Clara Martin’s departure from the Board of Elections leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. As Deputy Republican Election Commissioner, Clara was a steady, professional, accommodating presence. She performed her duties with an absence of partisanship and an abundance of class. The office always ran smoothly with the exemplary cooperation that existed between her and Deputy Democratic Election Commissioner, Eileen Aina.
It would be great if someone half as apolitical as Clara was chosen to replace her.
The good news is that Martin will be taking the position of secretary to Sheriff-elect Randy Bower. As he demonstrated in his selection of Undersheriff Chris Bourke, Bower is determined to surround himself with other widely respected people.
Having two people who respect the public as much as Bourke and Martin in the Sheriff’s Office will only serve to increase the chances that Bower will be able to deliver on his commitment to serving all the people of Orleans County.
While the Board of Elections has lost an invaluable employee, the Sheriff’s Department has added yet another.
The “word” is that Deputy Republican Election Commissioner, Clara Martin, is leaving the Board of Elections to become Sheriff-elect Randy Bower’s secretary.
The Board of Elections will have a near impossible task attempting to find anyone as good at her job as Clara Martin. She was the mirror image of Democratic Deputy Eileen Aina. The two of them embody the spirit of cooperation so notably absent in anything vaguely resembling government today. The Board of Elections may be the one place where such a tandem could be tested.
Throughout my foray into the turbulent waters of local politics, Clara was always accommodating and genuinely pleasant. There was never the slightest indication of needless partisanship where she was concerned. She embodies what is special about Orleans residents.
Bower’s choice for Undersheriff was superb with Chris Bourke. Clara Martin, in my opinion, is no less so. Bower is recruiting people who will be assets in ensuring that all county residents will be increasingly well-served by the Sheriff’s Department.
Clara Martin should be recognized for outstanding service at The Board of Elections. I would bet she will be no less outstanding in her new position.
Orleans County Legislature on the Apex Wind Turbine Project. What took you so long? This was a no-brainier. It’s Agenda 21 and a taxpayer scam right from the get-go. All green energy is a scam. It has to be subsidized and the product is worn out long before it pays for itself only to put it back on the subsidy gravy train. In this case it will destroy a town on the outside and below the surface.
Even Progressives like Ortt and “Climate Change Steve” were on board before you guys. Did it finally take the appearance of “Don Russ” and Richard Pucher to bring you to hand kissing?
I’m also curious who wrote the dramatic speech Legislator Johnson read? There is no way she could have written that because she was nowhere to found for the last year while all the debating was going on over this wind scam. She did not represent anyone. Nor did she give or has she given the people that she claims to represent a personal opinion either way on this wind scam. I had all I could do not to burst out into laughter, so I remained professional.
Then we had to listen to the Legislator Allport regurgitate his opinions on Article 10 and the gas price gouging from the October meeting before the election only to witness him along with the rest of the Legislature violate their oath of office and throw the 4th amendment out the window by voting into law the second-hand store law.
No sorry, no praise here. Praise is for volunteers, not for people who are paid to do a professional job. I believe it’s our legislators controlling progressive ideology the likes of Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that left them to be holds outs till the last minute. All I can say is it’s about time.
In your article, “County Legislature, Medina Memorial oppose mandated staffing levels at hospitals,” I must strongly object to Lynne Johnson’s quote which says, “One size does not fit all.” There should be some differentiation between units sure, but ultimately, when it comes to caring for sick patients in hospitals, one size does fit all.
When considering appropriate staffing levels for nurses, there are numerous things to take into account. A hospital’s budget should not be one of them. There is no arguing that Medina Hospital is a great and much needed resource in our community. Assuredly, I would like it to remain open. But what good is a resource if it’s not really a resource at all?
Overburdening your nurses with too many patients or simply more sick patients than one nurse can handle means you’ve effectively removed that skilled caregiver from the equation. At that point, wouldn’t you be better off staying home?
I have worked in small hospitals and large. Understaffing is an issue across the board and it undeniably leads to poorer patient outcomes, errors in judgement and high staff turnover. These are all very, very costly to healthcare systems.
Yet, something happens when you become an administrator. You start to see things in terms of immediate, daily dollars and cents, forgetting what it’s like to have every one of your call lights going off with no help in sight.
Stop for a minute and imagine the cost savings of having every nurse you’ve trained remain within your facility because they’re happy, your liability/litigation costs drastically reduced for lack of offenses and patient satisfaction surveys coming back favorably (which would directly increase your federal reimbursements). What a wonderful world it would be, no?
Well, that is the case in California where minimum staffing levels have been legally mandated and in place since 2004. The sky did not fall and healthcare did not crumble. In fact, in a 2010 study (see nysna.org), it was noted that these lower patient-to-nurse ratios led to lower patient mortality and increased staff retention.
I have been on the lesser side of a 15:1 patient-to-nurse ratio in an emergency department in the last year, more than once. It’s happening everywhere, believe it or not. Sure, Medina doesn’t have those volumes but how about 6:1 and all of the sudden there’s a cardiac arrest? It’s scary for everyone involved: doctors, nurses, patients and patient family members.
Ask yourself, if we know that every additional patient a nurse assumes leads to a 7 percent greater likelihood of any of his/her patients experiencing adverse events, why do we keep pushing the envelope? The answer is, simply, money. And that’s a sad state of affairs.
I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to follow the Hub’s link to nysna.org and read about nurse staffing ratios. I’d also encourage you to talk to any one of your friends or family who are bedside nurses not involved in policy making or facility-level decisions. Ask them how often they’re understaffed and what that means. Most importantly, write your state representatives and let them know that this matters to you.
Orleans County is noteworthy for its varied habitat and wildlife diversity. The fact that it is an extremely productive agricultural region adds to its suitability for supporting abundant wildlife populations. Our diverse habitat is particularly supportive of a wide variety of birdlife.
Our environment is one of the things that make Orleans County an increasingly attractive place to live. Protecting our environmental assets is vital to maintaining one of the advantages we already have.
Democrats tend to be extremely supportive of renewable energy technologies, including utilizing solar energy and harnessing the wind. We take air quality, global warming, and climate change seriously. In the first Republican debate this year, Marco Rubio actually said Democrats take the position they do on climate change because they “want to destroy the economy!”
The theory and science supporting renewables make sense to most Democrats. Development of renewables is already stimulating economic development and jobs in New York State. An “all of the above” energy strategy with decreasing emphasis on fossil fuels is an existing reality. The oil, gas and coal industries are in constant denial mode, struggling mightily to maintain their privileged position and market share.
The fact that we need more emphasis on renewables does not meanat least to methat wind turbines are a good idea no matter where you put them. Though electricity generated by wind is advantageous, destroying prime farmland, valuable residential space and ideal wildlife habitat in order to lessen reliance on fossil fuels sacrifices things of equal, or greater, value to achieve an otherwise worthwhile goal.
Residences in Orleans County are of course typically adjacent to an overlay of roads. Farmland ordinarily is found behind people’s homes or adjacent to our roads. Woodlots are very often roughly midway between parallel roads (Think County House Road and Route 31A and Routes 98 and 279). With normal setbacks for industrial turbines, erecting turbines and building service roads in much of Orleans County would come at the expense of considerable woodland habitat. Not even avid sportsmen seem to have picked up on this.
In my view (not shared by many in my party), there are innumerable locations in New York State far better suited to wind turbines than Orleans County. Abandoned industrial sites come to mind. The Tug Hill plateau is another. Areas of lower population density are better suited. If 590′ wind turbines were going to be placed in the Atlantic Flyway, locating them offshore would be far preferable environmentally to locating them on the fertile Lake Ontario plain.
In the interests of brevity, I would conclude by saying that it isn’t advisable to embrace wind turbine technology so wholeheartedly that we lose sight of so many other things that have demonstrable value as well.
One of our problems is that too few residents of Orleans County realize how environmentally favored our area is. When they do, they may not be able to envision how much damage locating and building a major industrial wind turbine “farm” here could do.
I would like to commend the Orleans County Legislature for taking a stance on the proposed project by Apex. It is encouraging and refreshing to see our Legislature take a stance on an issue that has been a top priority in our communities.
To Mr. Callard, Mr. Allport, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Eick, Mr. DeRoller and Mr. DeFilipps – thank you for standing up and speaking out. It is greatly appreciated.
I would like to take a moment in this holiday season to put a spotlight on a very magical thing that apparently happens every year. But until today I had no knowledge that Mrs. Claus lives in Orleans County. As anyone can see walking into Albion Wal-Mart they start their layaway programs back up for the holiday season.
As a mother of four children this is a lifesaver. To be able to get my kids gifts and slowly pay it off makes the holidays more do-able and stress-free. But today (Dec. 11) I was blessed with a Christmas miracle and realized Mrs. Claus is a neighbor.
See, at about 10:45 this morning, while in Wal-Mart slowly working my way back to layaway, I received a phone call from a Crystal at Wal-Mart. Sadly I missed the call due to chasing my nearly 2-year-old down the toy aisle. So once Sadie was distracted by a toy, I listened to the 24-second message assuming she had called to tell me something had happened to my layaway.
Instead the message informed me that a Good Samaritan had come in and paid my balance in full! I was in shock. I scooped up Sadie and bolted to the Courtesy Desk, where I found Crystal with a list of 10+ names of individuals who had their layaways paid off.
As I waited for them to get my now paid for gifts I began to cry. In a world that lately is full of nastiness and people hurting people a woman in small rural Orleans County came to her Wal-Mart and helped make 10+ families’ Christmas.
I do not know this woman nor her I. She did not know that my two youngest children were both born under 2 pounds and special needs. She did not know that because of their special needs, I had to stay home for the last two years to take care of them.
I just returned to work part time but was still worried how we were going to “swing” Christmas. She knew none of that. She came into that store trying to lighten the burden on some families.
I doubt she even realizes the blessing she has bestowed on our families. She, in a span of a few minutes, restored my faith in humanity and our future. She reminded me that the hate-filled headlines in the news can not erase people like her – genuine good people full of compassion, kindness and love.
Even though I asked who she was, the steadfast elves in Wal-Mart refused to name “Mrs. Claus,” whom I wanted to send a thank you note. The only tidbit they offered is she has been doing this for a couple years now. So Mrs. Claus if you are reading this on behalf of the Beneways (and all the past and future families you have helped) we say a very big Thank You!
Every time I see my kids playing with the toys you helped purchase I will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and that Angels live among us. What a blessing you are to our community! You have inspired my family and I, we are already thinking of ways to “pay it forward.” A lesson we needed to be reminded.
I commend and applaud Sen. Ortt for taking a stance on the Lighthouse Wind project. It is encouraging to see an elected official take a stance on an issue that has been so divisive in our community and surrounding communities.
With this being said, elected officials are put in their positions to lead and I am calling on our Orleans County legislators to do what we all know they are capable of doingbeing leaders and taking a stance on the issue.
Whether it is in support or opposition of the project, I would like to see our legislators publicly state their positions. Their stances do not have to align with my beliefs on the issue. It will be satisfying to simply have them speak out and take a stance.
Legislators, if you’re reading this, I urge you to do what Sen. Ortt did and take a stance. As elected officials, we are looking to you, our leaders, to take a stance.
Thank you to State Senator Robert Ortt for standing up for local control and self-determination and supporting those who wish to preserve the environment and the rural character of Orleans County.
Ortt’s unequivocal stance on the wind energy project proposed for Somerset and Yates is refreshing. At last we may have an elected representative who is willing to represent us. With his strong stand on the proposed wind energy project, Senator Ortt has demonstrated that he is not afraid to do what his conscience tells him is right and actually lead.
My hat goes off to all of the candidates who put their hearts, their will and their reputations out there for the world to dissect. I couldn’t imagine the courage it would take, not to mention the energy expended, to battle for my personal beliefs on such a public platform.
As the height of the election results begins to wither, so do the spirits of those who came in behind the winners. This is a told tale through the many letters to the editor displaying disharmony in the tallying votes.
It appears that fallen candidates, and their supporters alike, can’t help but get that last “jab” in when posting their concessions. It’s coming across as contradictory, and to be honest, a bit condescending. Not to mention that this type of behavior has the possible effects of alienating voters for future elections.
In my personal opinion, the only post that would qualify as a gracious bow, to his or her ascended competitor, is a simple and straightforward “congratulations.” I believe that the first words of a candidate who took second today, could very well be the foundation for his or her next campaign – if he or she chooses.
As far as the statement goes, “That any Republican primary winner is virtually guaranteed victory in Orleans County” … Hogwash!
Yes, it’s public record that “normally, a Democrat is working with an enrollment base roughly half that of his/her Republican opponent” in Orleans County. But in reality, there’s little doubt in my mind that there are just as many, if not more, Democrats as Republicans within our community. The hard truth is: There are just more Republicans registered.
The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. If the registered Democrats of this county plan on winning upcoming elections by changing the minds of the registered Republicans, well then, quite frankly, they deserve to fall short.
Attention Orleans County Democratic Party: It’s not rocket science why your despair is falling on deaf ears; you don’t have enough registered voters to listen. Instead of standing on a podium to grumble about how things are, why not spend your time enlisting change for potential success? Educate people on the importance of their ideals. Help get potential voters registered within your party. And please, stop blaming the other side of the ticket for your plight.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.” (Napolean Hill)
A Constitutional Sheriff: one that upholds the duly enacted laws of the U.S. and the State of New York. This sounds good on its face; as long as the sheriff or his department doesn’t cherry pick the laws to enforce based on some popularity contest. AKA THE SAFE ACT.
As a citizen voter, gun owner, property owner and family man, I seriously expect the new sheriff to enforce the SAFE Act and turn over to the District Attorney all incidences of violations for prosecution.
The answer to gun violence is not more guns in the hands of more people. It is a ban on certain weapons from the procession of certain people, maybe you.
The Constitutional Founders of the Second Amendment did not unleash a citizens’ arms race. Their intent was the right for the citizen’s State Militia to take up arms to fight an enemy.
Good luck Randy, you have a sacred task before you.
Having spoken at length with Judy Larkin, I know that she is sincere in her advocacy of the idea of a “Constitutional sheriff.”
In her recent letter, she begins one paragraph, “Any sheriff who swears to uphold the Constitution and then does not is a fraud. (See that paragraph and the one beginning, “There are laws on the books like it (the S.A.F.E. Act), and the sheriff must examine these in the light of the Constitution.”)
The procedures we have for passing laws assumes lawmakers read what they vote to approve. I know personally that what should happen doesn’t always happen. The excuse that they didn’t have time to read it before voting is preposterous. Assuming conscientious lawmakers, such a scenario should produce additional “no” votes, rather than, as many suggest, result in passage of a measure that would not have become law otherwise!*
In a nation of laws, laws (that are) on the books remain laws until the courts determine otherwise. That is what the authors of the Constitution expected and provided.
The sheriff is part of the executive branch. As such, he carries out court orders as well as the wishes of those charged with making the lawsthe elected representatives of the people.
Though the United States Constitution does not mention “sheriffs” that I am aware of, it does say that the chief executive (the President, Article II, Section 3), “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” The President is an elected representative of the people as well. He has a defined role that does not include either making, or judging the constitutionality of laws.
Mr. Organisciak’s answer to the first question asked at the S.C.O.P.E. forum was an answer consistent with the separation of powers outlined in our Constitutional system. Don Organisciak was the only candidate who answered the S.A.F.E. Act question forthrightly and in a manner consistent with the United States Constitution.
For that matter, the courts have begun looking at the law and have, so far, decided that it is, with few exceptions, Constitutional. I trust that the ruling will be appealed.
If our system allowed a sheriff to dismiss laws he/she found objectionable constitutionally, he/she, would be placing himself/herself above the law. In our Constitutional system, the role Ms. Larkin asserts for the sheriff, in fact, belongs to the courts.
Though Don Organisciak has problems with the S.A.F.E. Act, he was not afraid to say that, as sheriff, in good conscience, he could not say that he wouldn’t enforce it without encouraging disrespect for the law.
Ms. Larkin is entitled to her opinion. I would urge your readers to reflect on where the effective disrespect for the law (and the Constitution) she advocates would lead.
Sincerely yours,
Gary Kent
Albion
*In fact, the Orleans County Legislature did exactly the opposite in 2010 when they voted “yes” on a resolution disapproving of several State firearms-related measures. Rather than read the entire packet of measures provided by S.C.O.P.E., they voted to disapprove a proposed State bill that would have increased penalties for those who injure law enforcement with a firearm in the commission of a crime! Four of your current legislators would not stand in solidarity with those who risk their lives daily for us.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Solar panels were recently added to Hoag Library in Albion.
Editor:
I wanted to talk a little about some of the “green” features of the Hoag Library. I have spoken on this topic at a few club meetings here and there, but the number of people who have seen me speak on the topic is quite small.
I was very glad to see that the Library Board finally moved to put the solar panels on the roof for which I wrote a New York State Building Grant in 2013. The decision to put panels on the entire south facing roof, made by the Board after finding out that the price of putting solar panels on the roof had dropped, was a good one. It means that a greater portion of the electric bill incurred by the library each month, will be covered by solar power generated on-site.
To know what percentage of the electric bill will be covered cannot be known just yet. There are just too many variables. However, using estimates from Arista’s website, we can estimate that the panels will cover up to 60 to 70 percent of the yearly electric bill. What we do know is that the system will eventually pay for itself, and once it has done so, will continue to save money for the library for many years to come.
When asked how long the panels will continue to operate at its initial high level, the installers said that it would work at its initial level for about 30 years. After that, the system may decrease in efficiency a little, losing 5 percent of its efficiency. For upkeep, the panels should be inspected once a year. [Arista Power did the installation of solar panels on the library roof.]
But the library has many more passive features that maximize its energy and water usage, and place less stress on the environment. The library is oriented to the south for more than one reason. In the winter, when the sun is at a lower angle, the sun shines in the many south-facing windows, providing light and warmth.
The windows are high efficiency, and there are many south-facing windows, and few north-facing windows. The clerestory windows also provide a passive way to add light and 1/3 of them may be opened. By opening windows above and on the street level, the “chimney effect” of having high and low windows open bring in quantities of fresh air, and let excess heat out of the building expeditiously.
There is highly efficient spray insulation in the walls and roof as well. The amount of insulation is enough that even though people go in and out of the building all day in the winter, the building uses less natural gas for heating than the old library did, even though the amount of square footage being heated is approximately three times as much. The highly efficient windows and well sealed spaces also contribute to this effect.
If you have looked closely at the building you will notice that there are no gutters. Instead, there are deep roof overhangs and gravel strips along the long sides of the building. The roof drips (during rain and snow storms) and the water soaks into the ground rather than adding to the water going into the storm sewers. Rain gardens are placed on the southwest and northeast lawns.
The flower gardens were not well established; however, I hope that they may be added back in eventually. Usage of native perennial plants could make these beautiful and easy care ways to collect more water and keep it out of the storm drain system. However, even using lawn to catch rain keeps most of the water out of the storm drains.
The deep overhangs on the roof serve a second purpose. They shade the windows to keep direct sun out of the library in the middle of the day in the summer. And the EcoStar roof tiles are part recycled rubber and plastic, and are designed to last at least 50 years.
On the inside, low-flow water fixtures minimize water usage in the building. The electric hand dryers mean less trash generated in the restrooms, as well.
High efficiency light fixtures in the building, and timed lighting controls inside and in the parking lot use less electricity than the usual fixtures. If no one moves in the meeting rooms and the staff room, sensors ensure the lights will turn themselves off.
The parking lot lights are aimed down to be dark sky compliant, and use LED bulbs, which both last much longer than regular bulbs, and use 1/3 as much electricity. The lighting controls in the parking lot turn the lights on at dusk and can be set to turn themselves off at whatever time is preferred. A NYSERDA grant paid for the lighting controls.
It was my hope, when we were working on the plans for this beautiful building, that it would not only be the best and most energy efficient building we could build, but that it could serve as an example of the kind of technology that could benefit the entire community, including private, public, and business buildings.
The more beneficial features of the building can be replicated throughout the area. By doing so, we can save money, natural resources, and be a model for other communities. Whether or not that happens, at least the library can be a model for public buildings in this area and elsewhere. And that is happening.
Librarians and Library Board members from all over Western New York are coming to look at this building, especially if they are in the process of building their own new buildings. It is a triumph, and I, for one, am very proud to have had a hand in this project.
Susan Rudnicky
Waterport
Former director of Hoag Library
The highly anticipated and much debated general election is now behind us.
Orleans County SCOPE and New York Revolution would like to take this opportunity to thank the voters for attending the Sheriff Candidate Forum that was held prior to the election. It was very encouraging to see so many concerned citizens at the forum.
We greatly appreciate all the positive feedback we have received since the forum. We hope that events such as this will become commonplace in Orleans County as they are beneficial to candidates and voters alike.
We would also like to take this time to publicly congratulate Randy Bower for being elected Orleans County Sheriff. We look forward to establishing a working relationship between our groups and the Sheriff’s Department in an effort to better our county and be an example for others to follow.
We have taken a breath and recouped from the excitement of the election, but now we must look forward. There is much work to do. Next year, there will be numerous positions on the ballot, most notably the President of the United States and New York State legislators.
As reported in the Orleans Hub, voter turnout in Orleans County was 38.2 percent among registered voters. While some may celebrate that as a high turnout in an off-election year, we are quite frankly saddened by this. To make matters even worse, roughly 34 percent of the population over the age of 18 in Orleans County is not even registered to vote!
We truly believe that it is our duty as Americans to vote. Therefore, we look forward to the new year and hope that Orleans County will join us in an effort to get all qualified residents registered to vote!
Many complain about politics, but the numbers prove that few are willing to go to the polls and do something about it. We need to educate and activate our family, friends and neighbors. We can bring about change, but only if we vote and make our voices heard!
“We in America do not have government by the majority-we have government by the majority who participateAll tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” ~Thomas Jefferson
We would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to attend the Orleans County SCOPE meetings. They are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the VFW on Platt Street in Albion.
Sincerely,
Mattie Zarpentine, Regional Director of New York Revolution
David Thom, Chapter Chairman of Orleans County SCOPE
In response to Mr. Organisciak: For the first time in years, we had a choice for sheriff, and yes, sometimes the competition got silly with shirts and signs.
Candidates were working with a jaded, apathetic public, and they used whatever honest methods they could to show that this race was different.
A Constitutional Sheriff is not an ordinary lawman. He is elected, not mandated by paycheck, and he keeps the people in focus for everything he does. This is not such a radical idea. It is how the office of sheriff was always supposed to work before we were indoctrinated that he had to be a superior law officer.
Even the state regulations recognize that someone with administrative and managerial skill, such as David Green had, but no physical “on the road” skill, can be sheriff.
Concerning the “mud-slinging”: would you deny people their right to free speech? None of the comments came from either Mr. Drennan or Mr. Bower, but from people stating their opinions. The public has the right to know what goes on in an elected office. So kudos to those who had the guts to speak out, and to both candidates for not participating actively in that.
Any sheriff who swears to uphold the Constitution and then does not is a fraud. We have procedures for passing laws, and to bypass those is unConstitutional and corrupt. The SAFE Act was passed just this way.
There are other “laws” on the books like it, and the sheriff must examine these in light of the Constitution itself and make a decision concerning enforcement. To blindly accept that another elective office supersedes the sheriff’s office is folly.
If you follow that reasoning, then the state and federal agencies can swoop on any citizen, and punish him at any time, even for nothing other than disagreeing with them. (This “law” is on the books as the NDAA). It is the sheriff’s duty to protect his citizens from such an encroachment, unless there is just cause.
This race was definitely based on popularity – the close results showed that. But it was also based on who was listening to the people. The people don’t necessarily want another law enforcement officer as the supreme law of the land, but someone who will protect their Constitutional rights and interpose himself between the people and entities who will infringe on their rights. They want someone who can use the power of the political parties – because that’s how our system is set up – without being enslaved to them.
They want someone they can trust and depend on when they need extra help, someone who will answer their questions and concerns. Is Mr. Bower that person? We don’t know yet. He said he is, and it is up to us, as citizens, to make sure he follows through.
We will be keeping him accountable, and we hope that in time, even his political opponents will start to see the freedom that a Constitutional Sheriff can bring.
