We appreciate input from our readers, and we publish letters to the editor without charge. The letters should be written by the person who submits the letter and not be “ghost written” by someone else. While open speech and responsibility are encouraged, comments may be rejected if they are purely a personal attack, offensive or repetitive. Comments are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Orleans Hub. Although care is taken to moderate comments, we have no control over how they are interpreted and we are unable to guarantee the accuracy of comments and the rationality of the opinions expressed. We reserve the right to edit letters for content and brevity. Please limit the length of your letter (we suggest no more than 500 words) and provide your name, telephone number, mailing address and a verifiable email address for verification purposes. Letters should be emailed to news@orleanshub.com.

Editor:

So for the past 2 years COVA had begged for financial support to keep their free ambulance service going. After numerous requests for financial assistance, the county and all of the town governments let them fail.

Now you are under contract for $300,000 for way less service, less ambulances, and very long response times. What were you thinking?

This is the second travesty to Orleans County after selling the county nursing home. What are you people thinking? You should all be ashamed of yourself for not doing what is best for the residents that need emergency and long-time comfort care.

Steven Kast

Churchville (former Albion resident)

Editor:

I have been meaning to write this for some time, but like many, I tend to get busy doing things that are maybe not quite as important.

So, I would like to encourage you to consider donating blood. I started donating more than 40 years ago, probably for the sake of feeling that by doing so, I was helping someone who may be in need. I have continued all this time, as it is simple, not time consuming nor painful, but more importantly, because it helps me feel good about doing something important.

I know that there is a blood shortage, and will probably always be a need for blood, especially with all the disasters that seemingly have increased in numbers in recent years. I have also discovered that the Red Cross estimates that only about 3% of the population actually donates.

So, would you consider donating in the next few months, which if you do not know, you can donate every 56 days? For those of you who have never donated, you can find a donation site close to home (click here). This means that you can likely complete the donation process in an hour or less.  And, to save even more time, on the day of your scheduled donation, you can log onto the Red Cross website and complete “Rapid Pass,” which is a series of pre-donation questions which you must answer before the actual donation.

The following are some of the donation sites in the next few months which are close to home: December 16th at the Hoag Library in Albion; Dec. 18th at the Middleport Fire Department, Jan. 19th at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, Jan. 23rd at the Albion Elks Club, and Sacred Heart in Medina In February.

I realize that many people work during the day. Most sites schedule donations as late as 6 p.m.  This does make for a longer day, but I’m hopeful that the feeling of satisfaction that you are doing something to help someone in need, will make it worthwhile.

And, maybe your employer would give you time off every two months to attend the local donation site. Or, if you work at a site, that employs enough people, might your business be willing to consider serving as a donation site for its employees? I know that the Red Cross staff will be glad to talk to your employer about that.

Tom Robinson

Medina

Editor:

Those responsible for the historic marker memorializing the guys from Holley who gave their lives fighting for us in Vietnam have every right to be proud of having gotten the job done.

Had only one American died there it would have been one too many.

I can tell you unequivocally that George Fischer was as fine a human being as I have ever known. I will not elaborate on his exemplary life. The way it ended, however, saddened this good friend as few other things have.

George’s life was cut short by a war which brought an end to the lives of nearly 60,000 Americans.

Thanks so much to the people who succeeded in getting these people this recognition.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

Why is Orleans County trying to stop the STAMP project sewer project?  The completion of this project will create jobs and opportunities for the surrounding areas.

The people employed will have to live somewhere, support local establishments for their needs, dine out and generally live in this community. The added sales tax alone should make up for any discrepancy.

The question of additional water to Oak Orchard Creek is mind boggling. The state has already delayed closing the Erie Canal to provide more resources to the creek. Why not allow a year-round source?

The question of limiting the Medina area of future growth is questionable. Medina should provide the industry needs to support the STAMP project.

Jim Raymond

Albion

Editor:

I want to reach out to extend my thanks to voters in Shelby for the support and trust shown to me during my campaign.

Although we didn’t cross the finish line as we had hoped, the journey has been nothing sort of remarkable because of your involvement and encouragement.

It’s been inspiring to see so many of you actively engaged and contributing your perspectives. This experience has been more than just an election; it’s been about a community with a common goal.

I want to assure you that my commitment to Shelby doesn’t end here. My dedication to our town and its residents remains strong and I look forward to being a part of ongoing efforts to make Shelby a better place for us all.

The conversations we’ve started are important, and I hope we keep them going. Shelby is defined by its people, and your voices are necessary to shaping the future. Stay alert and speak up for safety.

Bill Wolter

Shelby

Editor:

I want to express my thanks to voters in Shelby. I am honored that the community has expressed their confidence in me with such a significant show of support in the recent town council elections. I am grateful for the opportunity to begin serving our residents and businesses.

As we move forward, I am dedicated to focusing on fiscal clarity and upholding accountability. These principles will guide my actions on the Shelby Town Board.

Keeping your needs in mind, I am prepared to work diligently alongside my colleagues. I have also committed to January enrollment in the state training courses available to all municipal officers and employees.

Please know that I am accessible and willing to hear your thoughts and concerns.

Thank you again for your confidence in me.

Sincerely,

Linda Limina

Shelby

Editor:

Public Defender Joanne Best and District Attorney Joe Cardone have made an excellent suggestion: consolidate the 10 town courts into one.

As they both stated, fewer attorneys would be needed, and it would make it easier for both offices to do their jobs.

At a time when the Hub is filled with pleas from the public to reduce taxes, consolidation of the expensive, duplicative town courts into one makes good financial and

administrative sense. And with one location, fewer attorneys and reduced costs, it would  end up reducing taxes.

Perhaps Best and Cardone could provide details on how much would be saved by their idea.

Jack Capurso

Albion High School Class of 1960

Ashburn, Va.

Editor:

Picture it, 2024 we live in a small rural community in western New York, 45 minutes from the closest acute care hospital. Someone in your family or yourself is having the worst day of their life…a serious medical emergency and your family needs an ambulance.

If you are lucky, one is available but if someone else in a 7-town radius is also in need of an advance life-saving ambulance you do not get one in a timely manner. Your local fire department volunteers show up to assist in any way they can. Ultimately your family sits waiting hoping another ambulance will come available.

The question is, why is it OK to leave our community with one Advance Life Support Ambulance to service the entire area of Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall and Murray? This is less service than what has ever been provided to our towns in the past for free let alone now with a $300,000 contract.

Days of the past are gone. An ambulance service for this community needs to be a top priority. You do not see one sheriff deputy serving, you do not see one fire department serving, why is one ambulance acceptable to service our entire community?

The request for ambulances in Orleans County continues to rise and the final decision being made is not an acceptable one. Fellow residents, we need to stand up and make our concerns known! It does not matter whose name is on the side of that ambulance when it pulls into your driveway as long as there is one coming to save your life!

We are this community and we deserve a say.

Lorie Soule, Carlton

Kristen Ferris, Carlton

Todd Ferris, Carlton

Amber Conner, Albion

Raquel Jones, Carlton

Emma Klaver, Gaines

Amy Luft, Albion

Rebecca Grillo, Albion

Stanley Farone, Albion

Jennifer MacFarland, Barre

Chris Standish, Carlton

Kristin Rowles, Carlton business owner

Brandi Fisher, Carlton

Danielle Ernst, Carlton

Robert Conner, Albion

Kylie Hughson, Albion

Cameron Labarge, Albion

James Fisher Carlton

Elisha Hill, Albion

Ryan Hill, Albion

Catherine Usselman, Albion

Orest Usselman, Albion

William Francis Sr, Albion

Nancy Francis, Albion

Erica Francis, Albion

Timothy Monaghan, Albion

Sabrina DeCarlo, Carlton

Christine Bloom, Albion

Nathan Bloom, Albion

Hanna Vagg, Murray

Kim Reynolds, Carlton

Karen Narburgh, Carlton

Kailee Ward, Carlton

Karli Henchen, Albion

Jennifer Stilwell, Gaines

Samantha Tillman, Carlton

Stacy Daniels, Albion

Kristen Struble, Albion

Kristin Hartway, Barre

Shirley Goebel, Albion

Cate Usselman, Albion

Chris Glogowski, Murray

Courtney Ainsworth, Gaines

Katrina Bourke, Albion

Rhonda Oliver, Albion

Lori Ferris, Carlton

Ashley Dole, Albion

Michael Stilwell, Gaines

Jessica Marks, Carlton

Jake Marks, Carlton

Sandra Patten, Carlton

Jamie Barbour, Carlton

Francis Pierce, Gaines

Ryan Brown, Gaines

Danielle LaMartina, Albion

Jeremy Graham, Albion

Nancy Maines, Albion

Walter Ferris, Carlton

Brianna Caldwell, Albion

Robert Stilwell, Gaines

Jennifer Viza, Albion

Kari Hagglund, Albion

Leslee Lockwood, Albion

Michael Babcock, Albion

Valerie Hollis, Carlton

Joni Dix, Albion

Annette Finch, Albion

Casey Jurs, Kendall

Brian J Aina, Carlton

Amy Aina, Carlton

Rebekah Tabor Beach, Albion

Austin Zobel, Albion

Chelsea Polar, Yates

Emalee Verhagen, Gaines

Eric Hackenberg, Albion

Savanna Steffen, Albion

Deborah DiMatteo, Albion

Stephanie Murphy, Gaines

Kimberly Reynolds, Carlton

Lorraine Oakley, Gaines

Garry Oakley, Gaines

Steven Jurs, Kendall

Editor:

I’m reading the county’s excuses for raising taxes 3.25 percent on the Hub and I can’t help but having sad violin music going through my head.

The tear festival of baloney – “We lost this,” “Inflation,” “The State,” “Medicaid,” “Health Insurance” – blah, blah, blah. This is the same sad song that I was hearing 20 years ago and as recent as four or five years ago when I actually would bother to go to budget hearings and the CAO would play the same somber funeral dirge PowerPoint of why they have to raise taxes. (It was like being at a funeral.)

Meanwhile the Government Industrial Complex continues to grow and grow. They know costs will rise yet they do five-year contracts. They are taking in more money than they ever have in county history, yet boohoo.

Then they go and spend $250,000 on the Bank of America building and $1.5 million on the GCC campus taking those off the tax rolls. Where did the money come from? If you’re so strapped why would you do that? No wonder people are leaving here.

Now the taxpayers have to maintain the buildings. I’m sure the legislators are all patting themselves on the back, saying this is a great budget. (Go to a meeting, back-patting is a regular performance.)

One wonders with that photo of the CAO smiling like a Cheshire Cat, is he flipping us taxpayers the bird? Nobody cares and they know that.

Paul Lauricella

Yates

Editor:

The recent article in the Orleans Hub about The Villages may sound like everything is better at the nursing home in Albion. I do not think so.

I go to see my husband, who has been a resident for five years, at least 2-3 times a week – not the same days or the same times. I see that every day is different.

There are some wonderful nurses and aides that show they care for the residents and their families. Most aides are friendly.

But, to start, my complaints are about the new aides that are hired by an agency. Some have very little training. Most wear street clothes and have no name tags. I have questioned a few who they are when they come to help my husband.

If residents need help getting out of bed or to go to the bathroom, they ring for help and when an aide comes to the room the aide will say they will be right back, only after 15-20 minutes do they return.

There are only 5-6 lifts to help residents get in or out of bed in the whole building. Aides have to go looking for one in another wing. If there is a shortage of aides on weekends, some residents have to stay in bed all day. Lately residents have been told, once you are all in and the door is closed, do not ring the bell because you should have got your snacks or drinks before you went to bed. Also you should have used the toilet before you were put to bed. Most are put to bed after supper or earlier.

The dishwasher has been broken for several weeks and they are eating off paper plates with plastic forks and knives. Sometimes the food is cold.

These complaints are made every month when there is a resident complaint meeting. I have been there for most of them.

If people would come in and stay for 3-4 hours they could see and hear what I see. The state needs to inspect this home without any notice to the owners.

Christine Yaskulski-Sevor

Albion

Editor:

Big Brother has arrived in Shelby. The Town Supervisor’s new surveillance system in the Town Clerk’s office, complete with audio recording, is not just a watchful eye—it’s a listening ear too.

The installation of a surveillance camera with microphone in a government building, such as the situation in Shelby’s clerk’s office, raises several legal and ethical considerations.

Under New York law, video recording in public areas of government buildings is generally permissible, especially if notices are posted and the cameras are overt. However, audio recording introduces more complex legal issues.

New York is a one-party consent state for audio recordings, meaning that at least one party involved in a conversation must consent to being recorded. This rule applies unless the conversation occurs in an environment where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy​.

The installation of a surveillance system with a microphone targeting a specific department, such as the Town Clerk’s office, could raise concerns about selective monitoring and potential privacy violations, especially if other departments are not similarly monitored.

Such actions may also be seen as targeting a specific individual or department, which could raise ethical questions and potentially lead to legal scrutiny if the surveillance is deemed to violate reasonable expectations of privacy or is used for purposes other than security.

While the Town Supervisor may have the legal authority to install additional surveillance cameras, including those with microphones, the decision to do so should be carefully considered in light of privacy concerns, legal implications, and the perception of fairness and equal treatment among government departments and employees.

Shrouded in secrecy, the supervisor’s decision to install a surveillance system with audio capabilities in the Town Clerk’s office was not only done without the knowledge of the employees and residents but also without any immediate disclosure to those it directly impacts.

Andina Barone

Mindful Media Group

New York, New York

Editor:

To the Village of Albion residents, it is an honor to serve on your board for the last year and half and I am looking forward to the remaining two and a half left on my term. With that being said I am asking that any of you with comments, questions or concerns to please reach out to us formally as a board so things can be addressed.

We live in a small community and it is easy to fall subject to “things will never change” or “no one cares so why even bring it up.” However, I am telling you that is not the case. Every fire needs a spark, so why not let yourself be that spark?

We need you to bring issues forward in meetings (simply call or email the Village Clerk’s office to be added on the agenda) or send the entire board an email so that we have something formal to work with and can start the necessary communication to address things.

Sidebar conversations and comments on Facebook do nothing but stir up animosity and don’t allow for healthy dialogue to happen which feeds into resentment of each other along with local officials and further restricts change.

Please remember that you voted us in to serve as your voice and to do what’s best for our village. Accountability can only be had when communication is established between the people and their representatives and that is what helps progress happen.

It is our duty to help and provide assistance when and how we can as your representatives, but we need you to come forward with the initial ask. Thank you for your time in reading this and I look forward to seeing you in future meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month (typically) or hearing from you by email. My email address is Tmcmurray@villageofalbionny.com.

Tim McMurray

Village of Albion Trustee

Editor:

Tuesday’s state and local elections offered many reasons for optimism in my opinion. In Irondequoit, a teenager – Isaiah Santiago – got elected to the school board. And he is Hispanic!

When Republican Mark Assini lost his bid to unseat Adam Bello for Monroe County executive, he gave a superb concession speech. In it, Assini swallowed his disappointment, sincerely congratulated Bello, and firmly advised his followers to get behind the incumbent for the good of the community and forget political animosity to get things done for the well being of all. His speech had class written all over it.

Statewide candidates in places such as Kentucky and Virginia won decisively whether endorsed by Donald or not.

There were more encouraging indicators, but in the interest of brevity I chose to keep this short.

Sincerely,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

While out on the campaign trail I reconnected with some old friends and met some new friends.  I enjoyed our conversations, and your concerns and thoughts on our Town.

All of your words of encouragement kept me motivated to reach as many homes in Shelby as I could. I really appreciate all of you that asked me to place signs in your yard and I want to thank everyone that supported me by writing my name in on the ballot.

Even though I came up short,  I was overwhelmed by the number of people that came to vote and wrote my name in. Hopefully some of you will come and meet me at the board meetings the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

John Pratt

Town of Shelby Councilman

Editor:

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who got involved in the election by either volunteering or exercising their right to vote.

That is what is great about our election process. Opposing viewpoints, ideas, and maybe even ideologies, can crop up during elections, then we vote, and after the dust settles we move on with our daily struggles.

Now that the dust has settled, let’s move forward together, work together and maybe we can make life a little more enjoyable for everyone.

Respectfully,

Scott Wengewicz

Shelby Town Supervisor