Editor:

As the holiday season approaches, I would like to take this time to thank the entire staff of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication and service to the department and our community. I am so fortunate to serve with such an outstanding group of people, and truly thankful for the opportunity. Please keep them in your hearts and prayers.

I am also blessed to have such a loving family and great friends who understand when the job calls me away. Their support means more than I can express in words.

Special thanks to the many volunteers. You make us that much better.

Most of all, thank you to the residents of Orleans County. It’s your continued support and willingness to work together that makes our county a great place to live. ​

Sincerely,

Sheriff Randy Bower

Editor:

Next week on Tuesday December 19th at 6 p.m. the Town of Murray has scheduled a public hearing prior to taking action on the new “Level of Property Maintenance Law” proposed by Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti.

Last year the same basic law was proposed and no action taken as the community was outraged. The issue is now curiously back at year end just before the Christmas holiday.

The two attached links show the Town of Murray’s proposed law (click here) and the Town of Greece’s law (click here).

They appear to be the same and not simply NYS Property Maintenance in a computer format as we are being told. Currently Murray has the New York State Property Maintenance Law on our books.

Why is our Republican Party Chairman Ron Vendetti comparing Murray to a Rochester City suburb and attempting to enact a more stringent zoning law than the State standard? Not very Republican.

This is your only opportunity to voice your opinion. It’s rather curious why it is even on the agenda just before Christmas and before the new “Team Murray” takes office.

It is an important issue and please attend if you are able.

Joe Sidonio

Murray

Editor:

In the fall of 1995, it was clear Mr. Clinton would be running for re-election. (That was before I realized what a creep he was.) I decided to change my registration to Republican in order to be able to vote for Kansas Republican Senator Bob Dole in the 1996 New York primary. I saw Dole as similar to John McCain, even though – per Mr. Trump – McCain was “only a hero because he was captured”.

As I recall, Dole had pressed Mr. Clinton to oppose the genocide being perpetrated against Muslims by Roman Catholic Croats and Eastern Orthodox Catholic Serbs in Bosnia. As I understood things, The Dayton Accords and subsequent War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague were as much a credit to Dole as they were to Clinton.

In the past month, people like Ratko Mladic, Slobodan Milosevic, and their crowd of vicious, racist, thugs and hypocrites, masquerading as Christians, have been facing the dirge “music”.  One of the more self-righteous poisoned himself in front of the War Crimes Tribunal.  Another insisted he shouldn’t face life in prison apparently because he had only given the orders and hadn’t actually pulled the triggers that killed prisoners (whose crime was being Muslim) with single shots in the backs of their heads.

Atrocities committed against Bosnian Muslims, and reported in The Christian Science Monitor in the mid-1990’s, would defy the imaginations of the most twisted minds among us. Without honest journalism and politicians such as Bob Dole, incredible inhumanity might have been ignored because so many victims were Muslims.

As an aside, had Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones not successfully prosecuted the supposedly “Christian” extremist Klansmen who killed Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins and two other Black teens in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham years ago, another hate crime might have gone unpunished.

When the Republican primary took place in 1996, you bet I voted for Bob Dole, not simply because he was a great American leader and a war hero, but because the alternative was borderline whack job Pat Buchanan. Had he won the Republican nomination, he might have brought us something like today’s very scary reality twenty years ago. I was against rolling the dice.

And, yes, each of us has only one vote, in spite of what some would have you believe.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

This message is intended for Gary Kent. Oftentimes your letters ramble on and we readers can’t understand your point, other than you are against the Republican Party and their decisions.

I don’t support them all the time either. I vote for ideas, not party lines. I’ve voted and supported ideas, policies, and Presidents of both parties over the years. You need to get over who won in all levels of government. There are always winners and losers each election year.

We as residents of local towns, county and country need to pull together and find common ground. I like many Democrat and Republican ideals, and hope we will move together in the best interest of this country.

Get over it and find avenues for compromise, whether it is local, county, state or federal issues.

Steve Kast

Churchville

Editor:

I am a hunter, licensed by the State of New York. At a recent gun club meeting a subject was brought up that caused a bit of controversy: Depredation permits issued to a local airport.

Are they necessary? Allowing the taking and killing of wildlife at any time of year, day or night with or without discretion. Deer, turkey, geese, furbearers, they are all at risk from the issuance of a depredation permit.

Does this permit have its place? I am sure that it does. Would I want to see anyone hurt or a plane crash because a goose was sucked into a jet engine? Of course not! I get that it is a necessary evil for large airports with an extreme amount of traffic, but is it necessary for a little country airport that doesn’t?

I am not familiar with all of the details regarding the accidents that have been caused by wildlife at these country airports, obviously one accident is too many. Is there another option that is out there? A fence for deer and furbearers, a noise maker for geese and turkeys? Is the only answer to kill it?

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Atwell

President

Barre Sportsmens Club

Editor:

I have the wonderful responsibility of dropping my grandson off most mornings at this year’s newly designed elementary school drop-off.

Traffic flows quickly and there is always a smile and greeting by each staff member assigned to this task. Each child is welcomed and staff is ready to help each child with car doors, backpacks and more if needed. It is a perfect way for these young children who do not ride a bus to enter their school.

The pick-up routine is also very well run by smiling staff.  I know that we all appreciate the changes that have been made.

Karen Watt

Albion

Editor:

I have recently been privileged to finally witness snowy owls in our area (Yates, NY) for the first time. These majestic birds hunt for prey in the very same agricultural fields in which Lighthouse Wind is proposing to install up to 70 industrial bird shredders. These owls, as well as red-tailed hawks, coopers hawks and bald eagles, populate the proposed project area and migrate through the area during the spring and autumn.

The Ocitillo Wind Farm in California has decimated the red-tailed hawk and golden eagle populations in that area. Similar results can be expected in Yates and Somerset if Lighthouse Wind is allowed to proceed. In the Yates and Somerset area, there is a nesting pair of bald eagles, perhaps two nesting pairs. These year-round residents, in addition to the migratory bald eagles, hawks and owls will be victim to the blades of the proposed turbines as they fly searching for food.

Critics of these facts will argue that house cats and collisions with vehicles are responsible for more bird deaths than wind turbines could ever be. Perhaps so, but I doubt that house cats would ever attempt to kill a hawk, bald eagle or snowy owl. It is much more likely that the cat would be carried away as food for the bird.

Vehicle collisions in the rural agricultural areas of Somerset and Yates are also not likely. In any event, the argument that “many birds are already killed, so what’s a few more deaths at the hands of wind turbines” is a poor excuse as a statement of environmental responsibility.

Another argument often stated by the wind turbine apologists is that the reduction in carbon dioxide resulting from the increased use of wind turbines to replace fossil fuels will, in the long term, save more bird lives than the turbines will kill. I have not seen that claim subjected to any independent unbiased rational scientific scrutiny.

Those of us who truly appreciate the wildlife, environment and rural nature of the Yates and Somerset area recognize that Lighthouse Wind is the wrong project in the wrong place. It is time for Apex “Clean Energy” to suspend their efforts to industrialize these towns.

Maryellen Royce

Appleton

Editor:

Believe me, the “pillars” of the republican establishment in the Town of Murray breathed a deep sigh of relief after their 70 carefully solicited absentee ballots were counted following election day in November.  Joe Sidonio and his upstart candidacy came up 6 votes short in what may well have been the most admirable political campaign in Town of Murray history.

The “pillars” may want to maintain a posture of vigilance, as my suspicion is that Joe Sidonio is not going away.

Unfortunately for those who may be even more convinced than ever that they invented “clever”, Sidonio’s message and base of support is rock solid. His campaign wasn’t based on “fake news”.  Rather, his courage inspired a town to dream of returning government to its people.

Due entirely to the fact that Murray has no functioning Democratic committee, Sidonio was unable to receive a Democratic cross endorsement (which I favored). Keep in mind that a literal handful of additional votes from those who mistakenly view all politicians as the same (they aren’t) might very well have secured Sidonio an election victory for the history books.

Having a “C” and an “I” beside his name on the ballot were not enough for Joe to overcome the absence of the coveted “R”.  That “R” has made it possible for a handful of Orleans County “leaders” to do all manner of things that Orleans County residents may eventually come to regret.

But, how can the establishment claim victory in Murray? Fortunately for him, victorious County Judge candidate Sandy Church didn’t need to carry Murray.  From what I hear, though he won fairly convincingly Countywide with an “R” beside his name, Church and his opponent, Democrat and Conservative Party endorsed Tonia Ettinger, finished in a tie in the Republican County Chairman’s hometown! You may need to re-read that one.

One thing is clear to me. Joe Sidonio is serious about serving the interests of the people in Murray. He didn’t need the money. He didn’t need to bring the grief upon his family.

Be thankful for those who try.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

As the holidays approach, we all utilize good old-fashioned letter mailing much more than usual. Christmas cards, bills, small packages…all kinds of goodies go via USPS.

Here in the village of Albion we can’t mail anything from our homes. (One of the odd areas where country living is a bit more convenient!) Therefore, everyone is making increased trips to our local post office!

Twice recently I’ve visited, only to discover patrons pulling up in front of the mail drop boxes on the street, parking, and entering the post office to conduct their business. This quite effectively blocks anyone else from using these roadside collection boxes!

It takes more than a few seconds to conduct business inside the post office during this busy season. These cars are lingering for a long time!

The last time I needed to mail simple letters in the collection box I attempted to wait behind the illegally parked vehicle, only to give up as I began running late for an appointment. I had time to park down the block, walk back, drop my mail, and navigate traffic – and still no sign of the illegally parked driver appeared.

The “no parking” signs are quite faded and almost unreadable. Perhaps this excuses this parking habit.

Today I need to mail a package inside. I happened to note the illegally parked patron and empty car directly in front of the mailboxes as I drove around the block looking for parking.

With two children under 3 years old in tow I just wanted a parking space on the west side of the street. However, since the re-paving of Main Street, lines no longer exist as guides for parking; thus the lone car that was legally parked in the center of the block effectively eliminated the ability for anyone else to park.

It may seem like a small annoyance. But for a busy Mom with young children, an armful of packages, and a heavily travelled street, the lack of signage and the lack of common driving courtesy (let alone legality) is truly frustrating.

I honestly briefly considered driving to Clarendon to mail my package. Considering that I live in the village in Albion, that says a lot.

Sincerely,

Elianna Quatro

Albion

Editor:

The Conservatives wish to congratulate the Conservative-endorsed candidates, win or lose, of the November 7, 2017 General Election.

It was a hard-fought race for “good government,” and in Karen Kaiser’s words “to do the right thing.”

We also want to thank the people that turned out to vote, and help our candidates in so many other ways.

In the race for Orleans County Court Judge, we had a great candidate in Tonia Ettinger. If we would have had more time, who knows? It was a pleasure working with Jeanne Crane and her Democrat Committee in that instance.

Allen Lofthouse

Chairman of Orleans County Conservative Party