Editor:

I have seen and heard enough. I cannot believe how people can be appalled by a sports star kneeling on a field during the national anthem, can call them names and ask for them to fired when some of these same people think it’s justifiable to kneel on a man’s neck for almost nine minutes, until he dies and the man was already in handcuffs.

I took an oath to uphold and protect the constitution of this country when I went in the military and I served with pride. Now we have a leader in the White House who talks about sending our military against the citizens of our country. That same man also criticizes and tries to tear down military heroes like General Mattis.

I also ask you to remember that that same man in the White House I am talking about was the same one who did everything possible to not serve in the military. He has absolutely no right to say anything about any veteran or anyone’s military records.

We have to stand up to get justice for all people – not just people who can afford to buy it. I know we have to remember how important it is to get out and vote for representation for all of us, not just those who donated the most. I ask you to take a minute and think about the last few years.

Please get out and vote. It’s up to “we the people” to save this country.

Harvey Campbell

US Army veteran

Lyndonville

Editor:

Please protect our granddaughter, Paige, a physician’s assistant. Paige was a fierce 3-sports competitor, wanted the ball in crunch time, winning her high school B-ball league championship with last-second game-winning shots in consecutive games.

Although only 5’4” she could sky and won and dominated college and high school volleyball games with crushing kills.

She brought the same fire to her academics, graduating from D’Youville Physician Assistant School, Summa Cum Laude.

Now she brings the same energy and zest to serving patients in an Emergency Room, working many hours.

Please honor her and protect her and all health care workers and zealously follow the COVID-19 guidelines.

As we relax our safeguards slightly, don’t personally relax, as is the tendency. The U.S. is ravaged with the disease. Although only 1/18th of the world’s population, we’re nearly 1/3rd in reported cases and more than a 1/4th of the deaths.

Wall Street Journal’s Michael S. Derby: “Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said 5/21, it is unclear when the U.S. economy will fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic… With the economic outlook hinging on how the virus is contained, ‘it’s impossible to know exactly how and when workers and businesses will be fully back to work and when consumers will return…,’” Williams said.

Our diligence in guarding against spreading the virus is not a private health issue with only personally taking risks, but a public health issue: if we get ill, we’ll likely spread it to others. On Buffalo tv news, a doctor was featured saying that “a vigorous cough can project the virus 18 feet.”

Please do your part, obey the guidelines and protect our granddaughter Paige and her family and patients. Protect all those serving you, in health care offices, grocery stores, etc. and also our failing economy, the implications of which are life-threatening to the working and elderly poor, a large part of our country’s population.

Please maintain “social distance,” and wear your masks to protect others.

Please follow the guidelines. Protect our PA granddaughter.

Bob and Margaret Golden

Kent

Editor:

This pandemic is affecting families a lot! I mean A LOT! I know this is a very difficult time we are all going through! But we just got to deal with it!

I think you guys should all listen to this quote “Everything will be OK. Stay safe, stay calm, and have faith we will get through this.” This is an amazing quote. I think being positive and staying safe is the best way to get through this.

I know lots of kids hate at home learning! I mean I do! I hate how our teachers can’t be there when we need help with our work like they would be if we were at school. When your teachers aren’t there to help you, your family is trying to teach you and help you out. But they have lots of work, too.

Most families can’t go to work so they must work from home. According to Care Manager of Mental Health Alan Girangaya, “Now that I am working from home it becomes a balancing act where I have to organize my time to make sure both my work and the at home learning work is completed when needed.”

I know when lots of people work on the same WiFi or are constantly on the internet (which we must be on now). It can boot you off Zoom meetings or automatically closes whatever you are on and it doesn’t save it. Or, like me, when you try to submit something it doesn’t go through so you have to do it again.

After all of this happens, you just don’t want to give up. But you can’t because it’s a grade and you don’t want to fail! Meanwhile your families are telling you to deal with it and to just do it!

Or lots of families can’t get any food and they are going hungry. This affects their whole family. Mr. Girangaya responded saying, “the free food services are a wonderful service in this difficult time.” “

Also, it isn’t just affecting them physically it is also affecting them emotionally. Lots of people are upset and sad and just want to be left alone and who can blame them.

The Covid-19 cases are spreading fast and people are worried about their families that live in other states and countries. This virus is scaring lots of people! Also, you can’t visit family or celebrate birthdays with your family face to face. Now people are celebrating online using face time, Zoom, and many more websites and apps.

I hope all of you reading this will stay positive and stay safe and don’t worry about a thing we will get through this together! Stay calm and try to do something new this is a great opportunity to learn something new!

Lastly Mr. Girangaya would like to give some advice to all families out there that are suffering during this difficult time. He said, “I want to tell them to hang in there.”

He would also like to say, “you’re not alone and there are services and resources out there you can use.”

Again, this is affecting a lot of families in many ways! So, stay positive it will make us all feel better about this situation.

Elena Girangaya

Holley sixth-grader, Mrs. Grillo’s homeroom

Editor:

To the residents of the Village of Holley, it is with mixed emotions that I am announcing that I will be not be running for a third term as mayor of Holley in the upcoming election.

Due to COVID-19 our terms have been extended until the revised election date of September 15, 2020, therefore I will be resigning in mid-July. The main reasons are that the demands of my professional life and family life are such that I cannot commit to another term as mayor and both of these things have to be my priority at this time. I truly hope the residents of Holley can understand and appreciate this tough decision I have made.

I have served the Village for over 15 years now as Planning Board chairman, then village trustee, and as mayor for the last 4 years. When I decided to get involved in local government, my goal was to bring my set of professional experiences and leadership approach to the table to do my part to make Holley the best it can be.

I have always told people that when I got involved in politics it was not to simply sit on a board and vote yes or no at meetings. I wanted to take my vision, to do projects and tackle tough problems.

I believe that those I have worked with in the past would attest to that. To accomplish this, it had to be through building relationships with other local municipal, county, and state officials as well as the village staff and trustees.

It also involved engaging with residents and making sure they stayed informed and engaged in these efforts that were going on. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of it and will miss it!

There are many things I am proud of that we have been able to accomplish in my years of service but none compare to the revitalization of the old high school into Holley Gardens. It is truly awesome to see the lights on in that beautiful old building and to know that people are living there and that very soon the Village offices will be there as well.

Our community and officials at all levels pulled together working with the developer to make that project a success and it is wonderful to be a part of it! Our village will be a better place with that historic building revitalized and I am truly happy for our community.

I am also excited about the water and sidewalk projects in our village. We took on replacing about one-third of our aged water and sidewalks in the village which is an enormous project for just about any town or village. This construction work will begin in June, finishing up in 2021. These projects are in good hands with our staff and consultants and am confident of their success. I am so excited to see the end result of these projects and the transformation that Holley will go through in the next 12-18 months.

There are other accomplishments I would like to point out but I will stop with these. I point them out not to draw attention to myself as if they are “my” accomplishments but to our community, village staff, local officials, because these are things “we” have done together.

I am proud to have served the village as Planning Board chairman and village trustee over the years. However, without question, having the privilege to be your mayor and being able to work with everyone I have met along the way is a great honor and a time I will always cherish. Thank you for your trust and support!

Brian J. Sorochty

Holley

Editor:

I’m writing to support my friend, Jeanne Crane, for Lyndonville School District, Board of Education.

I’ve known Jeanne for a very long time and I know she would be a great asset to the Lyndonville School Board. Jeanne’s best qualities are her honesty, her integrity and her humility. All of these are necessary to being a good school board member.

Jeanne knows that a board member’s job is to provide great educational opportunities for children, at a cost that the district can afford.

How do I know? I’ve been on the Medina school board for almost 13 years. In that time I have served as president and vice president as well. I know what it takes and Jeanne Crane has it.

That’s why it is my honor to support her for the Lyndonville School Board.

Sincerely,

Wendi Pencille

Town of Shelby

Editor:

Cheers and thanks from Oak Orchard Health for the recognition by the CDC for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments’ nursing team.

Oak Orchard Health depends on our local county health departments to fulfill its mission of dispensing health care services to the thousands of farmworkers and their families in our agricultural counties.

This year, of course, farmworkers mirror our local populations with their concerns about COVID-19. Many of our full time, migrating and H2-A workers come to our region with understandable trepidation about the high numbers of COVID patients and deaths throughout NYS.

It takes inordinate skills within our local health care workers to confidently calm those concerns and to give not only routine inoculations but masks, sanitizers and instructions about “social distancing” to the workers and their families.

Over the years, these health care workers have developed trusting and warm relationships with the farmworkers and the farmers in our region.

Thanks to all of your dedication put into action every day.

Karen Watt

Oak Orchard Health Board member

Albion

Editor:

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting families on many fronts.

• The Financial Downfall

The pandemic has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs. Some homes that had more than one income either went down to one or none. There are families that had or have to apply for government funding to help make ends meet like food stamps, cash assistance and or medical coverage that before were living fine prior to Covid-19 leaving many American homes with desperation and the feeling of losing it all.

This has caused many families prides to be affected. More adults are fighting over how they are going to make ends meet because either they were struggling before and or are struggling more.

• Emotional Shifts Among Children

Children are being affected by this pandemic because there is no social contact among family and friends. No school to let learning be taught properly except through social media platforms or a worldwide use app called ZOOM. At times it is not as effective as classroom learning because communication can be rough. Some homes do not have a strong Wi-Fi connection causing the feed to come back lagged or delayed, there is not an option to just focus on the teacher so your concentration is divided among other students that are attending the group. Children no longer go outside to play to let off some energy and are stuck at home doing the same thing over and over again, this is causing a high increase in young children and adolescent depression. Even morphing children to copycat anti-social behaviors.

• A Family Affair

This pandemic can have either a positive or negative effect on families. In some cases, there is no escape from each other. Most apartments and homes are single floor living quarters, where rooms are limited to as few as a 1 bedroom or to a five-room home. Due to the lack of space families are becoming more hostile. On the other hand, if you are lucky or fortunate to have a multi-level or more rooms plus a backyard then you can say you are better off than the average Joe because you are not always starring at one another for hours on end.

Wearing masks everywhere you go, consistently wearing gloves and using hand sanitizer has become the new norm for most families. This sad crisis has brought most families closer in everyday living.

The new age of living has learned to adapt old style living. Families have become more creative in daily living, moms are learning how to sew, more and more parents are learning to cook, or more home cooked meals are being made.

Faith in homes are probably being practiced more in homes if it wasn’t being done before. Like my mother keeps saying, “things are going back to how they used to be when my parents and their parents’ parents and even when I was growing up were!!!”

• A Mother’s Concern

On a most recent interview I had with Ms. Doris Llorens, a mother of three, when asked a series of questions she sincerely expressed her concerns and living adjustments to this pandemic. Ms. Llorens stated, “What scares me the most is the what ifs and the not knowing. For example, what if I or my children contract this virus? My kids need me, and I need them, so I try to think positive for the most part. We limit our travel to necessities only.” She began to express her concerns about her children’s attitude on the “Stay at Home” lock down. “I see how my children went from asking questions like where are we going today? Do we have any plans this weekend? Are we hanging out at my aunt’s house?

They then shifted to, “Why do we have to leave the house? Can’t we just stay home? We don’t want to go outside.”

“This whole thing feels like its straight out of a horror movie. I believe we as adults can manage and adjust to certain situations but it’s not fair to our kids, this is such a sad period of psychological warfare,” Ms. Llorens said.

She continued, “The children have become homebodies. I do not know if this a good thing or a bad thing. Hopefully this will be a temporary phase and once it is all over, they will not be afraid to go outside and just be kids.”

Ms. Llorens said, “In the end, this pandemic I believe has brought us closer. We spend more time together. We spend as much time as we possibly can. Our communication went from a quick conversation to sitting and understanding. We all have learned to appreciate what you have and be thankful instead of focusing on what you do not have.”

I would like to thank Ms. Llorens for the opportunity and time given to interview her.

We can all agree that together we will overcome this. Let’s all practice good hygiene and try to be cautious of our surroundings.

Stay safe America.

Anthony Feliciano

Holley sixth-grader – Miss Lippa’s homeroom

Editor:

I feel compelled to comment on recent events occurring in cities across America in the response to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of a Minneapolis Police Officer.

Let me begin by stating emphatically that I do not condone the actions of Officer Derek Chauvin. I do however wonder what precipitated Floyd’s encounter with Officer Chauvin, but I’m fairly certain that if Floyd hadn’t committed a crime (allegedly), then his interaction with the police would not have occurred.

Chauvin’s employment has already been terminated and he will face adjudication in a court of law. Unfortunately that will not satisfy the “eye for an eye” mentality.

Secondly, I learned early in my own law enforcement career that when one of us screws up, we all catch the blame. Cops are always painted with a broad brush. “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”

As for the so-called protests nationwide in response to Mr. Floyd’s death, here’s my take: If during your peaceful protest you graduate to criminal behavior, you are no longer a protester, you are a criminal. And the media should stop referring to you as a “protester”!  Arson/Rioting/Looting are crimes!

The overwhelming number of black individuals murdered in this country died at the hands of other black individuals, not the police. If you want to protest something, protest that!

During her speech on Saturday night, the Mayor of Rochester began naming black individuals historically who died while in the custody of the police. That serves no purpose other than to fan the flames of violence.

The first recorded law enforcement death in our country occurred in 1786. Since that time over 22,000 individuals have lost their lives in the line of duty. How many of those deaths were at the hands of an individual who was black? Perhaps we should research that? We won’t of course because that really wouldn’t serve any legitimate purpose.

When a cop loses his/her life, we mourn. We don’t protest and we don’t respond by engaging in criminal behavior. Why? Because such behavior of course would dishonor the memory of the deceased.

Steve Smith

Churchville

(Smith is retired as undersheriff of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.) 

Editor:

I am an Albion NY, born at Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital many years ago. I live in Syracuse now, and I was among the protesters last night.

These protests are the culmination of decades of police abusing their power on every level imaginable. I am forever grateful that none of the Albion village cops never kneeled on my neck for 9 minutes, but I do have first-hand experience with police brutality.

I woke up in the hospital more than once after being arrested, beat up to the point of needing an ICU bed.

The callous murder of George Floyd is, to put it in the simplest terms, the last straw.  The system we are to rely on to bring justice is, point blank, broken.

I am compelled to point out one last personal experience which proves the system is broken far beyond the police.

My ex wife, Renee, was under investigation by the Orleans County Department of Children and Family Services. She was indicated in an investigation due to her severe abuse of alcohol. She died from alcoholic hepatitis less than a few months later.

If the report was indicated, and she was under investigation, how could she continue to drink to the point of acute liver and kidney failure with absolutely no sign of any caseworker ever doing anything further than the initial investigation? When I approached the agency they gave me no apology and no investigation.

I do not condone violence in any way, but in the interest of explanation, I feel it is incidents like the one I just described, combined with police brutality, combined with a bias corrupt unjust system, for literally decades, results in the situation we find ourselves.

And, I feel, the fires will continue and spread until true change is brought about.

Charlie Hunt

Syracuse

Editor:

Several recent letters have called into question the various layers of government. It’s a subject worthy of discussion. Writer Capurso notes his home of Ashburn, VA is served only by the Loudoun County administration.

To clarify for readers – Ashburn is a census-designated population – otherwise known as an unincorporated area. It has no official boundaries or status. In New York, Ashburn would be classified as a hamlet.

Unincorporated areas are typically governed by some nearby town or village or in Ashburn’s case – the county. My former hometown was unincorporated and also governed by the county. At one point the county turned administration over to a nearby city and in doing so we got a mayor. Being unincorporated we had no say in the matter.

Finally in a fit of self determination, we incorporated into our own town with our own mayor. As a result, taxes did rise. The trade-off being the additional taxes remained within the community with direct oversight by the community and things improved.

Other writers mention the number of school districts the county has. To use one example, and if I’m not mistaken, the Lyndonville Central School District is one of several in the county. It has approximately 120 personnel of which roughly 40 are non-teaching, administrative or other support staff.

One writer mentions Bergen Co. NJ (where I once resided) but for this purpose I’ll point to another of my former residences: Los Angeles, CA.  L.A. has one superintendent guiding the enormous L.A. Unified School District. For every two teachers in the LAUSD there are three non-teachers.

Compare this with Lyndonville. In other words – in a large system under a single supervisor, 66 percent of school employees don’t teach. Under a leaner smaller system – 60 percent of them do.

There are a couple of points that come out of this contrast. The first being that organizations with fewer layers almost always mean the remaining layers – or levels – get thicker, bulkier and costlier.

Lyndonville’s school district is fiscally sound. On the other hand, LA’s single all-encompassing county-wide district, despite having a 9 percent drop in student population, saw a 22 percent increase in non-teaching administrative positions over the same time period all while on the brink of bankruptcy.

The second point might be that while a lot of people think government should be run like a business – it shouldn’t be – but if you think it should, you will recall that when any business gets to a certain size it (correctly) splits itself off into smaller departments, divisions, regional offices etc.

Splitting a company into a number of smaller, leaner, better-run organizations simply makes sense for a number of reasons. Thus, doing the opposite and combining a current number of smaller, leaner entities into one single, too-large, too-big-to-fail enterprise is the opposite of good business practice.

The argument being made by some appears to be in the name of efficiency. Efficiency and effectiveness are two separate things. One can be highly efficient, but if no one wants or cares about what you’re doing, you’re not effective. Effectiveness comes first.

To suggest doing away with a number of layers of government means one must have a great deal of faith that the level that remains – the one you have left – will not only be more effective, but also more efficient. This is, to put it mildly, a tremendous leap of faith. (I refer you to the LA Unified School District – singular, big, bloated and broke.)

Our ancestors who created the current system weren’t crazy or out of touch. Our small local governments were created for basically three reasons: to establish a level of local control; to respond more quickly to local priorities and finally to provide basic boot-camp level entry for any average individual who may have an interest in participatory government. Far better for the individual (and their constituents) to discover they have no real knack or taste for government while they are still on the town council than when they are in a state senate.

There are any number of areas where consolidation and cost-savings can take place and those should be discussed further. I would like to make one correction for Mr. Capurso. There was never a time when you had to go through a village or town government first before reaching someone at the county level. For the same reason you are free to contact your state or national senator without first going through the county.

Darren D. Wilson

Lyndonville