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Next week, I and other Republicans around the nation will have the privilege of participating in a virtual lobby session with Republican members of Congress. I will be meeting with members representing western NY and other parts of NYS. We will be asking Congress to support initiatives to address climate change with common sense solutions such as permitting reform and a carbon based tariff.

I have been a Republican all my life and living in a rural farming community has taught me that we all must live with and depend on the natural environment. We all have to be good stewards. It is not for one side of the aisle, it is for all the people.

It pains me to see politicians, across the spectrum, portray climate change as a partisan issue. Scientific knowledge transcends politics. There isn’t separate science for each side of the aisle. Advancing scientific knowledge is crucial to improving the human condition.

I also believe that respect for the environment does not conflict with free market capitalism. Subsidizing polluting unsustainable industrial practices (contrary to what some would have you believe) is not consistent with capitalist or libertarian principles. Reforming the permitting process would expand the economy by building out the electric grid. A carbon-based tariff would level the playing field for American business and hold our dirty trading partners to account.

I hope that Congresswoman Claudia Tenney will follow in the footsteps of Republican environmental giants of the 20th century like Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon and support solutions that harness the forces of capitalism to address environmental problems. By expanding clean energy we can strengthen U.S. leadership and competitiveness.

We at Citizen’s Climate Lobby support real solutions that favor jobs, economic growth and enhance our global competitiveness.

As a lifelong Republican and a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, I know that Conservation is Conservative!

Robert Johnson

Medina

Editor:

On Thursday, March 19, the GCEDC held a public hearing on the request from STREAM US Data Centers and Apollo Global Management for $1.46 billion in taxpayer subsidies for their proposed 2.2 million square foot, 500 MW data center complex at STAMP. GCEDC would earn $146 million in fees from the deal.

The hearing started at 7 p.m. and lasted until 12:30 a.m. At least 300 people packed into the Town of Alabama Fire Hall. All but two speakers – both of whom work for organizations that stand to benefit financially from the deal – spoke in powerful opposition.

It’s clear: Genesee County, the GLOW Region, and WNY say “No” to the STAMP Monster Data Center. The hearing provided an opportunity for much-needed truth telling about the data center, GCEDC’s failures over the years. We built community and solidarity in that hearing.

But there were some issues:

• Not all members of the GCEDC Board of Directors, which will vote on the incentive package, seemed to be present for the entire hearing. This is unacceptable.
• Because the hearing did not begin until 7 p.m. on a work night/school night, many individuals left before they had a chance to comment. Additionally, that meant that those individuals did not hear their fellow community members who spoke after they left – and that most members of the media had left long before the end of the hearing.
• Neither STREAM nor GCEDC answered questions from the public.
• Commenters raised serious issues about gaps and inconsistencies of information in the materials shared publicly by STREAM, as well as about its financial backer, Apollo Global Management. Many of these gaps and inconsistencies have also been flagged by GCEDC’s own paid consultants.
• GCEDC uploaded a highly edited videorecording of the hearing that distorts critical aspects of the event and public response. If this video is supposed to serve as the public record of the proceedings, that is a big problem.

GCEDC does not plan to hold additional hearings, and set March 31 as the deadline for written comment on the data center proposal. This is unacceptable.

We demand:

• GCEDC must hold additional public hearings, at a range of times that accommodate people with varying schedules;
• The Board of Directors must be present at these hearings;
• GCEDC and STREAM must publicly answer questions from the public about the data center proposal;
• GCEDC must upload the full, unedited videorecording of the March 19 public hearing asap;
• Given that GCEDC’s own staff and consultants have flagged numerous inconsistencies and gaps in STREAM’s application materials, GCEDC must ensure both that final application documents, once submitted by STREAM, are provided to the public, and that the public then has the opportunity to comment, before the Board makes any decision on this application, financial, environmental, or otherwise;
• Thus, GCEDC must extend the deadline for comments on the data center proposal until the above demands have been met.

The stakes for our community are too high. The people of Genesee County and the GLOW Region deserve a robust, meaningful, transparent public process for decision-making on the data center plan.

Sincerely,

Gina Schelemanow, Batavia

Alyssa Beuler, Oakfield

Adrienne Yocina, Pembroke

on behalf of Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation

Editor:

My name is Mary Lou Tuohey, and I am a parent of a child with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). My daughter Nicole, has been receiving services from Arc GLOW for over 35 years.

Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and the doctors told us at her three-week checkup that she may never walk, talk, read, write, do math or ride a bike. At 3 months of age, we enrolled her in the Arc’s Rainbow Preschool, which was her stepping stone to a full life.

Nicole is 35 years old now, and attends the day habilitation program through Arc GLOW. She does everything the doctors said she wouldn’t do, plus more. The early intervention and her current involvement with Arc GLOW has helped make her the woman she is today!

Every March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which raises awareness about the inclusion of people with IDD in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

If you want to help advocate for people with IDD, the best way to do so is join Arc GLOW’s membership drive. Doing so says you are an advocate for people with IDD, want positive changes in our society for people with IDD, and want Arc GLOW to continue providing high quality supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in our community.

Taking a stand only costs $1, and the money stays right in the GLOW region supporting Arc GLOW’s many programs. Additionally, your membership is an incredibly important step toward society-wide acceptance of children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

Remember, until you have walked in the shoes of those with a disability, don’t judge them by the way they look, the way they do something or the way they might communicate their needs. They are a person, just like you. They have feelings, they deserve respect and deserve to be included.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Tuohey

Medina

Editor:

President Trump started a war with Iran without consulting our allies or members of Congress. Oil prices shot up to over $100 per barrel, and the economy, which was already slowing down, started to tailspin out of control.

In an attempt to slow rising oil prices, Mr. Trump allowed Iran to bring about 140 million barrels of oil to the global market. What that means is that the President gave Iran about $14 billion to our enemy to kill U.S. service members; $14 billion in aid and comfort.

Furthermore, the President is easing sanctions against Russia. It is well known that Russia is assisting Iran by providing satellite targeting and drone technology to kill Americans in a war the President started.  Again, aid and comfort to the enemy.

When Mr. Trump left office in 2021, he took with him classified documents and refused to turn them over, even after he was subpoenaed. Some of these documents were so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them. It never made any sense to me why Mr. Trump would blatantly break the law and risk jail time. Now, newly released documents reveal a motive for Mr. Trump’s actions. The documents strongly suggest that Mr. Trump was selling out our national security to enrich himself.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22^nd, Mr. Trump threatened Iran with dire consequences if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz. Suddenly, on Monday, March 23rd, Mr. Trump announced, at 7:05 a.m., that he was delaying his threatened action for five days, claiming that they were in productive negotiations with Iran.

But 15 minutes before Mr. Trump’s announcement, at 6:50 a.m., someone or several people bought a large amount of stock market futures and sold large quantities of oil futures, making about $580 million, according to the Financial Times. This was such a sudden and isolated jump in volume that the evidence suggests that those close to Mr. Trump are trading based on our national secrets. The word for this is traitor.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

First of all, I’d like to thank a recent letter writer, for his many years of service in criminal justice.

Hey Bob, where did you find a recent episode of Gunsmoke. I’m not a big fan of old westerns, but I believe some of the cast, have moved on to that cattle ranch in the sky.

I’m an older guy, too. I remember the St. George Floyd riots. How many of those protesters were thrown in solitary? How about the BLM riots, many of their leaders got rich, not jail time? I could name many more, like Antifa who get paid to riot..

We have a constitutional right to protest. That does not mean burning down buildings, throwing rocks or frozen water bottles at police. I can remember a reporter, standing in front of burning building, saying it was mostly peaceful.

Rioting is wrong no matter who does it. Democrats only remember the one time people on the right did it.

I read you folks are planning a No Kings protest. Please don’t destroy police cars, or block traffic. You cost taxpayers a lot of money.

Rich Zielinski

Buffalo

Editor:

To the residents of the Village of Albion, I would like to sincerely thank the people of our village for your votes, your confidence, and the opportunity to serve you as Village Trustee.

I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I am truly grateful for the trust you have placed in me. I am committed to serving our community with honesty, respect, and a genuine desire to do what is best for all residents.

I would also like to congratulate Tim McMurray on his election as Mayor and Kevin Sheehan on his election as Village Trustee. I look forward to working together in service to our village.

In addition, I am excited for the opportunity to work alongside William Gabalski, Greg Bennett, our village employees, and the residents of Albion as we move forward together. I believe that meaningful progress happens when people are willing to listen, collaborate, and work toward the common good of the community.

I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Joyce Riley and Angel Javier Jr. for their time and service on the board. Public service is not always easy, and I appreciate the time and effort they have dedicated to our village. I wish them both continued success in whatever comes next.

As we begin this next chapter, I encourage any and all residents to attend the next Village Board meeting on Monday, April 6, at 6 p.m. when the newly elected officials will be sworn in at Village Hall with the regular board meeting taking place right after. Community involvement matters, and I would love to see residents there as we continue working toward a stronger future for Albion together.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Jami Allport

Village of Albion Trustee-Elect

Editor:

In a recent Gunsmoke episode, a powerful cattleman attempts to take control of a water supply for a town of about 1,000 people. The Town Board passed regulations preventing this.

The cattleman threatens to overrun the village with thousands of cattle and his 30 cowboys. The village leaders call on their sheriff and their deputy to prevent this. “This is what we pay you for.”

US Marshall Matt Dillon points out to the village leaders that that’s impossible.

“They will need your backup.” Dillon helped them set up an ambush with many of the village men and some women, all with guns, helping the Sheriff, Deputy and Dillon.

The cattleman sent a thousand rampaging cattle through town to soften them up. He and his 30 cowboys followed, guns blazing. They we met by many villagers, armed and firing at them from behind barriers. They realized they were defeated and retreated.

* * * * * * * *

January 6, 2021: 185 US Capitol policemen were charged by approximately 1,500 rioters or more, some armed. They were urged on by the defeated, but then sitting President of the United States.

At least 140 policeman were injured. They tried to control things without using their weapons. One person, who’d broken through a door window and was starting to crawl through, was shot and killed.

About 15 policeman were hospitalized. Two died by suicide within 2 weeks; 2 more within 6 months. How were they to respond to violently protesting, but rioting American citizens? Urged on by the President? At least one of the rioters was so enraged they defecated on a Senator’s desk.

Over 1,300 of the rioters were convicted. So many hours were devoted to reviewing tapes, identifying perpetrators, assembling evidence, presenting it to the courts and sentencing in over 1,300 cases. Most of this work was wiped out by Trump pardons. The police, prosecutors and courts and all that work was disrespected and wiped out.

Trump gave $5 million to the family of the defendant that actually broke through a door window and was entering Congress chamber. But Trump awarded nothing to the injured police and their families.

He praised the rioters, but no mention of the police.

Assaulting policemen is OK, he seems to think.

I saw Trump recently complaining about making problems in the home “criminal matters.” To the contrary, domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous to police. Further, the NYS Legislature Republicans found that domestic violence is at the base of 50%+ of mass murders in our country. Many include police injuries and deaths. Again, Trump shows a disrespect for the police and women, the frequent victims.

We disrespect police when we expect them to enforce the law against the poor and minorities and women, but not against middle and upper class men. We unfairly expect police to show understanding and mercy toward them (not giving them a criminal record), but not so toward poor and minorities.

We show disrespect to the police, when we enjoy TV programs that present them as corrupt, rigid, buffoons or cruel. (Police are human and have the same problems that clergy, teachers, boy scout leaders, bank executives and employees have, about the same percentage as the average population, but most police are sincere and helpful and concerned about controlling crime, particularly violent crime. They need our respect and support.) I recommend Law & Order as a television show that represents police realistically and fairly.

Let’s be realistic and honest about what we want the police to do and support them.

Bob Golden

Waterport

Bob Golden worked 43 years in criminal justice, locally, state and private mental health, including 24 years as the Orleans County Probation director. His father was a police chief who was named the top chief in New York State in 1962.

Editor:

On Saturday, March 28, the third incarnation of the “No Kings” protest will take place in the US and in places all over the world. The movement is dedicated to the premise that citizens have the right to determine their own destinies, and the destiny of their country, while exercising the rights and responsibilities accorded them by the US Constitution.

Perhaps the hardest responsibility of living in a democracy rests in preserving it. “A republic, if you can keep it….” said Benjamin Franklin in 1787. Those words foreshadow the place we find ourselves now, where corruptive forces on all sides strain the seams of our laboriously constructed institutions and carefully protected freedoms. Ironically, those who attempt to bring our system down do so with the very liberties afforded by the Constitution and, unfortunately, the inattention of many citizens.

I urge all freedom-loving individuals to attend a “No Kings” rally this coming Saturday and future demonstrations as they occur. In Albion, we the people will meet at the intersection of Routes 31 and 98, at noon until 2 p.m.

At the time of this writing, the weather forecast for the event looks difficult, to say the least. But to paraphrase JFK: we should do this thing not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

David Vanderlaan

Albion

Editor:

I would like to publicly thank Dan Rosentreter for taking a chance on Medina when he opened The Coffee Pot. It has been a warm, comforting place where people can meet and socialize, or quietly sit and enjoy a cup — just what the village needed coming out of the pandemic.

Dan is selling the business so he can pursue a different dream, and I wish him and Hans (now running Hans’s Bakery on Main) all the best in whatever they pursue in the future.

One of Medina’s greatest assets is no shortage of people who are willing to invest in its business district.

The Coffee Pot will likely change under its new owners, whoever they may be, but I hope whoever it is tries to maintain some of the magic Dan and Hans created in that space.

Richard Moss

Medina

Editor:

New York’s most vulnerable residents – including many right here in Orleans and Genesee counties – are at risk because of a quiet but deeply concerning budget decision.

Across the state, Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) providers are raising the alarm about proposed funding cuts, and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is no exception.

Weatherization is far more than insulation and air sealing. Our team of eight walks into homes every day and finds serious safety issues that don’t show up on spreadsheets—homes without ceilings, exposed electrical hazards, kitchens without ventilation that force families to disconnect smoke detectors just to get through the day. The work we do prevents tragedies, reduces energy costs permanently, and helps neighbors live in safe, healthy homes.

Yet the Governor’s budget removes 10% of the HEAP funding traditionally dedicated to WAP. For agencies like ours, that 10% represents up to 60% of the operating budget that keeps these programs running. The impact would be immediate and painful: fewer homes served, fewer families able to afford heat, and potential layoffs for the skilled workers who deliver these essential services.

Our Weatherization team assists between 50 and 100 families each year, and we currently have a waitlist of 200 households—200 families who are already waiting for help. In a climate like ours, where winter hits hard and heating costs keep climbing, we simply cannot turn our backs on them.

WAP is one of New York’s most effective tools for lowering energy costs while improving health and safety. Cutting it undermines affordability, community stability, and long term energy goals.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken this message directly to Albany and Washington, D.C., because our families deserve to be heard. Now we need your voice too. Please contact your elected officials before the April 1 budget deadline and urge them to restore this critical funding.

Our communities cannot afford to lose a program that delivers real savings, real safety, and real impact.

Renee M. Hungerford

Executive Director/CEO

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee

Editor:

On March 19, as I listened to 5 ½ hours of testimony during GCEDC’s public hearing on its proposal to award $1.46 billion in financial incentives to a data center complex at STAMP, I felt a new sense of community with my fellow Genesee County residents.

I learned that they share my concerns about this plan. I learned they too fear the air and water pollution, 24/7 noise, impacts on our precious wildlife and birds.

They also see the proposed tax abatements to STREAM US Data Centers, their financial backer Apollo Global Management, and an undisclosed Big Tech firm operator as a bad investment for our County.

We all think 125 jobs – at $11.7 million per job in incentives – is just not worth the harms. That Big Tech and Private Equity will put their own profits before the well-being of our County.

That GCEDC needs to justify why it wants to invite a company – Apollo – whose former and current execs have extensive ties to Jeffrey Epstein, into our community.

That GCEDC must reject this harmful proposal. We can do better.

So, join me on March 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. for Desserts and Data Centers with Allies of TSN at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia or Zoom video conferencing. Go to GCEDC’s Board Meeting on March 26 at 4 p.m. at the MedTech Center.

Submit a comment to GCEDC at streampublichearing@gcedc.com by March 31. Call/text (585) 300-4925 or “No Monster Data Center at STAMP” Facebook group for more info.

Alyssa Beuler

Oakfield

Editor:

A “No Kings” demonstration will be in Albion on Saturday, March 28, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the corners of Rt. 98 and Rt. 31.

How can people not be concerned about what this current administration is doing to solidify unaccountable power?

A war and a gold-plated ballroom, neither with Congressional authorization celebrate an inflated ego; trial balloons about an unconstitutional third term; Undermining voting integrity on the basis of election irregularities that have never been proven in court case after court case; Promoting our nation’s 250th Anniversary in ways that only a dictator could love; Changing government departments for personal gain as evidenced by appointment of leaders without expertise in these areas; Pardoning convicted criminals following massive business deals or donations to campaigns – These are the things we protest today.

The No Kings Movement has been accused of over-dramatizing its case, but everything we have warned about has come true as democracy is being squeezed and squeezed until there will be nothing left.

It’s time to take a stand in every village and town. The basic tenets of democracy are evaporating before our eyes, but we who are participating in this No Kings event, one of thousands of such gatherings across the country, are hopeful, deeply committed, and not afraid to speak truth to power. Join us, stand with us, and add your voice.

“No Kings” is a nonviolent national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration. It is non-partisan in nature.

Although this event is being hosting by your Orleans County Democratic Committee, all are welcome. Municipal and street parking are available, and we ask participants to respect the needs of businesses.

Beth Wood

Orleans County Democratic Committee Secretary

Editor:

Have you been wanting to tell the Genesee County EDC what you think of the $1.44 billion subsidy to Stream Data Center? This is your chance! On Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Town of Alabama Fire Hall, the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) is holding a public hearing on the request from STREAM US Data Centers and its parent company, the multinational private equity firm Apollo Global Management, for $1.44 billion dollars in tax subsidies for the massive data center complex – 2.2 million square feet and 500 MW of electricity – they want to build at the failing STAMP site.

I oppose this plan for many reasons: it would dump pollution into our air, toxic chemicals into our water, make 24/7 noise that would scare away deer and other wildlife in the nearby preserves, and it would make all of our energy bills go up while also knocking down our property values.

I think it’s a bad investment, too: we could create a lot more jobs, with a lot fewer environmental and quality of life problems, for that kind of money (they say the project would create 125 jobs, so if you do the math that’s $11.5 million dollars per job… but we all know the workers won’t see that kind of money!)

But most of all, I oppose this plan because I don’t want to invite Big Tech and private equity into our peaceful, rural home. We don’t know the Big Tech firm that would operate the data center once STREAM builds it (that’s right, GCEDC has signed a non-disclosure agreement – so we don’t know whether it would be Amazon or Google or Meta or some other company that would eventually move in). But we do know about Apollo Global Management, and what we know is that the company does not share our values.

Leon Black, one of the founders and the former CEO, was apparently Jeffrey Epstein’s main client: he paid Epstein $158 million to help him dodge roughly $2 billion dollars in taxes. And another one of the company’s founders – Marc Rowan, who is still an executive at Apollo – communicated extensively with Epstein about the company’s tax arrangements.

Is this the kind of company we want to welcome into our community? I don’t think so. Apollo Global Management does not have the best interests of Genesee County or the GLOW Region at heart. No – they want to profit off us. They want to make a quick buck while ruining our local way of life. They think we are country bumpkins who won’t put up a fight.

Let’s prove them wrong. Join me at the public hearing this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Town of Alabama Fire Hall. Tell GCEDC what you think about this plan and why it’s a terrible deal with Genesee County. If you can’t be there, tell your friends and family to go, and submit a written comment to streampublichearing@gcedc.com by March 31. For more info, check out “STOP the STAMP Monster Data Center” on Facebook.

Adrienne Yocina

Pembroke

Editor:

On March 19, the Village of Medina elections will come to a close. Campaigns will thank their supporters, yard signs will be picked up, and materials will be set aside. What also needs to happen is that we all realize this has all been done because of a mutual love for our community.

As many of you know, I dislike politics, but I am deeply committed to serving people. As much as I enjoy speaking with all of you in the community, coming up with solutions to problems, and being a helping hand, I do not like the political side of any of this.

With that being said, I have an incredible amount of respect for anyone who decides to jump into these races. We do not have to agree, but I know that in order to run for local office, we at least agree on our desire to put in the time to help make things better. All of us need to do a better job at being able to sit down and constructively work through the challenges that we face. Our community is strongest when we focus on what unites us.

I believe this race is likely to be close, and every vote is going to matter. This election is not about a single issue, but about an entire community who wants what’s best for the Village of Medina. Whether you are running for office or not, I hope this moment acts as a catalyst for increased involvement, whether by attending meetings, serving on boards and committees, or simply staying engaged.

Please remember to vote on March 18 at the Senior Center from noon until 9 p.m. I sincerely hope I can count on your support, and I promise to offer you mine as we go through these challenges together.

Sincerely,

Marguerite Sherman

Candidate for Mayor

Village of Medina