Editor:

On election day next month residents of the Town of Shelby will be asked to vote about extending the term of the town supervisor from two to four years.

I know some people were thinking I was looking to extend my term. This is not true because the local law, if passed, would not be in force until the 2023 election for supervisor. It was never my intention to run again in 2023.

This was all about the current reality of the town supervisor’s responsibilities. It takes more than two years to learn this job. The town would benefit greatly from having someone that knows what s/he is doing, especially since that person is responsible for the town finances.

If the proposal passes, the town would elect three board members in an election, and then elect two members two years later. The town clerk, highway superintendent, and town board members are elected for four years. At present, only the supervisor, who like the board members is part time, is elected every two years.

This whole process did start with me realizing the complexities of the job and wanting to set the next supervisor up to succeed. There were some informal discussions with board members, I believe it was raised at a work session, and then voted on at a regular meeting.

Since this issue has to go to a public vote it was necessary to schedule a public hearing. Every public hearing since I became supervisor has been advertised in the Pennysaver. Darlene Rich, the town clerk, is a stickler about getting notices posted timely, and properly.

Most public hearings are poorly attended, and if there is not much comment, we may vote on the issue during the regular board meeting that often follows the hearing. If there were many comments, we might hold off on voting to consider the comments.

At the board meeting on Tuesday, complaints were raised about us not informing the public as to what is going on. I find this to be untrue. We have always had minutes for meetings, and now minutes are on the web site.

Besides the required notifications in the paper, meeting dates are posted on the web site, and since Covid hit we have been trying to broadcast all meetings and hearings. There have been some growing pains with trying to produce a live feed for meetings. We have done equipment upgrades and it is still a struggle. The town clerk, deputy clerk, and bookkeeper have put forth a lot of effort to keep us live. Tuesday’s meeting had audio problems. The clerk has a plan to fix this.

The best solution to bad audio and video is a seat in the boardroom during meetings. The more often you attend, the more you know. It is not fair to accuse the board and employees of trying to hide what is going on if individuals put in little effort to stay informed.

Please get out and vote in November, either for or against the proposal to increase the supervisor term to four years. The town is also in need of good, fair-minded people to run for the board.

Even though our town actually has a road named Podunk, we are not some backward area. There are many important matters before the board which need to be acted upon before our town returns to its normal, quiet ways.

Jeff Smith

Former supervisor Town of Shelby

Editor:

Today’s Jan. 6th commission TV hearing will be the time to disclose if emails or testimony show that Donald Trump knew any of his supporters were armed as he sent them to the Capitol.

It is a federal crime to interfere with a public official carrying out their official duties. So if there was ever a time to make the case to the American public, today will be it.

But the larger issue isn’t Donald Trump. It’s the multi-headed hydra that election denialism has created

“Election denialism is a form of corruption,” per NYU historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat. “The party has now institutionalized this form of lying, this form of rejection of results. So it’s institutionalized illegal activity. These politicians are essentially conspiring to make party dogma the idea that it’s possible to reject certified results.”

This is a fancy way of saying that went a politician tells you that his opinion about who should win is what he’s going to make sure happens in his official position, that the politician is telling you he’s going to commit a crime.

It’s one thing to be an election denier, but it’s quite another for candidate to say they’re going to set aside the results no matter what.

And that’s the larger issue that we’re facing in this election. For believers in Donald Trump the hearing is extremely important. For the country, it’s the election itself and the candidates who don’t care if Donald Trump is a crook or not but really care about themselves rather than serving you.

In that regard today’s hearing and the election have one thing in common. Both are about honesty.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

If you think Republicans are working for your interest consider this: All of Florida’s Republican Congressional members voted against federal disaster relief. Senator Rick Scott voted no and Marco Rubio was not present.

The vote in Congress was two days after Ian, a strong category 4 hurricane which destroyed large parts of Florida and the vote in the Senate was one day after the disaster occurred. Homes and businesses were destroyed families lost everything, people are isolated without food or water yet Republicans voted against federal assistance. In public statements they call for federal monies but they voted against such aid in a mis-guided attempt to blame Democrats for poor leadership.

Congressperson Claudia Tenney, who wants to represent a large part of our district and Lee Zeldin, who wants to be Governor voted against the Chips and Science Act which provides for research, manufacturing and development of micro-chips in this country. Western New York is primed to benefit from this legislation. Republicans complain that Asia’s (and particularly China’s) manufacturing of micro-chips hurts our national security, a legitimate concern, but they voted against manufacturing in the U.S.A.

Claudia Tenney and Lee Zeldin voted against providing federal funds for infrastructure. While our roads and bridges crumble putting people’s life endanger, Republicans would rather play political gamesmanship. Republicans know the problems, remember all those “infrastructure weeks” during the last administration; lots of hoopla and hype but no substance. Republicans don’t have our interest in mind.

If you care about job creation in our region; if you care about national security; if you care about families, vote for Democrats.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Shame on Orleans County governments, the villages, towns and county governments for not finding a solution to fund COVA ambulances – a critical lifeline as much as your local fire departments.

I hope you will never need their services, but for those of us who depended on keeping our elder parents alive, I am forever grateful for their service and life-saving response times.

COVA, a job well done. You have been heroes over and over again.

Steven Kast

Churchville, formerly of Albion

Editor:

Should employers pay their workers better? Can small business owners afford the cost? The debate continues on. And, frankly, both sides have good points.

I often look to what Ron Paul has to say. I paraphrased some of his points regarding federal minimum wage.

Raising minimum wage is certainly an admirable goal, however, to believe that Congress can raise the standard of living for working Americans by simply forcing employers to pay their employees a higher wage is equivalent to claiming that Congress can repeal gravity by passing a law saying humans shall have the ability to fly.

Economic principles dictate that when government imposes a minimum wage rate above the market wage rate, it creates a surplus “wedge” between the supply of labor and the demand for labor, leading to an increase in unemployment. Only the marketplace can determine what is the proper wage.

Wages are different, whether you live in New York City or Birmingham or Lake Jackson, Texas. They are dependent on the size of the city where you’re located, and the wages are what the market will bear.

Minimum wages should be resolved at the local level, and in a free market, the market should determine the right levels of compensation. It’s a negotiation between supply and demand.  The market will create full employment at a certain wage. And that goes up and down depending on the participation of labor and expansion or contraction of the economy.

Those who are denied employment opportunities as a result of the minimum wage are often young people at the lower end of the income scale who are seeking entry-level employment.  Raising minimum wage to $15 would cost 1.4 million jobs, CBO says.

Perhaps the most significant harm to low-wage earners is caused by the inflationist policies of the Federal Reserve. When the Federal Reserve creates money, those well-connected with the political and financial elites receive the newly created money first, before general price increases have spread through the economy.

Those who are genuinely concerned about increasing the well-being of all Americans should support repeal of all laws, regulations, and taxes that inhibit job creation and economic mobility. Congress should also end the most regressive of all taxes, the inflation tax, by ending the Federal Reserve.

Gregory McCarthy

Medina

Editor:

“Poverty, contrary to popular belief, is not a result of an individual’s moral failings. It is the result of systems and policies that inhibits a person’s ability to live life fully. 40% of adults in the US cannot afford a $400 emergency,” The National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis TN, Oct. 2022. (“Report of Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2017 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 2018.”)

The federal minimum wage, the absolute minimum to be paid no matter where you live in is $7.25 per hour, not raised since 2009. This is the longest period of time without an increase since implementation by the Roosevelt administration in 1938. After increases in cost-of-living, it’s a pay cut for low wage workers, currently living below the poverty line, unable to pay the bills in any state, no matter where one lives.

Sadly, the marginal federal minimum wage of $7.25 continues as status quo in more than 40% of states, mostly Republican dominated states, specifically Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire. North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

24 other states, 35 cities and counties have raised their own minimum wage, exceeding the basic federal minimum wage to $10 or more per hour to provide a better standard of living. (* indicates states to raise the current minimum wage again in 2023) They are: Alaska $10.34, Arizona $12.80, Arkansas $11.00, California $14.00*, Colorado $12.56, Connecticut $13.00*, Delaware $10.50*, Florida $10.00*, Hawaii $10.10, Illinois $12.00*, Maine $12.75, Maryland $12.50, Massachusetts $14.25*, Minnesota $10.33, Missouri $11.15*, Nevada $10.50*, New Jersey $13.00*, New Mexico $11.50*, New York $13.20, Oregon $13.50, Rhode Island $12.25*, Vermont $12.55, Virginia $11.00*, Washington $14.49, District of Columbia $15.20. The highest minimum wage in effect is in West Hollywood, Ca. for hotel workers only, $17.64.

Essential workers comprise about half of all workers in low-paid occupations. During the pandemic essential workers risked their health on the frontline and kept the country functioning as thousands lost their lives. No one working 40 hours per week should live below the poverty line, especially essential workers.

President Joe Biden continues to push for a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour. He signed an executive order to move the minimum wage for federal workers to $15 per hour. Legislation to lift the federal minimum rate to $15 an hour, thwarted by Republicans, failed. Representatives who fight to keep the federal minimum wage below a living-wage promote poverty.

Carol Nochajski

Wilson

Editor:

We went on the Buzzy Buddies Wine Trip to Keuka Lake. I saw a lot of wind turbines generating electrical power. This state has done away with the coal-fired electrical plant at Lake Ontario so other electrical sources are needed.

I like the wind turbines which I saw on our bus trip. I don’t think they’re an eyesore.

I think acres of solar panels are and will take away farmland in our county.

Ross Thompson

Medina

Editor:

The Orleans Hub ran an article on September 23, 2022, featuring Town of Shelby Supervisor Jeff Smith and Deputy Supervisor Ryan Wilkins discussing the “benefits” of two giant wind turbines proposed for Smith’s land on the outskirts of the historic village of Medina.

These turbines would stand 633 feet and are the biggest in New York State. Taller than the St. Louis Arch. Taller than the Washington Monument. Unfortunately, the article included many inaccuracies and omissions we wish to address. As members of the Shelby and Medina communities, we are writing to shed light on some of these issues.

This Tuesday, October 4, at 6 p.m., there is a budget meeting at 4062 Salt Works Road, followed by the Town Board’s work session immediately after and, reportedly, a Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m.  Both are likely to address the wind turbines and related issues. Please come to this meeting and future meetings and speak up. Let the Shelby elected and appointed officials know that you, too, insist on transparency, objectivity, and ethics.

We ask the Shelby Town Board to issue a year-long minimum moratorium on any Industrial Wind Turbine vote. This moratorium must include the as-yet-unfinished SEQR document filled with discrepancies and inaccuracies at the Sept. 14 meeting.

We ask the Shelby Town Board and all appointed officials to listen more closely and be transparent with their constituents.

We ask the board to conduct a community-wide survey and hold additional and better publicized public hearings. The June 14, 2022 public hearing was a small advertisement in the Pennysaver on June 5th, one week before the meeting. While they met the legal minimum for notification, nothing prevents them from publicizing the meeting in other formats to reach more community members—for example, they could have utilized the Orleans Hub, the most widely read online periodical in the town. At the June public meeting, Deputy Supervisor Ryan Wilkins reassured us that “Borrego would be responding to questions in writing and wouldn’t give answers during the public hearing” (June 15, 2022, Orleans Hub).

Some of us wrote to Borrego after the hearing. They never wrote back. Sending us to the wind turbine company for answers to our questions is the opposite of transparent. Did the company even tell the Board about our emails, about any of our concerns? Why were we not directed to our own Town Board with our questions?

We ask the Shelby Town Board to insist on ethical decisions and issues involving conflicts of interest. Supervisor Smith may have recused himself from public discussions and voting on actions before the Board relating to the wind turbines on his property. However, as a public officer, he is placed in a position of public trust. It is his responsibility to ensure public resources are used in the best interest of the public. The interest of the municipality and its constituents must come before his own personal interest.

As for other issues of concern: In the September 23, 2022 article, Mr. Ryan Wilkins, Deputy Supervisor, stated that they “wanted to use the numbers approved by Barre as a starting point for the discussion” and that “there are no numbers yet.” Mr. Wilkin’s statement is not factual.

According to the minutes of the Shelby Town Board meeting on May 10, 2022 (minutes linked here), “[T]he town will receive a Community Host Agreement, approximately $200,000 per wind turbine for a total of $400,000.” In addition, the “town gets a $200,000 onetime payment or spread over time 15 years per turbine.”  Numbers were clearly discussed.

Please take note of this excerpt from those same minutes: “Borrego covering all legal fees, so it lets the town off the hook. An escrow has been set up. Borrego pays all the fees and has set up escrow.” “Unforeseen legal snags will be completely covered.” While in no way should the Town of Shelby taxpayer funds be used to push this project forward through “snags,” – is this a conflict? And, off the hook for what, exactly? What legal issues do they imagine the town is likely to face?

At the most recent Sept. 14 contentious board meeting, approval of the SEQR was on the agenda. A representative from the engineering firm reviewed, line by line, the “Full Environmental Assessment Form: Part 3” or “Evaluation of Project Impacts and Determination of Significance” with Town Board members. Each board member was allowed to agree or disagree. Please watch that board meeting here to hear this process.

When asked where he got his data, the engineer responded, “Borrego.”

Borrego? Yes, Borrego is the same company that proposed the turbines on Supervisor Smith’s property, and they are the ones providing the research to the engineer studying its safety. Borrego is the company that profits from this project. Borrego is influencing the engineer hired by the Town of Shelby to assist in the review/approval of this project.

In the Hub’s article on September 23, Mr. Smith stated that he “took issue with speakers who implied the board was ‘too dumb’ and wasn’t qualified to review the environmental impacts of the project.” And he continued, “They have an engineer and land use attorney to assist the town in reviewing the projects.” Both statements are disingenuous at best, especially when we look more closely at Borrego’s influence.

Those who spoke at the Sept. 14 Town Board meeting spoke against installing the turbines at the specified location. We asked for a moratorium on a vote. We asked for the opportunity for people to become informed and share their thoughts.

Why is this not up for a referendum in Medina or Orleans County? Does everyone understand the height of these turbines and their proximity to many homes and businesses? Do they know the effects on the wildlife, such as the fact that our region is the country’s second-largest migratory bird path in the country? Do they know the impact of shadow flicker?

We ask our fellow community members to be present, witness, and speak before and after public meetings and work sessions. Let them know you are watching. You are listening. And you are involved. We hope to see you Tuesday, October 4th, at 6 pm and 7 pm, at the budget hearing, the work session, and the planning board meeting. We hope to see you on October 11th at 7 p.m. for the regular Shelby Town Board Meeting.

Sincerely,

Christine Griffin

Ric and Karen Jones

Brian and Debbie McCarty

Wendi Pencille

Shelby

Editor:

“Fascism” (as distilled by political philosopher Dr. R. Maddow): “If a politician does not need your vote to hold power, they do not have to use power to serve you. A party and laws serving the needs of politicians and their donors is the fundamental on which fascism is built.” Fascism starts as a shell game whipping up fear and hatred to distract us while grabbing power.

Hitler distracted Germans by whipping up hatred of Jews. Mussolini did it by blaming  foreigners.

Our MAGA’s shell game relies on a broader coalition: focusing on a questionable wall rather that the 2012  comprehensive bipartisan plan to control our borders and enact immigration procedures we know work. Spreading rumors of ruling cabals. Whipping up racism – slavery was poor racial labor conditions in Florida text books this year. Spreading the KKK myth of white replacement theory. Claiming Democrats are blood-drinking pedophiles. And within the last month playing QAnon music and pandering to its myths at Trump rallies.

This shell game hides that long overdue problems are getting addressed. Things you wanted that got passed over Republicans’ objections even though they have no proposals of their own but instead pic, pic, pic.

We finally have: A jobs bill to fix decayed infrastructure. A bill to bring jobs home and create new jobs. NATO defense budgets are being dramatically raised by our partners. We have united support of Ukraine’s successful resistance to Russian invasion.

The developed world is ready to stop large international corporations from cheating us out of tax revenue. And next year our drug costs will be coming down as Democrats have put an end to manufacturers’ price fixing.

It took Roosevelt a few years to refocus the power of capitalism to create a middle class so we, the middle class, in turn could turn our agriculture nation, ranked 20th, into the world’s economic powerhouse.

Roosevelt had to fight the old “Robber Barons” the whole way. Their progeny fight now after setting us back by sending too many jobs overseas, enacting too many tax cuts heavily biased for the rich, and encouraging this shell game of fear mongering.

Now – despite Covid, Chinese chip shortages, a major war in Europe, people afraid of freezing this winter in England, and no Republican cooperation – we have the lowest rate of inflation in the western world and the lowest unemployment rate this country has ever seen!

It will take two or three election cycles to stop self-interested politicians’ and their bosses’ power grab to nullify the popular vote.

The Democratic Party is still small “d” democratic. If you are frustrated but believe in capitalism and democracy, remember Roosevelt (D) and Eisenhower (R), among others, proved democracy and capitalism can be harnessed to work for you.

Vote for yourselves – not because you are told to be afraid of something in the dark.  Those that say that ARE dark.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

The abrupt and shocking close of 810 Meadworks last week in Medina was felt throughout the region. 810 Meadworks had a  business philosophy built on owner Bryan and Larissa DeGraw’s artisan approach to mead-making combined with community building by creating a unique event and gathering space in Medina’s historic district.

One of the harsh realities of owning a small business, especially one with employees, is that the owner is the last one to be paid, after employees, insurance companies, landlords, the government, and vendors take their piece of the pie, there isn’t much left to scale up.

In recent press releases, Mike Norris, and our other local representatives, Robert Ortt and Steve Hawley, acknowledge the “distinctive industrial circumstances” surrounding ag, and are fighting for reform in that sector, but fail to acknowledge those same types of seasonal challenges and labor regulations faced by micro- and medium-sized businesses, especially in the hospitality sector.

Moreover, we have witnessed mass subsidy programs offered by the state to build a huge stadium for a football team that has no trouble selling out home games, and little in the form of real help for small ventures. The justification is that sports teams are cultural institutions crucial to the identity of a region.

Ironically, our current governor Kathy Hochul was a patron of Meadworks, I personally waited on her multiple times. In a small way, that demonstrates that 810 Meadworks had become as important a cultural institution to Medina as the Buffalo Bills are to the region-because clearly the governor was directed towards Meadworks by somebody who knew the community.

So where is the disconnect? Simply stated, we have minimum wage laws so that employees will be paid a reasonable amount of money, but there is zero protection for a small business owner who goes without pay for months, or even years. It has become an expectation that in order to build a business from the ground up, you cash out retirement accounts, take on debt and then build up “sweat equity.” Unless you are independently wealthy, or have a spouse that brings in a decent income, it is unrealistic to expect someone to work for little or no wages for an extended period of time.

Then we have the aforementioned dispute over farm labor laws. As much as I understand why our local representatives are fighting hard against the overtime threshold for migrant workers, why hasn’t there been the same type of advocacy for businesses that employ three or four people and are getting crushed with employee-related payroll, insurance and tax requirements? In simplest terms, the negative impact of labor regulations go well beyond the ag sector.

In Bryan’s case, he had a marketable product – and I can vouch for the fact no one ever questioned the quality of his work. While there are a myriad of reasons why Meadworks shut down, if Bryan was compensated to the level he deserved, shutting it down would never have been a consideration.

In the process, the ripple effect is that other people lost jobs, including myself. That means more money is taken out of the local economy, and while it may not seem significant, it certainly doesn’t help.

So where are our priorities, as a state or a nation when we can’t figure out a way to reward master artisans and keep them in business? This is not a partisan issue, both parties need to find common ground, and work together to solve this problem.

While there is no magic bullet, there are viable solutions such as loosening the restrictions on independent contract employment – like we have done for ride-sharing and grocery shopping services. That would go a long way to help small businesses scale.

Consider this, Uber’s gross revenue for 2021 was $25 billion dollars with a profit of around $5 billion, and they can operate almost exclusively without paying for the types of insurances and benefits afforded to the small business sector or agriculture. They are only one of the many gig economy companies afforded those benefits.

If small business owners were able to pay part-time workers as independent contractors, it would discourage them from hiring workers under the table, which usually isn’t done because of owners evading the law, it is an economic necessity. Part-time employees would likely be paid more, and business owners could scale, much like Uber did on the backs of independent contractors.

In addition, creating a small business owner earned income type credit for hours worked, would encourage business owners to continue to build their business and provide hurdle help. No owner of a business should feel obligated to work for little or no pay for years, while being required to pay employees wages and benefits. Even if that earned income credit kicked in after a year or two in business, we could potentially save businesses and create more local jobs.

It all comes down to leveling the playing field and expanding benefits already afforded to mass corporations to small- and medium-sized businesses. Basic economics tells us that increased competition benefits the consumer. The state simply cannot afford to continue to ignore this disparity.

Thom Jennings

Oakfield

Editor:

After reading the Shelby wind turbine piece in the Orleans Hub with Jeff Smith, I felt it important to respond to a couple of statements.

I’ve gone back and reviewed the notes for every town, planning and public meeting. By putting together a timeline, with context, it is easy to understand why people feel like this is being “shoved down their throats.”

The problem stems from four main issues.

1) Few people pay attention to the workings of their local government. Most of the issues that arise are of little interest unless you are personally impacted.

2) Limited means of effectively notifying the public. Typically, notifications rely on notices in the Batavia newspaper, the Pennysaver and on the town’s website. Unfortunately, we no longer have a Medina newspaper. There is a mailing, but it only goes to those people who own property within 500 feet of the Smith property.

3) The original application in November 2019 was for a 197-foot Meteorological Tower (MET) for the purpose of measuring wind speed. Not something most people would see or make note of.

4) COVID. As this progressed into 2020 public gatherings were highly discouraged and few of us ventured out.

The first public meeting for the MET permit was scheduled for June 9, 2020. According to the board minutes, notices were sent out late so no public hearing occurred. Instead at this town board meeting the town supervisor resigned and Jeff Smith was appointed as acting supervisor.

A new public meeting is scheduled for July 8. Due to the combined issues listed above, it is no surprise almost no one shows up and according to the minutes, there are no questions or comments.

The permit for the MET is issued at the July 14, 2020 meeting.

On September 14, 2021 Borrego submits an application two 633-foot turbines. The town hires MRB Group as engineering consultants, sends the application to the county board and the town takes lead agency in the SEQRA review process.

Nothing much happens until May 10, 2022 when Borrego makes a presentation to the Shelby board. They set a June 14, 2022 public meeting. Even though this is a much bigger deal than the MET, they use the same notification methods, meaning few in the community knew or understood what was being proposed.

It is a bit of surprise that as many people showed up for the June 14th meeting. It’s here you get a sense of how this seems to be getting rushed through, with virtually no input from the community. This led to the contentious meeting on September 13th and the frustration many feel.

The job of serving on a town board is pretty thankless, but very important. I, like many, have not been willing to put forth the time and effort it takes. No one at the last meeting was calling anyone “dumb” but these are highly complex issues and I am not sure they have been adequately served by the engineering consultants. But more thoughts on that in my next letter.

Jim Heminway

Medina

Editor:

For the first time in 41 years the lights were off and the doors were locked at COVA overnight this weekend. Last week we were lucky to have volunteers that tried to cover the overnight but that is no longer the case.

We are heartbroken, discouraged and beaten down. The lack of urgency from our town and county officials has been unlike anything I would have ever believed. I have been told to “behave.” I have been told that I am “cutting off the hand that feeds me young lady” (from someone who hasn’t given us a dime) and  scolded like a child instead of the educated and intelligent person that I am.

We as an organization have been treated like the black sheep of the family instead of a vital  piece of our EMS system in this county. It will take a death in this community for us to see the true impact of what will happen by losing our community-based ambulance and people will continue to die (unless there is a hidden ambulance somewhere that we aren’t aware of).

In a last-ditch effort our community has come to us with petitions for our towns to get us a tax district. The outpouring from local residents has kept us going and we are grateful for this last effort you have asked for.

I carry those petitions now. They will be at the Olde Dogge Inn in Gaines, at Toyz n Kandy in Albion, COVA base in Albion, Gilligan’s Galley in Carlton. If you can’t get to any of those places please call us at COVA at 585-589-4163 or call me directly and we will get the petitions to you to sign.

We have one week to get as many signatures as possible. We also encourage everyone who is concerned to go to your town meetings in October and voice your concern and support to get us a tax district. This would raise your taxes approximately $43 per year or less per household. That is not per person! That is per taxed household!

A very small price to pay for the security of your community-based ambulance.

Jennifer Stilwell

President

COVA Board of Directors

Editor:

Agriculture remains our number one industry in New York State. Our land and small family farms produce an abundant yield of crops and products, and we are very fortunate here to have such access to them.

A few weeks ago, the Farm Laborers Wage Board recommended to lower the overtime threshold for farm workers over a ten-year period to 40 hours per week. This issue has been adamantly opposed by farmers and farm workers alike since it was first conceived at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic’s food shortages. Farm workers have even testified that if they cannot get the work they need here in New York, they will relocate to states without such burdensome regulations.

I opposed the creation of this Board from the beginning and recognized the devastating impact it would have on our agricultural industry. Farm work is unique and unpredictable based upon weather and seasonal conditions. There’s the harvest and planting season, both necessitating longer hours and you make hay while the sun shines.

Despite these distinctive industrial circumstances, the board submitted this recommendation to the state labor commissioner for her final approval. I urge the commissioner to reject this recommendation to save our family farms.

You also have an opportunity to share your voice on this important issue, but the window is rapidly closing.

To submit a comment, you can email regulations@labor.ny.gov or write to New York State Department of Labor, W. Averill Harriman State Office Campus, Building 12, Room 509, Albany, NY 12240.

Though the state was required to publish notice of this public comment period in at least 10 newspapers in the state, they could have done more to get the word out. That’s why I want to make sure constituents of the 144th Assembly District are aware and have a chance to have their voices heard. She will make a determination in October.

Assembly Mike Norris

Lockport

Norris represents the 144th Assembly District which includes portions of Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties.

Editor:

The fact is we have a problem at our Southern Border and a broken immigration system. The fact is Republicans refuse to work to fix the problem and they refuse to help Democrats fix the problem.

To pass anything in the Senate there needs to be 60 votes which means that Democrats cannot pass legislation alone. The problems are complex and solutions will require compromise.

In 2013 the Senate passed a complex and compromised bill that would fix or at least alleviate, our immigration problem. Republican leadership in the House of Representatives refused to bring the bill up for a vote.

President Biden proposed sweeping immigration reform on his first day in office, however without Republican support no legislation will pass. Republicans decided that they could use the problems of our broken immigration system to scare the public and gin up votes. That is, the problem is more valuable to Republicans than a solution.

That is the reason Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to fix our immigration system. Blame immigrants for every problem and Democrats for allowing immigrants and you can scare people to vote for you.

I encourage everyone to vote for Democrats and solve our immigration problem.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

I’ve been walking/riding my bike on the canal towpath since 1995. Just recently, as I was walking home (heading west) near the Ingersoll Street bridge, I encountered two pit bulls (I don’t know if they were strays).

Subsequent to the initial eye contact, one of the dogs commenced chasing me without any provocation whatsoever on my behalf. Fortunately, I was able to avoid being attacked.

As a result of this harrowing experience, I no longer feel comfortable on the canal (to say the least). To all the cyclists, runners, and walkers, my message is quite simple: be alert, be careful, and stay safe.

Respectfully,

Gennaro DiGirolamo Jr.

Albion