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

Editor:

Even though I was unopposed for Shelby Town Justice after my appointment in June, I would like to thank everyone in Shelby who came out and exercised their right to vote.

I also appreciate those who took and displayed my yard signs, the backing of the Shelby Republican Committee, the Orleans County Republican Committee, and the Orleans County Conservative Committee, as well as the parties for their support.

Often overlooked are the poll workers who spend an extremely long day and night helping voters. A big thank you to them – we all appreciate your time making our democratic process work.

Respectfully,

Edward J. Grabowski, Esq.

Shelby Town Justice

Editor:

We would like to thank all the Yates voters that came out and voted for Steve Colon and Paul Lauricella. We thank you for acknowledging the Conservative Party platform to government.

Hopefully the Town Board will adopt some of these restraints in their approach to unnecessary spending and government overreach, which would be good for all of us.

While we won’t be able to make any decisions for you, we will continue to hold government accountable the best way we can by staying involved. That’s the American way.

Please attend meetings and workshops where you get the bigger picture. It’s your money.

Paul Lauricella Jr.

Steven A. Colon

Yates

Editor:

We truly appreciate the support of voters in the Town of Yates. It is an honor to be given the opportunity to continue to serve you.

We acknowledge that our opponents, and those who voted for them, hoped for a different electoral outcome. We will do our best to serve you as well.

We thank Tom Rivers and the Orleans Hub for once again providing an important public forum for debate – well done.

God bless America!

Jim Simon, John Riggi, Susan Hrovat

Town of Yates

Editor:

Veterans Day…November 11 at 11 a.m., 1918, the war that was to end all wars came to an end. The Germans surrendered…the battle field that had been smoke ridden by gun fire and the smell of death, cries of wounded fell to an eerie silence.

Cries filled the air, “It is over!” Yes, it was over. It did not end all wars. We still have wars…take a good look at the world today.

Not long after the end of World War I, Congress made November 11 to be Veterans Day, the day that we honor veterans, living and deceased. We pay them respect, honor them. Thank them for our freedoms and service to this country. Thank a vet!

It is sad that we are not able to have parades to honor the living and deceased veterans. Veterans’ organizations have been declining in membership. They are getting older, public interest is declining. It is time the younger veterans get off their butts (military term) and

rise up and join a veterans’ organization. You owe it to them as they are the ones that have lobbied for many of veterans’ benefits.

The citizens of this country need to wake up and show patriotism to the veterans so they will not feel serving their beloved country was in vain.

Thank a vet!

Carl Boyle

American Legion Post 1603 in Lyndonville

U.S. Army, 3rd Armored Div.

Editor:

I’m sure many of you who live in the Town of Barre, or its outlying areas, are aware of the ongoing political conflicts stemming from the alternative Wind Turbine Project.

Assuming the people who run for and are in these positions, are supposed to be educated, impartial problem-solvers, then why is it, Mr. Pogue thinks he’s entitled to verbally intimidate, and be outwardly argumentative towards the people he works with?

The body language displayed at the Barre Town Board meetings clearly shows he is not deserving of a leadership role. When a community member comes to a board meeting, to express their concerns about something that is important to them, it should also become important to the town officials.

On several occasions, I have witnessed a member of the community trying to get answers for an ongoing problem, outside of the wind project, only to be given some sort of “tell them what they want to hear response,” from the Town Supervisor.

It is not a matter of whom we like or dislike, but who has good leadership qualities. In closing, I would like to ask that the Town of Barre residents think long and hard before they vote.

Thank you,

Cindy Confer

Barre

Editor:

I am consistently amazed how people running for public office pull the “Lies” card, usually while they themselves are being untruthful. I have carefully read and re-read the letter from George McKenna to the people of the Town of Barre asking them to support his daughter, Kerri Richardson, in her bid for re-election to the Barre Town Board.

I find nothing in this letter which is untrue from my own experience. Then, a few days later, I receive a post card from the Pogue, Swan, and Mathes with the caption “FACTS NOT LIES.”  Upon closer examination all six of the items listed on the post card were in fact not true or framed in a way as to be vague and disingenuous.

For example, there is no question some of the people running have a financial interest to see this project move forward. There will always be items to vote on at the town board level regarding the wind project.

Electing a board member who is supposed to recuse themselves, and has not in the past, when voting on items which would result in their financial gain is senseless. And then, there is the amount of money the Town of Barre will make while changing the town completely forever.

That amount has changed so many times I can’t even keep track of it anymore. Lowering the amount of turbines to be built and then paying the town and county the same amount of money as originally stated is not how business works.

Please read Dr. McKenna’s letter again and then read the follow-up post card from the Pro-Wind folks and make an educated vote on Nov. 7.

All my best,

Jim Salmon

Barre

Editor:

We need to give our thanks to the extraordinary person who has given more of his commitment to this community than almost anyone.

Joe Sidonio has been working to help this community be a better place for decades. To list just a very few of the amazing things he has quietly achieved for us all:

Joe was the first to see the possibility to restore the old Holley High School. It was he who secured the initial funding for the very first study and brought in those with experience from far and wide – against much nay-saying.  It took years to realize and many other people’s hard work, but Joe brought the very possibility to us by his vision and leadership.

Joe works every day to lower our taxes and reign in public spending.

Joe breathed the life into Mr. Fiorito’s vision to restore the Fancher WWII War Memorial.

Joe organized the first Farmland Protection Plan in the entire of Orleans County – a plan guiding our resource stewardship for future generations.

And so much more.

Singularly Joe Sidonio has had the courage to be the whistleblower to call out the forces of corruption in our local government. He has had the smarts to identify mismanagement of our hard-earned tax dollars and the honest conviction to vote “no” on the 2024 Murray tax increases. Valuing fairness for one and all he has taken steps to stop the entrenched government favoritism that permeates a self described, self-serving elite.

All of these things have benefited the lives of each and every citizen of this town.

All of the voices who choose to continue to overlook Joe’s accomplishments, constantly and aggressively strategizing and concocting to hurt him or belittle him or misrepresent him, do a disservice to our entire region – and they have missed a beautiful opportunity to uplift our town.

But those negative voices do not define him, they cannot take away the years of work he has done on our behalf, nor the generosity of time and thought he has given to this community, nor his deep appreciation for the honest people who everyday give their all, nor his personal generosity and care – particularly for those who are vulnerable –  nor the remarkable, respectful working relationships he has formed with professional women and men including the town supervisors of Orleans County and myriad others across the entire country.

Thank you Joe Sidonio.

My vote will be for you for Town Supervisor of Murray.

Mine is a vote of confidence, respect and thanks.

Amy Machamer

Murray

(Machamer is married to Sidonio.)

Editor:

Just a quick observation from a Town of Carlton resident…

Darlene Rich has been in office as Shelby town clerk for 16 years, never an opponent. Somehow this year is different, according to some  former employees.

But according to Lori Myhill “everyone got along.” So I asked what went wrong in the last 3-4 years? Maybe you should be looking at the last 4-5 persons hired. How odd that suddenly there is dissatisfaction among the workers but they were family for 12-plus years.

And Darlene’s opponent used a STAR on her signs when the EAGLE should have been used.

Choose wisely and vote for the person who is qualified and has several certifications attached to her name.

Jeanne Crane

Carlton

Editor:

I would be proud to serve as Barre Town Supervisor. But, a few things I lack is an arrogant attitude, the ability to be self-serving, or the psychological manipulation of gas-lighting people.

I have a strong character, have served in places where even evil fears to tread, and have no need to sow self-doubt in anyone.

We live in a small town. Everyone used to get along. Think back to when it changed. Who came here and changed it?

I urge people to go back to live streaming of the Town Board meetings. I have attended the meetings in person, live, and virtually. To be attacked and lied about is ridiculous. Even if I did not attend every meeting, is that a pre-requisite to run for office?

The need for electricity in the park is not our biggest issue…and to think that our money will come from an entity that has not been given the full green-light, doesn’t seem wise. The board wisely voted against doing so.

The current town supervisor and I agree on one point, bringing in new business to our town. However, many of his supporters do not agree on this. Without encouraging a younger generation to come in with hopes of increasing a population, what new business would want to come in?

But, that is not my decision, because this is not a regime, it is a town that belongs to the people. However, it is not wise to stop progress to an aging-out population. I am not about my own agenda, I am about wanting to help people, progress as a town, help the elderly obtain the available tax credit, and help the Cold War veterans obtain their veteran’s tax credit.

I never, ever said that I will stop wind turbines from coming into the town and I never, ever threatened to sue anyone using your money, my money, or anyone else’s money to do so….that was from an election years ago where I was not involved and am offended that this has been an accusation on my running for election. I wish people would stop grasping at straws.

I am honest, I am transparent, and I am kind, but I am not weak. The handouts were from the primary election and only says that I was backed by Republicans and endorsed by the Conservative Party. What about that makes me dishonest and how is that cloudy?

I was never approached and told to move a sign. I never, ever threatened to sue anyone for touching signs. Another grasp to tell a falsehood to discredit my good name. We did find that, due to modern technology, signs disappeared and signs were moved around.

What evidence shows that I lack willingness to learn about the position? Where is the evidence that I alone can halt the installation of wind turbines? The damage for this agenda has already been done. I do not support the turbines, but if they were to be forced upon this town, then I would work diligently with the board and with the townspeople to protect everyone’s best interests.

The harmony in this town, at this time, does not seem too promising…if you continue to vote for the person that brought the discord in the first place.

I am asking that you vote for me on the Conservative Party line, because I do care about what happens in and to this town and about you.

Semper Fidelis,

Scott Burnside

Barre

Editor:

Wow! There sure are a lot of controversial issues raised by other Orleans County towns related to their upcoming elections. Call me glad to be a resident of Kendall!

There are three candidates running for two spots on the Kendall Town Board. I strongly support the re-election of two current members, Barb Flow and Margaret (Lynn) Szozda!

Both have been Kendall residents for over 37 years, and both play a very active, considerate, and professional role on Town Board matters and are protective of both individual and community concerns and issues.

Their concerns are driven principally by two factors, costs to residents and what’s best for the community as a whole. They are important cogs in what I see as an extremely well-functioning, innovative, hardworking, and, most important of all, a successfully-operating Town Board. Losing either Barb or Lynn on the board would be a great loss!

I have found the Town Board, Planning Board, and Assessor’s Office to always be responsive to concerns or questions I have raised, and always willing to call me back and/or sit down and discuss any issues. There is no lack of transparency on the part of town officials, and Barb and Lynn will continue this tradition.

As for the need for “change,” I would say why in the world would we want to tamper with success! Let’s return these ladies to the board, as a measure of our thanks for their fine participation in the past and our confidence they will continue their excellent work.

Please take the time to vote, for Barb Flow and Margaret Szozda at the Town Hall on Tuesday. We owe them at least that much!

Jay Dorney

Kendall