Editor:

Cybercrime is the criminal activity that either targets or uses a computer network to obtain personal or government information.

The United States has invested approximately $10.9 billion into cybersecurity since 2007. Cybersecurity is meant to protect government information such as weapon blueprints, plans of attack, and other important documents from being leaked to threatening countries, such as Russia.

United States citizens need to be aware that technology is advancing, but not just for us. While our technology and security are advancing, enemy countries are advancing as well, as stated above.

We the people of the United States have a responsibility as citizens to protect our country from any cyber threats, especially those sponsored by foreign nations. As citizens, we can assist this effort by asking what our next president, senator, or representative will do to protect us from cyberattacks.

Cyber criminals are highly intelligent human beings and will continue to hack the United States technological systems until they discover valuable information that can bring them wealth and power.

The United States needs to put up a wall of security to protect our country’s technological information so those criminals cannot get what they want. They need to be stopped and we the people of the United States can make that happen.

When it comes to our next elections, make sure to ask our representatives, “What are your plans to stop the United States from cyber-attacks?”

Erin DeFrank

Holley High School senior

Editor:

On Saturday, May 6th, more than two dozen Scouts, their leaders and parents from Troop and Pack 164 along with Girl Scouts and Brownies from 82261 and 82007 continued a tradition of placing US flags on veterans’ graves.

They honored more than 2,000 veterans at both Mount Albion and new Saint Joseph’s cemeteries within 3 hours! American Legion Sheret Post 35 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Strickland Post 4635 are grateful for their time and support as we could not do it without them.

This effort would also not be possible without adequate funding.

The VFW and American Legion together spend approximately $3,000 each year purchasing flags for distribution at central Orleans County cemeteries. This does not include the markers denoting which war or conflict a veteran participated in.

We are thankful to the Towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Village of Albion for their financial support in 2022-23. As well, to the volunteers like the Scouts and the public for their donations.

If you are a veteran, I encourage you to get involved now with a VFW, American Legion or other similarly purposed organization. Please help us to continue the traditions of honoring our veterans and their sacrifices.

Sincerely,

Matt Passarell

VFW Post 4635

Albion

Editor:

Mr. Remley, in his letter to the editor of 13 May entitled “5 school districts should become one in Orleans County” has taken a logical step towards consolidation. He is correct.

Why five superintendents with redundant staffs, buildings, maintenance, buses, drivers – and the list goes on. Five superintendents at almost $800,000 when one could do the job as exemplified in thousands of counties in the US.

If the 5 supers would like to show that five independent schools districts are an efficient, logical and economical way to go, there is a simply way for them to prove their point. They should join with the county legislators and ask the NY State Government Service Dept. (phone 518 473 3355, ask for Eric) to fund an unbiased feasibility survey on the consolidation of the five schools systems and county functions. Without proof from a unbiased third party, the 5 supers’ opinions, are just opinions.

Now is the time for facts. Will the county legislators take a stand on this issue?  I respectfully ask the County Legislature to respond to this letter and to Mr. Remley’s.

Jack Capurso

Albion High School Class of 1960

Ashburn, Va.

Editor:

In light of the fact that consolidation is front and center as of late, it is past time for Orleans County to establish a single, unified school district.

Let me be clear: nothing herein should be construed to denigrate or withhold support from the dedicated and talented teaching faculties and administrators employed by the county’s five school districts. The average annual salary of a Master’s Degree professional in the U.S. is in excess of $75,000, regardless of years of experience. It takes more than a decade for most public school teachers to attain that level of income. Teachers should be paid as the professionals they are.

Facts first: Albion, Medina, Holley, Kendall, and Lyndonville combined enroll approximately 5,220 students. Their budgets total $148,183,958 for the next fiscal year. Per pupil spending is approximately $28,500. Two of the five districts are raising taxes by 1.5% and 1% per $1,000 of assessed property. Noted, re: the majority of school budgets are paid for by the State. The overall population of Orleans County has declined from a high in 2000 of 44,171 to 39,318 today (-11% in 22 years) per census estimates as of 2022.

There should be one, unified district with five elementary schools (Lyndonville, Kendall, Holley, Medina and Albion), three middle schools (Albion, Medina and Holley), and one high school in Albion.

Think of the savings. Nine buildings instead of twelve. One district office in lieu of five. The five Superintendents earned $796,000-plus in salaries in 2022 alone. The Districts each employ dozens of administrators and run their own bus garages. When isn’t there a ballot measure to authorize the purchase of a bus or two? The longest ride from the corners of the county to AHS is 30 minutes. It defies logic to try to justify all of that infrastructure for districts that graduate fewer than 60 students in a class. The duplicative nature of the status quo is unsustainable.

On the other hand, it will be argued: (1) that there is something unique about rural education; (2) consolidation will ruin sports rivalries; and/or (3) a relative or a friend will lose a job.

Let me respond in turn. (1) The district is still a rural district and it would be able to marshal more resources for special needs programs and extracurriculars than it can when it must employ nearly five of everything. (2) Numerous districts have already combined athletics programs and a single district would be better positioned to compete with larger districts in Sections V and VI. (3) Be intellectually consistent. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Either you’re for consolidation and easing tax burdens or you’re for redundancy. It cannot be both.

Consolidation often fails because of nostalgia, nepotism and whataboutism. Demographic and economic realities dictate new and innovative modes of thinking.

Andrew “Drew” Remley

Boston, Mass. and former Albion resident

Editor:

This week, many homeowners in Orleans County received new assessments reflecting the unprecedented home value rise over the last several years.

We have received many calls at the local school districts inquiring about what the new assessments will do to the tax rates.

As a local taxing authority, the school district has no control over the tax rate or a house’s assessed value. A school district can control the tax levy, which is the amount of money the school can collect for taxes in a given year. That number does not change with the assessments that many have received.

In practical terms, if the total assessed value of the property in the school district doubled, the school tax rate would be cut in half. Once the assessment rolls are finalized, the county assessor will determine the total assessed value of each school district, divide that total assessed value by the amount of the tax levy, and establish a tax rate for each school district.

However, it is very important to note that not everyone’s assessment changes equally when reassessment happens. One person’s home assessment may have increased by $50,000, while another person’s home assessment may have increased by $150,000. Because of the difference in assessment changes, some people may ultimately find that the total amount of taxes they pay decreases.

There has also been some chatter on social media that states that schools and local governments use the increased assessments to take more in tax money. In Orleans County, that is simply not true.

In some communities, school districts tell voters, “The tax rate is unchanged,” implying that there will be no tax increase while at the same time raising their tax levy by the same percentage their total assessed value has increased. For those districts that do this, they will collect more money with taxes while at the same time claiming that they did not raise the tax rate. We feel doing that is unethical, lacks transparency, and causes taxpayers to lose trust in the schools.

In Orleans County, the school districts will always be honest with taxpayers during the budget process, and will never resort to a tactic that we just described. We will always discuss our tax levy, as that is the only part of a school tax bill where the district has direct control.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our schools. Sincerely,

Mickey Edwards, Superintendent, Albion CSD

Brian Bartalo, Superintendent, Holley CSD

Nicholas Picardo, Superintendent, Kendall CSD

Sharon Smith, Superintendent, Lyndonville CSD

Mark Kruzynski, Superintendent, Medina CSD

Editor:

No playground!

While at a family picnic at the pavilion in Holley, there was no playground for our children to play on. Don’t the taxpaying parents and grandparents of Holley deserve to have a place for their children to play.

It was there and enjoyed by many. Now it is gone. This is appalling!

Arlene Peone

Holley

Editor:

Orleans County property taxes are burdensome. It does not have to be this way. Many counties in New York State have eliminated the town governments and consolidated the functions into their county.

There is no logic to Orleans County having ten towns and four villages governments, all with water departments, notaries, records centers, tax collectors, highway maintenance, code enforcement, courts, and various permits, licenses and certifications. With all of the duplication, it is only logical that taxes are high and going higher every year.

Many have told me there is not a single politician who will come forward and advocate consolidation to save the taxpayers money. They say every Republican and Democrat is opposed to it because in the short term it may hurt their re-election prospects when jobs are consolidated.

While both political parties may refuse to talk about consolidation, New York State has a program whereby the people can take charge of the process and force their local governments to vote on consolidation, even if the town governments are opposed to it. The step-by-step process is provided in “The Reorganization of Local Government: A Summary of the Government Reorganization Process” and “The Citizen’s Guide to Petitioning For Local Government Consolidation or Dissolution.”

In addition the New York State, Division of Local Government Service, has a grant program that can provide up to $100,000 to conduct a feasibility study of consolidation. These guides give the power to the people.

What is needed is for residents to join together, form a county-wide committee and start the process. The NY State Division of Local Government Services at (518) 473-3355 is available to explain the process

Taxes in the county can be reduced. If the politicians refuse to help, it is now up to the citizens to make it happen.

Jack Capurso

Albion High School, Class of 1960

Ashburn, Va.

Editor:

Arming school security can potentially save many lives. Since the 1990s, school shootings have increased, resulting in new requirements to protect students.

In 2022 alone, there were 51 school shootings in the United States. Schools across the country are taking action by adding armed security, adding more cameras, and creating a safe environment for students overall.

Some students and parents want armed security in schools. “We want our children to be safe and free from any wrongdoing in their school day,” said Samuel Cruz, a parent. “We want some kind of armed security to be in place to deter these violent acts towards our children.”

His comment was reported by the New York State School Boards Association. Mr. Cruz has not witnessed a school shooting at his school district in North Carolina but wants the best for his child.

“They need to be well trained in using firearms and have easy access to a gun if a person attacks the school,” ninth-grader Rebecca McKenzie of Georgia said in a news report from Voice of America. Rebecca has not experienced a school shooting but fears one as well.

In Dixon, Illinois, an armed security guard shot at and chased an active school shooter away from the school in 2018. The school shooter was carrying a 9mm semiautomatic rifle. This security guard’s heroic actions saved the lives of students and teachers. Security was able to injure the shooter in the leg and scared the shooter away, who was later detained by police.

Once an active shooting is reported, police can arrive within five minutes but when dealing with the lives of children, every second counts. In May of 2022, nineteen children and two teachers died in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and that does not include the many that were injured. These school shootings leave an immense impact in the hearts of families across the country. Any method schools can use to help protect students should be used.

Educating school districts on armed security can hopefully inform them on how important it is to keep students safe. The more trust students have with school resource officers and police will help students be ready to learn and helps them be relaxed. We must take action and speak to our representatives and school board members regarding the integration of armed security in our schools.

Shannon Kelly

Holley High School senior

Editor:

The butchers are coming!

The butchers are coming!

Sound the alarm to every township, village and farm.

Don’t leave your tree unguarded for a minute or you will come home to find a v chopped in it.

It will make no difference if it is thirty feet from the road and in forty years will never grow near their poles.

The utility says tough and butchers can do as they please.

They care not a whit about your beautiful tree.

Plant trees on your Arbor Day to save the earth, but know that the butchers can’t see its worth.

Have your wind and solar to help climate change they say, but distribute it in the same old way.

It’s been the same for more than a hundred years and every time it weathers brings the no power fears.

We can’t get it under the ground to avoid the wind, ice and snow, because that would eat into our profits don’t you know.

So save the planet, but shed a tear for the beautiful trees that used to be here.

Danise Austin

Albion

Editor:

The annual budget for New York State was passed on May 2, and once again funding for public libraries has suffered. In the previous year, New York State allotted just under $134 million to the New York Public Library System. This year, the monies allotted have been reduced to a total of $110 million—an 18% decrease of nearly $24 million dollars.

At the Holley Community Free Library, the staff and Board of Trustees strive to live up to the library’s mission statement by offering “effective, expanding and free library services” to its patrons in both Holley and the surrounding towns. We continue to offer programs for all ages, including the Wacky Wednesday craft programs for youth and adults alike, the weekly children’s story hours with their accompanying activities, monthly book clubs for both young adult and adult readers, and free computer and internet access for the community.

Over the past year we used our “fine-free” return week as an opportunity to collect non-perishable food items, and the donated “decorations” on our annual holiday Hat and Mitten Tree were given to the Holley Community Center.

We’ve delivered library materials to house-bound patrons and held a Christmas Cards for Vets program that sent more than 500 holiday cards to the Veterans Home in Batavia. We also rotate the lending library at Holley Gardens on a regular basis and have acted as a sponsor for Boy Scout Troop 59’s Easter Egg Hunt and their Blue and Gold Dinner.

As we move forward, we are continually on the lookout for new ways to improve our offerings and services to the community. After the years of quarantine, we were able to reinstate our annual Wine Tasting fundraiser over this past weekend, and we welcomed the chance to spend time with our patrons in a purely social setting.

We are also currently collaborating with the GO ART! program out of Batavia and will soon have a wonderful town mural on the back of our building for everyone to enjoy, painted by beloved former teacher, Tony Barry.

And as of our last meeting, we have purchased licensing rights to show free movies in the library, and we look forward to reinstating movie nights at the library in the near future. All of the aforementioned activities are being provided with no tax increases to the community.

As we continue to serve the community, we are both working with local organizations and writing grant applications in order to keep our expenses down. This year, the library has proposed a modest budget increase of 3 percent that will be spent predominantly on staff salaries, and we currently are in the process of scheduling interviews for our open children’s librarian position.

As president of the Holley Community Free Library’s Board of Trustees, I urge the Holley community members to remember to go out vote on Tuesday, May 16. Voting will be held in the foyer of the Holley Middle/High School, and the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Jillian S. Hazzard

President, Board of Trustees

Holley Community Free Library

Editor:

I’m the lady whose neighbors helped paint and fix up her house. My sole intention was to try to spotlight the good and caring people who volunteered NOT to vilify the Village of Medina, its mayor or code enforcement officer.

I am appalled and horrified at the negative responses from some people towards the village and its officials. The code officer was very kind when I contacted him last August. He willingly gave me extra time to comply with the painting violation and was OK with me addressing the other lawn and shrubbery violations.

At no time was I personally threatened with actual fines or jail time. The notice I received simply stated that these were possible consequences if I didn’t act. Code enforcement is required to do its job, as are all village departments.

If you’re one of those who want to help me then don’t post threats and negative personal remarks.

If you want to help me, look to your neighbors’ needs! There are many who could use a helping hand especially the elderly. I am fine now and look forward to many more years as proud resident of Medina.

Debbie Stella

Medina

Editor:

New York state is ranked worst in the nation for business climate – and worse, now we’re being ranked No. 1 in population loss too. There have been warning signs for some time as more than ten years ago Western New York was just ahead of New Orleans in terms of worst metro areas to do business.

Most reasonable people would recognize there is a serious problem here and we must make systematic changes to improve our business climate by reducing our tax burden, cutting back burdensome regulations and making proper investments in our infrastructure to rebuild.

Unfortunately, the downstate-driven majorities who control state government continue to put their heads in the sand and just hope that spending billions of dollars will make this crisis disappear. Coming in at a record $229 billion, this bloated budget is simply too expensive for hardworking New York families, business owners and farmers to afford. Under one-party rule, in the last five years alone, state spending has increased by $64 billion. To put that in perspective, this increase is more than 35 state budgets in our union. States like Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee are not only offering lower tax rates and lower energy costs, but they also offer better incentives to do business and build a home and that is why we are seeing thousands of New Yorkers leaving for these areas.

To make matters even worse, this state budget was filled with major policies that will hurt our economy even more. It raises the minimum wage, which places our business owners at a competitive disadvantage. It raises taxes by another $562 million. And it bans the use of natural gas, which threatens jobs in industries like manufacturing, construction and transportation, and it restricts its use on new construction builds starting in 2025.

On top of all this, the budget was held up for more than a month so bail reform could be negotiated, and after listening to the debate on this topic, it became quite clear these minor language tweaks are simply window dressing and will do little to improve public safety in our communities.

Because 47% of employers in our region consider themselves pessimistic about a future in New York, something needs to be done – and that’s why I remain focused on promoting investments in our infrastructure, workforce development and public protection. Though these are drops in the overall budget bucket, I would like to update you on some of the silver linings in this dark cloud:

• As the new ranking member of the Transportation Committee, I advocated hard for local infrastructure funding, and I am pleased to report a $60 million increase in funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which will support our roads, bridges and culverts.
• I’ve also advocated for proper library funding, and this budget includes a restoration of $34 million for our library construction aid.
• As the co-chair of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Learning for Work, I’ve fought passionately for workforce development initiatives like expanding P-TECH and providing more support for BOCES, and both items were enhanced in this budget.
• The budget contains a $6.5 million increase in funding for training stipend reimbursements for our dedicated volunteer fire companies; and
• A new First-Time Homebuyer Program and expansion of the Child Care Tax Credit will also help Western New York families afford to stay and live here.

When we talk about state spending, I’ve rallied for a “back to basics” approach. These are some of the back-to-basics proposals I’ve advocated for that I was pleased to see. But these are modest funding appropriations when you consider the billions in excess spending that goes primarily downstate and is largely unaccounted for.

Businesses and households all across our state, but especially in Western New York, have been tightening their belts for years – it’s time Albany starts doing the same. That’s why I voted “no” on the overall state budget for the fifth year in a row. The state must re-focus itself, get back to funding basic priorities and reign in its excess spending as the current approach is not working and driving folks right out of here.

Assemblyman Mike Norris

Lockport

(Norris serves as the Chairman of the Assembly Minority Conference. He represents the 144th Assembly District, which includes portions of Erie and Niagara counties.)

Editor:

The United States government has been spending more money on the foster care system, group homes, and adoption agencies than they have been on mental healthcare programs and family reunification programs.

The government spent $10.7 billion (about $33 per person in the US) on the foster care system in the year 2023. According to TalkPoverty.org, “states receive reimbursements ranging from 50 cents to 76 cents for each dollar spent on daily childcare and supervision, administrative costs, training, recruitment, and data collection.”

Coming from the viewpoint of a senior in high school, I looked over this statement and thought about all the people close to me affected by the foster care system in various ways. Many of my peers struggled and were forced to live with families that abused them, while some were moved out of their homes unwillingly because of anonymous CPS calls. In my opinion, the government needs to become more proactive than reactive so that we can help more children from going into foster care in the first place.

Children are typically placed in the system due to a parental figure dealing with substance abuse, mental illness, poverty, or physical abuse. Yet, the government has not looked further into these things which are the root causes of what pushes more children into the system every day. Lack of mental health care, drug addiction, and poverty are some of the biggest issues in our country, and the United States government does not provide any real solutions for these problems.

If the United States government was more proactive than reactive the American people would not be paying their taxes for programs that do not fully solve societal issues such as Medicare, Medicaid, free and reduced lunch, etc. The Unites States believes that by giving money to those in poverty is helping the people in poverty, but the number of people in poverty has only increased and that is because the government believes that money is what solves our issues.

When dealing with poverty, you would think that the United States would do something such as lowering the minimum wage or decreasing taxes not paying for medical expenses and food stamps.

When it comes to foster care, in most cases, children do not get reunited with their birth parents, and so many kids get bounced from home to home and the burn-out rate for CPS workers is through the roof.

If the government were to consider a proactive take on this issue such as implementing required mental health and childhood education in schools, kids could become aware of how they personally can grow and learn.

The foster care system has been around since 1853 and if America cares so much about our children, then why has the number of children in the system only grown since then? The foster care system has even been considered overpopulated for the last several years and the number of kids entering the system just continues to grow.

The education system requires children to learn math and science from the age of 5, but kids are not required to know how to advocate for themselves or balance their own mental health. The government tends to “fix” societal issues such as those regarding child welfare by focusing on what works at the time, rather than being proactive and trying to provide a service to people that would actually improve the lives of children in the long run.

An example is the mental health care system. For instance, there are so many advertisements or warnings seen on TV that explain how technology and playing video games are mentally damaging to young children and teens, but yet most schools require students to have laptops, work is online.

So the government is making the people believe that they actually care about mental health, but in reality they are making things such as public schools more costly which then leads to more money to government facilities. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, the United States ranks 31st out of 36 for childcare globally, so how exactly is the foster care system helping or improving children’s lives?

Lydia Sprague

Holley High School senior

Editor:

Recently Republicans passed a budget, H.R. 2811 the Limit, Save and Grow Act of 2023. Budgets reveal priorities and what we value, so it is worth looking at the budget Congresswoman Claudia Tenney supported.

Denis McDonough, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, testified to Congress that passage of H.R. 2811 would result in about 30 million fewer outpatient visits and about 6,000 fewer staff to handle benefits claim. (It is worth noting that she also voted against the Pact Act which extends healthcare benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits).

Moody’s Analytics reported that passage of H.R. 2811 would result in 780,000 fewer jobs in 2024 and could result in a recession next year. The Congressional Budget Office reported that the legislation would result in about 600,000 American citizens being removed from health care insurance. The National Education Association stated in a letter that passage of H.R. 2811 “would hurt students, worsen educator shortage, and cause undue hardship for families by raising the cost of college, childcare, healthcare and putting food on the table.”

This legislation also repeals some tax credit for clean, and renewable energy and alternative fuels. (Western New York Energy, NY’s only ethanol plant and one of Orleans County biggest tax payers, is in her district). None of that mattered to Ms. Tenney.

She voted against the interest of veterans, healthcare workers, teachers and the economic interest of her constituents. Instead she voted for and supports the fossil fuel industry and tax breaks for the ultra-rich; those are her values and priorities.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Thank you to the more than 200 folks in Murray who welcomed us into their homes this petition season. And a special thank you to those officials and employees at the Murray Town Hall who have pledged your support and encouragement to carry on. It means more than you will ever know.

Today we announce our candidacies for the June 27^th Republican Primary. Eric Collyer for Murray Town Council and Joe Sidonio for Murray Town Supervisor. Together we promise to represent our community to the best of our ability while being fiscally conservative stewards of your tax dollars coupled with good old fashioned common sense.

Eric Collyer for Town Board. A graduate of MCC and SUNY Brockport, born and raised here in Murray, carving his livelihood out of the earth with sweat equity working his family farm. Eric has contributed to our community for over a decade on the Zoning Board of Appeals, currently Chairman of the Board.

A member of the Murray Agricultural Advisory Committee Eric has a solid understanding of our farming heritage. As a young man he worked part time in the Murray highway and water department providing another practical understanding of our Town operations. His direct, common-sense approach will serve the community well by calling it like it is, keeping government small and spending in check. Eric can stretch a dime into a dollar.

Supervisor Joe Sidonio, currently in his second term has a proven track record. As the Town Chief Financial Officer his education, accounting background and tough conservative budgeting policy has led to reduced town and water taxes each year.

As a Marine Corps veteran he is not afraid to call for ethics reform or stand up to those who do not choose to represent our community. A decade of County Planning Board experience and member of the Town Master Plan Committee adds to his resume of community service. Joe is uniquely qualified to face the financial and socio/economic challenges of tomorrow.

Change is a difficult thing to bring. No one said it would be easy. It takes commitment. It takes courage and common sense. We answer to you, the citizens of Murray. We will continue working for you as we have done every step of the way. We care about you, our community and want to make Murray a better place to live.

We do not claim to be perfect. We are stepping up to the challenge because we feel in our hearts we can make this community a better place to live.

Keep it simple. Keep it small. It’s common sense.

Eric Collyer ZBA Chairman

Joe Sidonio Supervisor

Murray