Editor:

This is an open letter to the people of the Town of Yates. I am writing this letter to ask for your support in the upcoming election, Nov. 3 in the town of Yates.

Many of you have known me for years but, for those of you who don’t, let me tell you a little about myself. My wife of 41 years and I grew up in this community and two of our children are raising their families in Yates.

I have been a Town Board member since 2004 and have had the privilege of serving as your Town Supervisor since 2010. Being active in the Lions Club and sponsoring the Little League in the town has kept me actively involved with many of the residents here.

Needless to say, I LOVE THIS TOWN. I want to see it prosper.

During my time on the board I have worked beside the other board members to protect our town and improve it. We were instrumental in helping new businesses establish themselves here. Two examples would be Medina Window and Millers General Store. We have always done everything we could to support the farming community in our town.

Unfortunately, we have also had businesses that have closed due to retirement as well as family and financial issues. As unwelcome as these closings have been for all of us, the circumstances are beyond the control of the board.

Just like you, I want this town to blossom and regenerate. We, (the Town Board and I) will continue to do everything we can to keep existing businesses here while also providing new businesses tools to open and succeed.

I have always worked hard to support the whole town and the majority wishes. I believe that together we can bring back the vibrant, thriving Main Street that so many of us grew up with.

I am asking for your vote on Nov. 3. Again, thank you for your support to ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to grow and succeed without having to leave our beautiful town.

Thank you,

John Belson
Yates Town Supervisor

Editor:

Plenty has been said about two of the three highly qualified candidates for Orleans County Sheriff.

Little has been said about Don Organisciak, the candidate with the most experience. If experience matters, Don’s law enforcement tenure of 30 years exceeds that of both Tom Drennan and Randy Bower. Furthermore, Don’s Medina Police Department service was gained outside the Sheriff’s Department. It includes 13 years as an investigator.

But his experience extends even beyond those 30 years. Don was a school resource officer at Lyndonville High School for two years. In that capacity, he interacted regularly with teens as counselor, mentor and disciplinarian. LC.S. personnel (plural) have praised him for the respect he demonstrated toward all students. My sister-in-law, Lisa, was just one of them.

A few years ago, Arizona was embroiled in a controversy over the so-called “Papers, Please” law. It was Constitutionally-flawed, to say the least, if it permitted law enforcement to ask for documentation with no more “probable cause” than someone’s appearance. Nonetheless, while such a law is on the books, law enforcement is obligated to enforce it, as determinations of Constitutionality belong to the courts.

As professionals, sheriffs certainly should understand such things. Picking and choosing what laws to enforce in not an option. For a sheriff, publicly defying the law is not an option.

Don Organisciak knows that, of all people, a sheriff must operate within the law. How can the general public be expected to respect the law if their sheriff doesn’t?

For these reasons, I urge the voters of Orleans County to support Don Organisciak for Orleans County Sheriff.

Sincerely yours,

Gary F. Kent
Albion

Editor:

After speaking with the fire chief of Lyndonville Fire Department, who has spoken with Mercy Flight crew members and flight directors, I am writing this letter in response to the concerned citizens of the Village of Lyndonville and the Town of Yates concerning the Letter to the Editor on the Orleans Hub.

The article topic was windmills and Mercy Flight. The person who wrote the article stated that if the windmills come into our area that our community’s safety is at risk because Mercy Flight will not come into the area. That statement is false.

The fire chief has spoken to Mercy Flight personally and they stated that they have actually landed in between windmills in other areas. The biggest concern they have with any upright structures is lighting. The biggest problem they run up against is cell towers not being lit up, not windmills.

When Mercy Flight is called in to transport patients, the fire company and ambulance crews are in contact with the aircraft to establish landing zones. The pilot prefers they land on a hard surface such as a road or parking lot.

Rest assured, Mercy Flight will always be here when the weather and availability allows them to whether or not the windmills or any other towering structures come into our area.

Linda Fisk
Lyndonville

Editor:

I’d like to say one last thing on the race for Orleans County Sheriff. There has been much said, over and over and over again, about the fact that Randy Bower has not spent any time behind a badge.

If you think it is all that is needed to become the Orleans County Sheriff, maybe people should know a few things about some former sheriffs. First of all, our former Sheriff David Green was not an officer and spent no time behind a badge or in the Sheriff’s Department whatsoever prior to being elected.

Secondly, our neighboring county, Monroe, had a sheriff (Andrew Meloni) that served over two decades as probably the most successful elected official in Monroe County (a quote from the Democrat & Chronicle). He started at the Sheriff’s Department as a part-time clerk.

So, just because you have a badge doesn’t mean you’re automatically qualified or entitled to the job. Just a little food for thought.

I support Randy Bower for sheriff whole-heartedly and will be proud to call him our next sheriff.

Margo Passarell
Holley

Editor:

The results are in on The Batavia News Survey on Wind Energy Support, as included in the Oct. 27 article (Vote Now: Lighthouse Wind: Supporters growing, feel underestimated).

Interestingly, the News Survey results (72% Opposed, 28% Support), closely correlate to the SOS survey results as performed in Yates (77.9% Opposed, 19.5% Support, 2.6% No Opinion).

By design, the survey respondent pool was not limited to only Somerset/Yates Town Residents, but was open to anyone to voice their opinion.

It is gratifying to see that the general population is, in fact, opposed to the specter of APEX’s Lighthouse Wind Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project.

The positive survey result is welcome news. They serve to increase SOS’ resolve to defeat the APEX Lighthouse Wind Industrial Wind Turbine Emplacement Project.

Thank You,

John Riggi
Endorsed Republican candidate for Yates Town Board
President, Save Ontario Shores, Inc.

Editor:

As I made clear in a recent article in the Lake Country Pennysaver, industrial wind turbine zones like the one Apex is proposing in Yates and Somerset, would have a negative impact on flight operations.

As a former U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot, I can assure you that aviators – from C-130 military pilots from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station to Mercy Flight and State Police helicopter pilots – will have their flight operations restricted in and around wind turbine zones.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not require wind turbine zones to depict each and every wind turbine. Therefore, pilots will not know exactly where each wind turbine is actually located in their mission planning phase.

Also, each turbine does not operate its own anti-collision strobe light. In most cases, every third or fourth turbine operates a strobe light. Also, the strobe lights are on the nacelle (hub) of the turbine, while the tips of the spinning blades could be 150-feet above that height.

So what does this matter? In daytime and good weather, it is not difficult to see and avoid wind turbines. However, in marginal weather – especially at night – these wind farms are very difficult to navigate around (or land near in the case of a helicopter) in order to accomplish the aviation mission.

If Apex builds 70 of these massive 570-foot turbines in Yates and Somerset, there will be a negative impact on aviation. I don’t know about you, but I love the roar of the C-130s flying low-level in the unrestricted airspace above our town. That would be eliminated if the Apex turbines are built.

What impact would that airspace loss have on the viability of the air base in the next round of Congressional base closure proceedings? Additionally, these wind turbine zones would make it more difficult for medivac or police helicopter pilots to accomplish their important work.

Respectfully,
Jim Simon (Lt Col, USAF-Retired)

(Editor’s Note: Simon is a write-in candidate for Yates town supervisor.)

Editor:

Back in September, I wrote a letter to the editor explaining the importance of the process of electing our next sheriff. The election of a sheriff in each county is the equivalent of allowing each voter the opportunity to check the qualifications and experience of each candidate and select your next “Chief Law Enforcement Officer.”

I compared this process to a government body, like a city council or village board, interviewing and selecting their next police chief. In both cases, you are choosing someone to lead, in most cases, the largest law enforcement agency in the county. That is certainly the case in Orleans County.

Much has been said over the past couple of months about experience. Experience matters. In fact, experience is the most importance aspect of choosing our next sheriff. The problem is, that experience needs to relevant! We are choosing our next chief law enforcement executive.

In order to demonstrate what relevant law enforcement experience for a sheriff is, I decided to embark on a research project for all of the voters in the county. What qualifies you to be sheriff? What experience do other sheriffs in New York State have?

In New York State, there are no formal, legislated qualifications for sheriff. The New York State Sheriff’s Association, which is the professional organization of sheriffs across the state, supports standards that include background checks and relevant law enforcement, public safety, legal, or military experience. You can learn more about the association’s support of these standards by clicking here.

Across New York State, there is a very clear pattern of what qualifies you to be sheriff. Being a police officer is a start! There are 57 sheriffs outside New York City. I reviewed their experience and career path and found they fell into distinct categories.

Thirty-four sheriffs worked their way up through the ranks of the Sheriff’s Office. The average number of years of experience the sheriffs in this category have was about 33 years.

The second category I found was former New York State Troopers. Eleven sheriffs fall into this category, and all of them worked their way up through the ranks of the State Police at some level. The average experience in this category is 37 years.

A third category were former municipal police chiefs. Five sheriffs in New York State have served as the chief of a local agency before becoming sheriff. Another five sheriffs were municipal police officers who worked up through the ranks of their agency. These two categories average 33 years of experience.

Lastly, there were are a couple of sheriffs who don’t fall into these categories – and yet they are still have real experience – one with 20 years’ experience as a judge and another who retired from United States Army as a brigadier general! Now that’s leadership experience!

The point of all of this is simple. Voters across New York State expect their sheriffs to be experienced law enforcement officers. Not only do they expect them to be law enforcement officers, they expect them to have “been there, done that,” working their way through the ranks during their career in whatever agency that may have been with. During their career, they learn to supervise. They learn to manage. They learn to lead. Without that professional growth, they would not be capable of performing the duties of the Office of the Sheriff.

In the Sheriff’s race in Orleans County, there are three candidates. The candidate who won the Republican endorsement has absolutely no relevant experience. He is not, and never has been a police officer. He isn’t even qualified to be a recruit officer at a local police agency. Why would we elect him sheriff?

The Democratic Party candidate was a police officer, but has no command or management experience, and has been retired for over seven years! Think about how much things change in seven years and about how relevant any experience he has remains so today.

Only one candidate for sheriff has committed his entire life and career to the citizens of Orleans County, and has taken the necessary career steps to establish himself as the most qualified candidate. Tom Drennan has worked hard to improve himself and work his way through the ranks of the Sheriff’s Office – gaining the real world experience you need to lead a modern day law enforcement agency.

Not only is Tom the most qualified to be our next sheriff from his law enforcement experience, he has dedicated his entire adult life to public service through his over 33 years of service to the Kendall Fire Department. He is the ONLY candidate that adds that experience to his resume.

The choice is simple and clear. Tom Drennan is the best choice for sheriff. He has the best qualifications. He has the most relevant experience. He is the most dedicated to our public safety. He has made public safety his life’s work. He is MY choice for sheriff and he should be yours, too!

Joseph Grube
Gaines

Editor:

On October 17, the Orleans County Republicans held a “Fall Rally.” This was a very nice event put on by the Ridgeway Republicans.

A wonderful meal was furnished by the Ridgeway Fire Company’s Ladies Auxillary. Former State Sen. George Maziarz, current State Sen. Rob Ortt and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley were in attendance, as well as local officials endorsed by the Republican Party.

However, a dark cloud was cast over the evening. A night of unity among Republicans was overshadowed by a few (supposedly) Republicans. These few supposed Republicans made it very obvious that they were supporting a man endorsed by another party! Blatant disloyalty!

They apparently feel that the Republican choice for sheriff is not theirs. They feel that they don’t need to follow their party’s choice! What happened to party loyalty!?!

These same people will come up for re-election and will want an endorsement! Well, guess what, vote for who you want! Don’t publicly display signs for the opposition candidate while you are an enrolled Republican!

The NYS Sheriffs Association and NYS Corrections Union have both endorsed Randy Bower for sheriff. These two state-wide law enforcement organizations evaluated all of the candidates for sheriff and selected Randy Bower to endorse.

Republicans, stay loyal to your party! Vote Republican! Vote Randy Bower! Your Sheriff!

David Wells Sr.
Medina
“Enrolled Republican for 57 years”

Editor:

Just because something is legal does not mean it is right.

As long as you have had “residency” in this town for 1 month (and I believe that all you have to do to establish residency is to have a Post Office box) you can legally register and vote here.

Save Ontario Shores (SOS) was circulating a paper that had the headline:
“You can stop industrial wind turbine! In local ballots YOUR VOTE CAN WIN THE ELECTION”

In this flyer they are encouraging people to list a lake residence as their “voting residence” and their other residence as a mailing address. They give the date that the registrations have to be postmarked by and a link through their website for voters registration. The flyer then proceeds to give them the instructions for where they can apply for their absentee ballot.

Now, most of us have seen the campaign stuff where Riggi and Simon have said that their only agenda is not about the wind turbines. That is what they are putting out publicly but things like this flyer lead me to believe that what they and SOS are putting out privately for the anti-turbine crowd is their true agenda. I have a copy of the flyer they were circulating if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Technically, there could be people voting in our town election who have never been to our town as the law reads: “There does need to be some significant ongoing connection” but the only way to challenge their “significant ongoing connection” would be through a long, costly court battle.

I don’t know about you but I take offense at SOS once more initiating a behind the bushes attempt to undermine the wishes of the majority of the full-time residents of our town.

Spread the word! Get out and vote!

John Belson and Wes Bradley will represent the WHOLE town! Don’t let a special interest group hijack our town!

Thank you,

Susan Campbell
Lyndonville

Editor:

Throughout my adult life, I’ve mostly worked for non-profit organizations. As a teacher, hospital and college administrator, health center and animal shelter fundraiser and the like, the mission was to improve lives in the communities I served.

Almost 20 years ago, I stumbled upon many teachers and guides who encouraged me to work on my own issues, physical, emotional and spiritual. So began the path of my own healing work and eventually the founding of a healing center in Albion, Paradise Healing Arts.

My weekly column, Making Choices, some may recall, was published continuously for over 15 years across the northeast in many Free Community Papers like our own Lake Country Pennysaver. Over the years, thousands wrote to share how this column had helped them in some way. It was also a way I helped myself heal.

And next I embarked on becoming a licensed massage therapist. For 17 years now, the skills I have developed in this field through continuous training and practice have helped people of all ages in my community and far beyond to heal and become more vital in their lives.

Last, but certainly not least, I was challenged with a very difficult job as a single parent of a child who didn’t fit into any mold. Now a very intelligent and creative 32-year-old, he told me about 6 months ago, “Mom, thanks for staying in my life. If you hadn’t believed in me, always been there for me, when no one else was, I wouldn’t be so happy now.”

So what does any of this matter for a candidate running for town office? If I had not learned how to take care of my own physical, emotional and family matters, I could not devote creativity, time and energy to my community like it deserves and is in dire need of.

Albion deserves better. As a child, I remember a thriving, safe, enjoyable community; the smell of Hunt Foods processing tomatoes in the autumn, Lipton’s making soup for the whole country, Santa Claus School and Park where people came from around the world to learn and enjoy the magic, Bird’s Eye foods growing and shipping vegetables nationwide.

Main Street was full of retail shops, grocery stores, a movie theater, soda shops, shoe repair and newsstands, etc. Shopping on my bike for a three-dollar Mother’s Day gift was an adventure for a 7-year-old to be remembered forever.

If our neighboring town of Medina can be reborn, we can do it too! We can’t just imagine a thriving Main Street but more importantly, economic development and shared services that encourage sustainable growth; a place for our youth to come back to with their higher education or skills to make a difference.

Let’s work together, not complain together at local coffee venues, to make Albion better. Let’s clean up the landfill problem, the apathy, nepotism and misuse of our tax dollars and get to work. I have hundreds of people, young and old, across all political lines, who are on board with this way of thinking. Together we can do it!

Just as I have recreated my life and helped the lives of my clients and son, I can help recreate Albion to be economically, environmentally and socially vital once again. We can do it if you vote on Nov. 3 for Darlene Benton, Albion Town Board. Please vote. Your voice matters to Albion and the future of our children and community.

Respectfully,
Darlene Benton
Albion