub article on “Meet the candidate’s night” at Lyndonville focused on the health insurance policy currently proposed as a term of contract negotiations. The article also addressed “scare tactics” used.

Please refer to public District Policy (https://www.lyndonvillecsd.org/documents/board-of-education/board-policy-info-for-website/43016) in the citations below.

Role of the Board of Education (BOE) (#1310 and 1311 summary):  “The board manages and controls educational affairs of the district. The major role of the BOE is to hire a superintendent who is competent to manage the district. The board will support and evaluate the Superintendent.”

The board is represented and has input on union negotiations (including health insurance) but terms of contracts are not the sole dictation of BOE. Union contracts are tied up with larger entities in the county and state. Violating the terms of contracts can have legal and financial impacts to the district.

Discussing contract terms (on any subject) that are still in negotiation are not in a finalized state should not be presented in a public forum.

 #1350 e. “Represent the entire community without fear or favor.”

Rumors of bullying tactics, retaliation and accusations in this election are direct opposition to the policies the board has laid out for itself and that we as a district frown upon for our own students.

Tough issues including bullying will continue to come up with our students and our community. It is critical to come together as an educational team to face them on a united front to develop viable solutions.

All parties should have spoken about the exceptional students, teachers, staff, administrators, and the future of our district.

#1350 f. “Remember at all times that the board member is one member of an educational team.”

Taking a “it takes a village to raise a child” mentality needs to be in place. Parents, teachers, administration, Board of Education members and the community need to all come to the table to continue to foster the growth of the future generation of our country.

Lyndonville is small and has the gift of working with friends and neighbors to pave the road for future success even within NYS mandates.

There is such an opportunity to work together to get to the black and white text of how things operate. Reviewing current procedures, determining effectiveness, and providing clarity in existing documents is critical to support organization and streamlined operation.

Technology could be utilized more for condensed and efficient communication. This platform also can be used to build a conversation for all those on the educational team. The BOE can put a quick summary video of meetings on the website, grade level announcements all in one place, or utilization of text messages for upcoming events are some options to be explored.

Fostering our kids to have deep roots fed by the strong values we have and big wings grown with the education provided in our school is what Lyndonville does.

Please vote for me for the Lyndonville School Board (#2 on the ballot, #1 tiger in your hearts). I am invested and have done the work to be the most informed to perform this role. No matter what the results I want LCS to continue to be the best as a team!

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at meganbruningorangeandblack@gmail.com.

Megan Bruning

Ridgeway

Editor:

Listen up Lyndonville parents and taxpayers!

A plan is in place. The Lyndonville teachers’ union brought in experts last year to teach the teachers how to flip the board!  It’s been their goal. It is in their emails and meeting minutes. Is that OK with you? It makes me livid! It’s so wrong!

Having been on the board for 12 years, that isn’t how you get what you want! The teachers’ union is not thinking about the kids, but their needs above all else. They are in contract negotiations and have wants. They want pay increases among other things.

Why should the teachers, when maybe only about 15%  of them live in the district, choose our board?!!!  They recruited!

The board flipping idea never came about because of healthcare! That is the smokescreen used to drive teachers and community members to support their candidates. The school board was not forcing anything on them, and they agreed to let research be done to see if comparable insurance existed for less impact to the budget. (12% of the annual budget goes to staff healthcare.)

I have spoken to teachers, and they were told if they go publicly against the union….they will face a lawsuit! Many are against this move.

Nothing about this is right! The union is investing finances on two mailings to all  Lyndonville residents, and numerous signage. They are spending time on phone trees calling taxpayers, all to flip the board!  Don’t let them control this election, in order to get what they want!

In order to take back our country, we must start at the local level!  And, that means our schools! I love the small rural town of Lyndonville! LCS was my, and my children’s, alma mater. I have invested in its children for many years. I don’t want to see the indoctrination of CRT and DEI in our small school. The “Union slate” includes a candidate that promotes that! His twitter account has been public, so I have seen it myself.

Keep LCS Conservative!  Vote for incumbents Lewis, Hrovat, and Vann! It is crucial that you spread the word! Time is short! Don’t let the “Union” pick your representatives on the board!

It has never been done before and this should never be happening!  Sadly, they are dividing a strong community.

Elizabeth Carpenter

Lyndonville

Editor:

I am very dismayed at the choice of development of a new microbrewery business over the enlargement and improvements to the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

In my opinion the state was wrong in advancing an alcohol-related facility over an educational and community gathering facility. I understand the choice of housing, waterfront development and hotel space and think they were wise. The signage and storefront ideas were also needed and appreciated.

I hope the community and business leaders will support the library with the money to go ahead with their expansion plans in the near future! With the many needs in the community’s infrastructure currently in the works I am afraid the library will be left behind.

Dayton Hausman

Medina

Editor:

I recently received a couple of items in the mail relating to the upcoming Tuesday Lyndonville CSD budget vote and board election.

One item was from a board candidate and the other was the school district newsletter containing a statement by the same board candidate.

Both items were disturbing and unlike any school communication I have ever received.

The item from the candidate contains, in bold print, the following header: “Keep a conservative minded majority on this board!”

Besides pandering to a partisan political constituency, reading between the lines, the message of the incumbent candidates is clear: Books will be banned if they don’t align with the new, conservative viewpoint, and support for some segment of the student population will be withdrawn if it doesn’t align with a radically restrictive social viewpoint.

There is no room for that kind of policy in a public school preparing kids for the 21st century!

In the board newsletter the candidate tries to defend eviscerating health insurance coverage for current employees and retirees. Coincidentally, collective bargaining is now underway between the Board of Education and union leadership.

Allusions are made to significant savings with virtually no change in coverage. The facts are otherwise. Participating providers, service coverage and deductibles would all result in greater personal dollar cost and inconvenience to policy holders. The current Orleans-Niagara health insurance consortium has provided adequate coverage for a reasonable cost for years. The BOCES and seven of the smaller districts find annual cost savings in the cooperative plan. The plan is reviewed annually.

The coverage advocated by the candidate would harm employees and retirees. If the school district wants to continue to attract the most qualified teachers, it can’t provide the same level of health insurance coverage as provided to burger-flippers.

In a condescending commentary about the competency of educational administrators, the candidate claims expert qualifications in business matters. If that were the case, why go for the low-hanging fruit? Why not look at tougher issues such as extending contracted transportation services? Why not re-visit consolidation with another district? (ie: If consolidated with Barker, the new district would still be the smallest in the BOCES).

The message to me is clear: Boycott voting for the current board members on Tuesday. Educational quality and fiscal responsibility are at stake.

Ralph Smith

Lyndonville

Editor:

The Albion Betterment Committee believes this may be a good time to thank Village of Albion residents for accepting white dogwoods many years ago.

The trees were looking magnificent this past week as they showed off their gorgeous flowers. Those blossoms will be followed by stunning red berries that are coveted by many native birds.

We thank all those property owners who have taken care to prune the trees appropriately as well. Very few of the small to medium-sized trees have been left with short, ugly stumps when unwanted branches have been removed.  Cutting such limbs back to larger stems allows the trees to heal and helps assure good health.

For residents who missed out when local teens helped put about forty of the trees in years ago, we say, “Better luck next time.”

Very truly yours,

Gary Kent on behalf of Albion Betterment Committee Board of Directors

Albion

Editor:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s attacks on immigration has to be seen as an attack on small farms and our farming communities.

Cornell University reports that over 50% of farmworkers are undocumented immigrants. The lack of farmworkers is a major reason for farm bankruptcies. When the previous administration attacked immigration, farm bankruptcies drastically increased — a 20% increase in 2019. That was not an unintentional result of Mr. Trump’s immigration policy.

Indeed, Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advised the Trump administration, told the New York Times, (March 18, 2019), that their goal was to force small farms to consolidate.

A Study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, (published 4/14/21), reports that farm consolidation means: “jobs disappear, population shrinks, physical and social infrastructure weakens.”

Small family farms support our local schools and churches and provide economic vitality to our communities. Ms. Tenney’s attacks on immigration is an attack on our local communities.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

In several rankings, Orleans County has an adult obesity level of 50.9%. The highest in the state and one of the highest in the country.  A short review of photos in the Hub reveals the extent of the problem.

There is a simple solution the Austrians and Dutch have used to become among the healthiest and physically fit people in the world.  Walk and ride bikes, and leave the cars home.

In Amsterdam, former car ramp garages are now full of bicycles. Dutch bike riders, who are invariably slim, told us a bike ride to and from work is an important part of their fitness program. Many Dutch have two bicycles: one for commuting to work and the second for recreation.

In Vienna, Austria people routinely take their two-wheeled shopping carts to the grocery store and leave the cars at home.

I suggest Mr. Paul Pettit, the local public health director, and his Health Department set an example and start a walk/bike ride to work program. Perhaps a “Walk Around Town” program could be started by County/Village leaders.

With county/village leaders hitting the streets, perhaps the walk/bike idea will catch on and Orleans County can remove itself from that list.

I look forward to comments from Mr. Pettit’s and county/villages leaders.

Jack Capurso

Ashburn, Va.

Mr. Capurso is a 1960 Albion graduate.

Editor:

This is the first time in the history of the Lyndonville Teachers’ Association that we are endorsing Board of Education candidates because change is needed.

A change in leadership would benefit the community, district, and, most importantly, the students. Megan Bruning and Patrick Whipple will bring an opportunity for building a school district that:

• Celebrates the values and spirit of Lyndonville’s rich history
• Develops all students to their full potential by strengthening academic and emotional supports
• Ensures more efficient use of district resources by collaborating with all stakeholders
• Improves the climate in school buildings through respectful professional etiquette and the equal treatment of all
• Reinvigorates the athletic program to return to previously high numbers of participation
• Enhances communication by reporting information honestly and transparently

Please consider supporting our vision for the future of Lyndonville Central Schools by voting for Megan Bruning and Patrick Whipple on Tuesday, May 21.

Shane Price

LTA President

Lyndonville

Editor:

As a long-time resident of the Village of Lyndonville/Town of Yates, I would like to express my opinion, in regards to having a beer tent on the 4th of July.

For years we have been known as  fostering a family friendly event on the 4th. I certainly do not have any problem with people who wish to  drink alcohol, but I believe it is best done on private properties.

I believe the need is not there to raise money through a questionable practice of allowing  the open sale of alcohol in our village/town, even with some restrictions. I would urge the Lions Club and town/village officials to take another look at their decision.

Ann Harrold

Lyndonville

Editor:

Donald Trump’s coalition of angry, paranoid, power-hungry, money-hungry, racist, and low-information voters is not going away.

Former RNC Chairman, Michael Steele (a host on MSNBC) points out that even after Nikki Haley dropped out her motivated voters made their dissatisfaction clear by turning out in meaningless primaries. They are partisan Republicans – tied by friendship, tradition and belief – but walked right across the MAGA line. Steele thinks Haley  voters and independents are key to the election.

In the current Trump trial, the former president already appealed the gag order to stop threatening and intimidating witnesses. He can not stop himself. But it’s Mafia bosses who make threats, not innocent people or Presidents. Trump and  MAGA mimic the mob. That is what good people hate and fear.

Trump is even welcoming back convicted felons with Russian ties to run his campaign. That is outrageous stuff but it’s happening. MAGA entertainers leave that news on the cutting room floor.

This New York trial is the least serious matter. A not guilty does not invite dictatorship. But with one juror who gets his information from Trump’s Truth Social, I suspect a hung jury.  Even so if you look Fox is completely editing out damning  trial evidence to keep it from voters. It’s keeping the fiction going. Trying to elect someone who will keep its ratings up.

On the other hand real history is instructive. Here are a few examples:

In the 1859 election the North rejected a “fixed”  slavery oriented Supreme Court and threats of war by the South and elected a forward-looking country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Freedom won out.

The Tilden Hayes election in 1880 resulted in the counting laws which Pence followed on Jan. 6th. They secured the state certification process. Secure elections won out.

The Great Depression was fixed and WWII kept from spreading here by a crippled Franklin Roosevelt. He was elected to invest in labor and not the rich. That started the boom which continued through to the Reagan tax cuts which actually ignored labor with its fake “supply side” promises – fake economics. Roosevelt also sided with freedom’s friends, our friends, in the war and won. The best of democracy showed through.

This year we have to keep war in Europe, make sure the Mideast doesn’t blow up, and continue to bring our economy to a soft landing. And we have to stop Trump’s threats to impose rules and laws which can only happen under a dictator with the full immunity he demands.

(Meanwhile, speaking of dictatorship, Trump held a meeting last month with oil executives at Mara Lago illegally promising repeal of environmental laws in return for a billion in campaign contributions.)

Election season is coming and informed voters will find Biden does not talk like, expressly revere, or act like a Capone who demands allegiance from those who blindly support him – or express admiration for dictators who are the enemy of freedom.

MAGA will survive in some form. Our job is to talk freely and not let Trump and entertainers have the last word. All the news has to be discussed and we need to let those on line know that there are friends of democracy here to embrace them. That’s being a real American.

Respectfully,

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

In a follow-up from a letter to the editor from April 14, my mother who is grandmother at age 72, survived a very scary health battle involving endocarditis. At first it was believed to be sepsis. They doctors checked her heart and discovered the endocarditis.

She also found out that it had damaged her atrial valve in her heart. Doctors also discovered she need double-coronary bypass surgery.

My mom had open heart surgery April 23 to fix the damaged atrial valve and had double-coronary bypass surgery. It went very well. She is also currently on antibiotics for the endocarditis.

My mom was transferred to Medina Memorial on May 6 to begin short-term rehab which in her words was the next best thing to be closer to home. The good news afterwards she  was able to finally see her grandson later on that day after almost a month of being away in Rochester. That brought some real joy and happiness to both of them – there are no words to describe how I felt seeing it.

Her grandson got to visit her again last night and he couldn’t have been happier. She’s starting PT and OT to help her get mobile again!

There are no words to describe the will and fight my mom has in her, like I’ve said in the past she is a two-time breast cancer survivor,  dealt with rheumatoid arthritis that had severely crippled her hands and her feet and other areas.

She also had surgery this very same week last year for a crippling hiatal hernia that also was  severe. She’s had so much happen and she just keeps going. I wouldn’t be surprised you might witness her soon on her three-wheeled bike trying to ride around town!

Lastly to anyone had read or seen my previous article about the warrior that is my mother and sent all their thoughts and prayers to her during this difficult time, thank you. She is healing and will be home hopefully soon to be with her family and her grandson that loves her deeply.

Aaron Vosburgh

Albion

Editor:

I decided to come forward after reading the Union-Sun & Journal on April 30 with the article “Chickens may come home to roost in the city.” The City of Lockport’s code revision will allow homeowners to keep up to 6 hens without a permit.

I took an interest in modern homesteading during Covid and the health benefits of growing my own food. I was recently contacted by the Village of Lyndonville’s Code Enforcement Officer to get rid of my heritage flock of rare breed chickens. I asked who complained….no one.

I have had chickens on my property for 7 years without any neighbor complaints. My daughter’s former 4-H project turned into a valuable sustainable food source for my family, especially during Covid with food supply shortages and in times of fluctuating egg prices.

My hens were contained, not free ranging. There was no smell, no roosters, no roadside egg stand. Of course, since “the law has been on the books for a long time,” nothing else mattered. I relocated the chickens before the deadline. I do not anticipate being levied the $1,000 a day fine or serving the threatened year of imprisonment. I know Lyndonville is not alone in its antiquated poultry policies. Other local municipalities in Orleans County do not allow chickens which is quite shameful in a county that prides itself on a robust agricultural industry.

93 percent of cities in the US allow chickens, including New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. The Village of Lyndonville, with a population of about 800 people, does not. Why? What was the reason behind banning chickens within a community of one square mile? What is the relevance now?

Raising chickens is work. Not everyone will want to do it. If there are others within the Village interested in a backyard flock, please reach out to me. I have been a civil servant for 23 years in the criminal justice system. I have a B.S. degree with college coursework in Pastured Poultry, Agricultural Law and Sustainable Food & Farming.

I value the importance of standing up for what I believe in, preserving agriculture in my community and the right to grow my own food. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty and would be happy to work together to change the local law by raising awareness about the many benefits of raising a backyard flock of chickens.

Kate Hardner

Lyndonville

Editor:

I recently completed twenty-year District of Columbia metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone’s book. “Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul.”

As someone who thinks truth matters, I strongly suspect that anyone who believes the January 6, 2021 attempted storming of the House of Representatives chamber by a violent mob was a lovefest isn’t fully aware of what happened that day.

Joe Biden’s predecessor continues to maintain that Fanone and dozens of others who suffered serious consequences while attempting to keep the certification of Biden as our 46th President orderly and peaceful are at the very least greatly exaggerating. (Fanone was pulled into the mob, viciously beaten and tased until he had a heart attack.)

Those still unable to accept the 2020 election results and the facts about number 45 and January 6th, 2021after reading streetwise cop Fanone’s book may need to take a closer look at this nation, our recent history, the Constitution, and the intent of—and risks taken by—patriots such as the Founding Fathers.

Sincerely,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

Truth or consequences?

Orleans County voters – you have an important issue to address. Your County Legislators have put forth the proposition that your right to have local courts, the courts closest to the people, and your vote for locally elected public officers, should be taken away and ceded to New York State.

The path to the hearing on this proposed local law on May 7th has been paved with misinformation and half-truths. As the saying goes, if we fail to understand the truth, we are destined to suffer the consequences.

By Resolution 137-323 of the Orleans County Legislature, an 11-member “District Court Committee” was established. Its directive: to “study the potential implementation of a district court system in Orleans County…. and to provide a recommendation to the County Legislature regarding the merits of the establishment of a district court system.”

The report of the committee starts with the conclusion that a district court is the best option for Orleans County. It then provides anecdotal statements from the New York State Bar Association in an attempt to support that conclusion. Almost half of the committee, 5 of the 11 members, have either dissented from the recommendation or abstained from making any recommendation whatsoever. Hardly a ringing endorsement of the current plan.

Where are the facts to support making such a drastic change? Why can’t they provide definitive financial information? Where is the necessary support from the State Legislature for funding?

The crux of the committee’s report suggests substantial cost savings by substituting individual town courts for a single district court. At the same time, they admit that a vote to establish a district court does not terminate existing Town Courts (New York State Constitution (Article VI, Section 17). Towns would still need to fund local courts. So where is the promised cost savings?

The report includes a statement almost too cynical to be believed: “…. townships can minimize the cost of the justice court by substantially reducing the court’s budget, salaries and personnel and other resources to render the justice court ineffective and essentially exist in name only.” It is unconscionable that a Legislative body would accept a plan to “render the justice court ineffective.” Does this sound like a committee seeking to “improve safety, fairness, access to justice and efficiency in the administration of criminal justice”?

Our founders established three separate yet equal branches of government in the Constitution – Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Each branch is to have separate and independent powers, so that no one branch is more powerful than another.

It should not be the goal of a County Legislature to run roughshod over the Judicial branch to “render justice courts ineffective.” No one branch should have that power over another.  That is autocracy not democracy.

Please do not let the County Legislature take away your access to local courts and your right to vote for community representation. Your decision has consequences.

Hon. Sherry R. Davenport

Past President of the New York State Magistrates Association

Cortland

Editor:

Note advertisements in the Orleans Hub and Pennysaver on Rev. Dr. William Wilkinson’s presentation at the Hoag Library Thursday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. on immigrants and race.

 A very active Christian recently asked, “Why don’t those ‘illegals’ become ‘legal?’”

The answer: most can not.  An immigration judge, Walter Ruhle, in a speech at the Buffalo Catholic Center said it’s virtually impossible.  A friend, very successful, who came from Mexico in 1993 at the age of12, has spent $35,000 on legal fees, but remains “undocumented.”

In the past, we allowed Chinese to come to work on the railroads, but wouldn’t allow them to become citizens. In 1924, we ruled that Japanese could not become citizens.

We’ve done the same thing recently with about 6 million mainly Mexican farmworkers, who came from 1986 to 2003 to work in our farms, in food processing, service industries and even health care, but blocked them from citizenship.

Secondly, it’s not the immigrant workers who are illegal. It’s their employers who are illegal.  The 1986 law, which still applies (despite two failed major bi-partisan efforts to correct it) makes it illegal to hire “undocumented” workers.

Thus, it is the growers, food processors, hotel and restaurant owners, who are breaking the law. Clearly the 1986 law was impractical and we seemingly had no intention of enforcing it. To go back nearly 40 years and do so now, would be impractical and unfair.

Even more so, it would be unfair and cruel, to evict “undocumented” workers, 2/3rds of whom have been here for over 20 years and have had children and developed families,  with no practical way to become documented.

Also, it would make no sense to undermine “small” farmers, who still rely on such workers.   Orleans County agricultural economy would suffer dearly.

We citizens of this area and good Christians should know this. But, we are inclined “un-Christianly” to blame “the least of these” (in terms of power and influence.)

Take the time and effort to learn the truth.

Come hear Rev. Dr. Willliam Wilkinson this Thursday. Read up on the program two months ago, “Are Immigrants Good for Orleans?” featuring Sheriff Christopher Bourke, major farmers, an immigrant, historian Bill Lattin and immigrant case workers.

There will be handouts on that prior program and other immigrant worker issues.

Hope to see many of you this Thursday.

Bob Golden

Waterport

Golden, a retired probation director in Orleans County, has worked on this issue since 1962, including private, county, national and Diocesan roles.