Editor:

With regards to the upcoming primary election on June 22, two town council positions will be available. It is important for the Town of Barre residents to have a voice, be able to express concerns on all matters, and have people in town council positions who have the best interest of all residents.

On November 4, 2020 I submitted an email to all four town council board members including the town supervisor expressing my concerns regarding six 680-foot-high wind turbines being placed all within ¾ of a mile from my residence.

My four-year-old child was diagnosed with autism two years ago. Autism is a neurological developmental disorder. All children with autism have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) which causes their nervous system to respond to stimuli much different than an ordinary individual.

People with autism are extra sensitive to sound and visual disturbances due to the abnormal neural connectivity in their brain which can impact their ability to function daily. Therefore, close proximity of wind turbines to an individual with autism can severely impact their quality of life due to the shadow flicker, audible noise, and infrasound. It is important to note that only one town council board member responded to my letter addressing these concerns.

Then on February 3, 2021 I submitted an article to all town council board members written by Grace L. Howell from Western University entitled, “Autism and the effect of introducing a new noise source into quiet rural communities: risk factor from industrial wind power generation,” which validated my concerns regarding the effects on individuals with autism in close proximity to wind turbines. Again, only one town council board member responded to my article.

On February 10, 2021 all four town council board members along with the town supervisor were emailed a note from my daughter’s developmental pediatrician, who diagnosed my child’s autism, expressing concerns for the impact wind turbines can have on a child with autism. Again, only one town council board member responded to the doctor’s note.

In addition, on February 10, 2021 a town board meeting was held without public attendance due to Covid restrictions allowing virtual access through YouTube. One town board member addressed my concerns as a resident while some town board members acknowledged receipt of my three emails including attached documents but dismissed my concerns regarding my child with autism.

It doesn’t matter where you stand on the proposed Wind Turbine Project the concern is that if your position doesn’t align with the current town council board members your concerns may be dismissed and not addressed.

If the Town of Barre residents want to be heard and have their concerns addressed please make a change and vote for George McKenna and Dave Waters for town council on June 22.

Sincerely,

Katie Smith

Barre

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs objects to President Biden’s budget because it will show that government still works; that it is not the problem.

Mr. Biden’s budget will strengthen the social safety net, invest in healthcare, provide child and elder care and strengthen our infrastructure. Republicans, like Mr. Jacobs, want government to fail to establish their form of anti-democratic government.

I have often wondered why Republicans made it harder to apply for government assistance, opposed healthcare, even opposed infrastructure projects like the major bridge connecting Mitch McConnell’s Kentucky and John Boehner’s Ohio. The Republican claims of “reckless spending,” “runaway inflation,” or “increase in taxes,” is just deception, as shown by their violation of every Republican principle during the Trump administration.

The real reason they oppose the budget is so government will fail. To create a climate of political cynicism, and alienation, so that people don’t feel connected to their government. This was made clear with the events of Jan. 6 and its aftermath.

Why don’t Republicans want to investigate the insurrection. The only reason I can think of that the insurrectionist are Republican constituents. Why do Republicans continue to tell the lie of voter fraud and use this lie to create laws designed to suppress voting? Again, the only reason I can think of that Republicans want to establish their form of anti-democratic government. Rather than improve the lives of their constituents Republicans work to make government the problem; to make government fail. Congressman Jacobs voted to overturn the election on Jan 6th and supported the insurrectionists. It is no surprise that he opposes anything that shows that the government still works.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Every now and then you endorse a candidate that makes you proud and actually does what they say they are going to do and that candidate is Murray Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio. His record for his first 2-year term actually makes me jealous that I can’t brag like this for my own town.

Joe is not a republican conservative, he is a conservative republican. He is conservative socially and most important a conservative fiscally. He actually looks for ways to save the taxpayers money while not turning a blind eye to practices that are ethically challenged and self serving to the politically connected within the governmental body. It’s very easy to go along to get along but that just makes you a democrat.

So with a record like Joe’s why on earth would anyone want to challenge that? Unless you are: against reducing budget expenses and property taxes by 1.6 percent, against eliminating Golden Parachute benefit packages for departing elected officials and saving over 70,000 dollars, against reducing water taxes over 70,000 dollars, against refinancing long-term debt saving 631,000 dollars, against acquiring a Moody’s Bond Rating of A1, against reducing the town wide water loss from 50% down to 30%, against reducing discretionary highway spending by 92,000 dollars, against a comprehensive plan and zoning plan that are near completion, against a new town website with live streaming capabilities for open government and transparency, against initiating monthly work meetings with community involvement, against restoring and rededicating the Fancher War Memorial.

Is Joe’s opponent going to pledge to top these monumental accomplishments if he wins or turn things back to the tax, spend, wink and nod days of old? What exactly is he running on? Is he going to be conservative enough to save the taxpayers money like this? Or will it be like firing Trump and getting Biden? With 2 weeks left before the election the voters of Murray deserve to know. The public has heard nothing.

The smart voters of Murray I believe know that they elected one of the best Town Supervisors they ever had in Joe Sidonio. Your town is heading in the right direction. You would be foolish to change and go backwards.

Re-elect Joe. He is a proven leader and no matter how much heat the establishment turns up on him he won’t quit on you. He will even “take one for the team” if he has to. Vote for Joe Sidonio on June 22nd in the Primary election. Promises made, promises kept.

Paul Lauricella

Orleans County Conservative Party Chairman

Editor:

On Saturday there was the community yard sale here in Medina and everyone seemed to have a good time.

But what a difference a week makes. Last Monday the local veterans held their Memorial Day  observances and were told by the Village Board that there were concerns about traffic tie-ups and interference with construction. But on Saturday there was backed up traffic all over the village pretty much most of the day.

What a difference a week makes. Last Monday the veterans were told that we had to stay six feet apart, even though we were outside and there were pretty much no restrictions to going into local businesses.

On Saturday there were no such restrictions in evidence throughout the village, In fact, even some board members had their own yard sales with no six-foot rule.

I guess it’s more important to restrict those of us who would have fought and died for each other rather than restrict perfect strangers from coming onto your property to exchange your junk for filthy lucre.

What a difference a week makes. I’m writing this as a concerned citizen and veteran from Medina, no titles, nothing like that. Unlike one of the board members who felt it was important to use their title as village trustee when getting into a public interstate pissing match with a former area resident. How shameful was that?

I would have expected something better from an elected official who I took the time to come out and vote onto the board because I thought they had the maturity and capability to do a great job for the village.

What a difference a week makes …

Dan Anderson

Medina

Editor:

I’d like to thank the residents of Murray for your confidence in me and the privilege to serve as your Supervisor.

The job is very demanding. To do it right requires a commitment of time, lifestyle, and family sacrifice. It takes vision, leadership and compromise. An understanding of governmental accounting, business, community and the greater good.

In my first year we’ve accomplished a lot. Despite the pandemic we brought about difficult but necessary changes while taking on the toughest issues. The record speaks for itself.

• Reduced budget spending and property taxes by 1.6%
• Eliminated Golden Parachute benefit packages for departing elected officials saving over $70,000.
• Reduced water taxes over $70,000.
• Refinanced long-term debt saving $631,000.
• Acquired a Moody’s Bond Rating of A1
• Reduced the 50% town wide water loss to 30%
• Reduced discretionary highway spending $92,000
• Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Amendments are near completion
• A new Town website with live streaming capabilities for open government and transparency.
• Initiated monthly work meetings with community involvement
• Restoring and rededicating the Fancher War Memorial is underway.

I set the Town on an aggressive re-boot from day 1. I am proud of these accomplishments and must commend everyone for their contributions in making these achievements a reality.

Thank you to EFPR Financial Solutions for accounting upgrades and help refinancing debt.

Thank you to HV Audit for analyzing our water billing program and providing reliable water loss data.

Thank you to our amazing Comprehensive Plan Committee who have volunteered this past year to create a vision statement, master plan and zoning amendments for our future.

Thank you to our Highway and Water Crew for all you do. Working long periods of time in adverse weather conditions with little rest. With your grit and determination, we have significantly reduced our water losses. I’m confident you will rectify our remaining deficiency and lead the county by example.

Thank you to our Town Board for your service.

A very special thank you to Town Clerk Cindy Oliver who from the outset has welcomed me, tolerated my strenuous agenda and has been a constant delight to work with. Chief of Staff, nothing would get accomplished without you. Thank you.

Thank you to the Murray Republican Committee for unanimously endorsing me for Murray Supervisor for a 2nd term. It is a privilege to serve our Community.

We have more to do. A lot of big tough issues yet to address. Economic recovery, business development, renewable energy, sustainable employee health care, and the sad reality that so many of our children are living in poverty.

The job of Supervisor is so much more than paying bills once a month. You have to live it and breathe it. You have to do it for the greater good. You have to work hard and expect others around you to do as well.

I’d appreciate your support in the June 22nd Republican primary. I’d like to give it my best for another term.

Believe in Murray.

Joe Sidonio

Murray Supervisor

Editor:

I recommend Rochelle Moroz for re-election as Holley Trustee. She is a “Team Player” on the very efficient, cost-saving Holley Village Board.

Moroz diligently reviews village purchases/expenditures to help keep within budget. She has helped in the review of the ongoing infrastructure projects such as replanting trees, and replacing sidewalks and water lines.

Moroz has budget experience learned during her honorable service in the United States Air Force. She is an active member of the Murray-Holley Historical Society and participates in Erie Canal cleanup.

She is concerned with the safety and well being of all the residents and is a strong supporter of the Holley Police Department.

Moroz is hard working and honest and would like to continue serving you. There have been many accomplishments in the past four years. I hope she will have your vote on June 15th so she may continue to serve you.

Thank You,

William Moroz

Holley

Bill Larimer would later serve community as town justice

By Ginny Kropf

Ginny Kropf

Those of you who know me, know I am passionate about warbirds and the heroes of World War II. I have met several of those heroes and have had the pleasure of riding in several historic airplanes of that era.

One of the most heroic men I ever met was the late William Larimer of Albion. I had actually learned of three men who were on that horrific death march – Larimer, a Medina man by the name of Grabowski and the other a man from Batavia whose name I think was Harry Boyd. Each had a very different perspective on the march.

Larimer was matter-of-fact about it. It was horrible, but he survived it and chose to focus on that. I never met the Grabowski from Medina, but I’m told he refused to talk about it until the day he died. Boyd was consumed by it. It ate at him and terrified his nights. He attended the VA in Buffalo for counseling on a regular basis during his entire life.

It is Larimer’s story I am going to tell. I was introduced to Larimer by former Albion Mayor Donna Rodden, who was a personal friend of his.

As a little background, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was commander of the Filipino-American forces on the Philippines when the Japanese attacked the island just a day after bombing Pearl Harbor. Most of the American Air Force on Bataan was destroyed. (This information was given to me by Boyd when I interviewed him 20 or more years ago.)

The Filipino-American defense of Bataan was hampered by many factors – a shortage of ammunition, food and medicine, as well as tanks, trucks and gasoline to fuel them. Filipino troops were poorly trained, most had never fired a weapon. American forces included non-combatant outfits and civilians. Yet the defenders of Bataan continued to hold their ground, without reinforcements and being re-supplied. As a result, disease, malnutrition, fatigue and a lack of basic supplies took their toll.

On March 11, 1942, MacArthur was ordered to Australia. General Wainwright took over on Corregidor as commander of the Philippine forces, while General King became commander of the Fil-American forces.

Around the later part of March, General King and his staff assessed the fighting capabilities of his forces and determined they could only fight at 30 percent of their efficiency. On April 3, 1942, the Japanese launched their all-out final offensive to take Bataan.

On April 9, General King surrendered his forces, after the Japanese had broken through the Fil-American’s last main line of resistance. What followed was one of the most horrific atrocities in history.

Even though trucks were available, the Japanese chose to force the prisoners, numbered between 60,000 and 80,000, to walk a reported 60 to 69 miles in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

During the march, prisoners were given little food or water and many died, from sun exposure, sickness and severe physical abuse.

Larimer told of an 18-year-old young man who was ill and was being held up on the arms of two of his fellow soldiers. When he stumbled and fell, a Japanese soldier bayoneted him and threw his body into the street. The prisoners were forced to stop and watch as a tank drove back and forth over his body until there was nothing left in the cobblestones but the shreds of his uniform.

On the entire march, Larimer said the men existed on a single ball of rice daily the size of their fist.

When they arrived at the end of their march, they were crowded into hot, metal box cars for a day-long ride to their prison camp. Prisoners were packed in so tight, they couldn’t sit down. If one died, and many did on the ride, they couldn’t fall down. There were no toilets and when one had to go to the bathroom or was sick from dysentery it ran down his legs and onto the other men.

At their prison camp, the prisoners were forced to work in Japanese factories, walking miles there and back every day. Larimer said they had been taught to keep their eyes open for anything, like medicine, which might be used to help their fellow soldiers, so when he spotted several bottles one day, he stuffed them in his pockets. It turns out it was saltpeter and nothing which would have benefited the prisoners. As punishment, Larimer was taken into the courtyard in freezing cold and forced to sit naked in a tub of water.

He said the Japanese guards took every opportunity to torture the prisoners. One guard in particular was extremely cruel to the men, and was responsible for the death of many. The prisoners were kept in a barracks, where a hole was cut in the floor for their bathroom needs. The men then slept above their human waste.

The day the word came that the Japanese had surrendered, Larimer said a group of prisoners grabbed the cruel guard and threw him down the hole, drowning him in their human waste.

Larimer returned home, a shell of his former self. I seem to recall he weighed about 80 pounds. But he recovered, married and lived a full life, serving many years as a justice of the peace in Albion.

He wasn’t bitter about his experiences. He simply said, “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Editor:

Memorial Day is the day veterans honor our comrades who have gone to the post everlasting.

They are not to be mourned but to be paid the honor they deserve. They do not want us to cry at their grave, they want us to salute them.

To many people Memorial Day is the beginning of summer and to have fun. But few know the meaning of Memorial Day, especially the young people in our country. Memorial Day is part of our history.

Too many liberal educators and politicians do not want American history taught as fact, but want it to be what they say – not the true facts.

Memorial Day is the day we give honor to the veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free from tyranny, freedom of speech, religion, press, freedom of assembly and the right to carry arms.

This is great, but we have elected officials who want to take away these rights. The members of post everlasting mourn for us and cry for us so we will not think they gave their lives for us and what we have and the guts to correct what is happening in our country. This is their message. “Lest we forget.”

Carl Boyle

U.S. Army veteran

Medina

Editor:

I am writing in response to hearing Cuomo announce the tuition lottery teens can enter if they get the Covid vaccine shot. This is outright coercion, using a carrot to dangle in front of parents on the miniscule outside chance that their teen will win a spot.

The use of Covid relief money in this way is abhorrent. Medical decisions (especially for minors) should not be based on gambling for economic gain, and in the case of teens, who have very little risk of dangerous disease outcome from Covid.

What’s next? Maybe green cards for illegals if they agree to experimental drug trials? For now it’s the “chance” for winning tuition from the coerced participation of giving experimental vaccines to minors.

Heather Stone

Kent

Editor:

Frank Buckles. Died February 27^th, 2011.

He was the last American veteran of The Great War. World War One. The War to end all wars.

We know that was wishful thinking – Just a short 20 years later, the world would be mired in a conflict that would make the Great War seem like a sandbox scuffle at school.

Best estimates put the total number of deaths – civilian and military – between 30 to 40 million! As a child, my dad told me of a neighbor, at the start of the US involvement in World War II, five Blue Stars hung in the window. By war’s end, five Gold Stars had replaced the Blue.  In all over 16 million Americans volunteered or were drafted (for the duration of the

war + 5 years).

This weekend and holiday, as you sit down to your cookouts, or cramming stores for the best sales of the start of summer, I ask you to consider: By best estimates, there are now only 500,000 veterans of World War II left in the US.

The youngest of those are in their 90s. They are dying at a rate of 1,000/day – not counting the toll the pandemic is taking on them. Which at this rate, by Veterans’ Day 2022 the “Greatest Generation” who “Saved the World” will no longer be with us.

I ask each person who reads this to take a moment and walk through the Gardens of Stones, read the names, look up their battles, and truly be grateful for all that we have today. Is our world perfect? No. Not by a long shot. But it is much better than it could have been. And we owe that to those resting in Honored Peace.

I realize that Memorial Day is for the Fallen. (For veterans, every day IS Memorial Day). Veterans’ Day is for the living.

If you happen to be lucky enough to still have members of the Greatest Generation still with you, please spend time with them! Talk to them, learn from them! Too soon they will just be another reason why it is called Memorial Day and you will have missed out on learning from those who were there.

Respectfully,

Steve Goodrich

Commander of Houseman-Tanner Post 1603

Lyndonville

Editor:

Republicans oppose a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and attempted overthrow of our government. Even after granting everything Republicans asked for in the negotiations for the committee, they voted against it. (This is the same tactic used during the Obama era; negotiate over long time and when they get their demands met, they still oppose it.)

Republicans are again demonstrating their unwillingness learn facts to legislate and govern effectively. Instead of finding facts Republicans want to cling to myths and scapegoating, blaming others for problems.

Obviously this now includes national security matters. This is not the first time Republicans have rejected national security concerns for perceived political gains. When Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley were informed that their committees were spreading Russian propaganda that Hunter Biden was involved in some kind of shady Ukraine deal, they did not care.

Even after investigating with full subpoena power for seven months, there was no subpoena looking into underlying financial records or to substantiate their allegations. Instead of finding facts, all they wanted to do was spread aspersions of their political opponents, even if those aspersions are Russian propaganda, which they were.

Despite the threats against legislators, including Republicans on Jan. 6th, finding facts about the insurrection is too much for Republicans. However, for our government to work we need to have facts and accountability of those responsible for misdeeds.

We need a commission to study the causes and find solutions for the problems that put our democracy in peril. Thank you.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

After reading the many comments posted on the State’s DMM site regarding the proposed wind project in the Town of Barre, it occurs to me that what we have here is an experiment: We have a new approval process (Section 94-c); we have a project using larger machines than have ever been used in a densely populated rural part of the United States (680 ft. tall); and the wind resource is far from ideal.

All the experts, on both sides, are of necessity basing their opinions on extrapolations of past experience with different conditions. So we don’t really know whether people’s health or property values will suffer, or whether the project will actually produce the amount of electricity promised.

If the state is going to use the people of Barre as subjects in this experiment, it should also provide some measure of protection for them in case the promises and assurances made to them by the state and the developer turn out to be false.

A fund should be established to pay claims from those injured by the project during its construction and after it is operational. The corporations benefiting from the project should finance this fund.

Baseline property appraisals and health assessments should be conducted at project approval, and changes monitored throughout the process. The amount of electrical energy both generated and consumed by the project should be monitored and made public regularly, to see if the project lives up to the claims that justified its public support.

This is really the only way to be fair to the people whose lives will be disrupted by this project. Complaint resolution procedures have often proved to be inadequate, leaving people to spend their life savings on lawsuits where they are often outmatched by corporations with far greater financial resources.

At the same time, knowing that there may be real repercussions for building a project that is causing demonstrated harm, all wind developers working in New York State will be encouraged to be on their best behavior.  Why do we care about this?  Well, if the state is to meet the ambitious goals it has set for renewable energy production, it will eventually have to construct similar wind developments throughout the state, even around Cooperstown, or in the Hudson Valley, or out on Long Island.

If the Barre experiment fails, public pressure against future projects may spell the death of on-land wind development in the State of New York.

Andrea Rebeck

Barre

Editor:

Much is being reported concerning the crisis on the Southern border. We hear many different accounts of the atrocities being committed against those making the journey from the Northern Triangle of Central America.

There are some who say it isn’t a crisis, just a temporary inconvenience. According to CBP (Customs and Border Protection) and HHS (The Dept. of Health and Human Services) 172,000 migrants were encountered in March, including 19,000 unaccompanied minors. This is up from February with 101,028 migrants which included 9,431 minors. CBP and HHS are predicting that anywhere from 22,000 to 26,000 unaccompanied minors will arrive monthly from now until September.

To address this “crisis” $47.5 billion was set aside from the $1.9 trillion CARES Act. HHS has discretionary authority to use these funds where needed. To date HHS is spending roughly $60 million a week to house the unaccompanied minors. Ten emergency facilities were set up after HHS filled its 7,700-bed facility. At this writing there were eight facilities in Texas housing at least 16,000 and two sites recently opened in California to house 2,500 migrant teens and children.

Mexican officials reported that in the first three months of 2021, 660 Mexican national minor children were returned to Mexico to be reunited with family. Since the first of the year 50 migrants who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande were recovered. Untold numbers have suffered and died making the journey through Cartel and gang controlled territories.

The videos are heart wrenching of the young boy crying because he was abandoned near the border, the two little girls, 3 and 5 years old, dropped over a 30-foot fence by smugglers and the five little girls, 1 to 6 years old, abandoned in the desert, saved by the grace of God and the rancher and his wife who live along the border, while Border Patrol Agents monitoring the wall rescued the boy and two little girls.

In California the SUV packed with 25 migrants broad sided by a semi leaving 13 dead including children. Recently the California based Coast Guard and first responders rescued migrants after the smugglers boat capsized in rough waters, several hospitalized and three drowned.

How much longer and at what cost do we continue to ignore these tragedies on our Southern borders?

Rochelle Moroz

Holley

Editor:

I am writing to encourage voters to write in Ann Bunch as a candidate for the Medina Board of Education.

Dr. Bunch has served on the Board for almost nine years. She was instrumental in preventing a proposed tax increase to the upcoming budget. She polled members of the community for their views on a tax increase and found that residents were opposed.

Considering that state and federal revenue coming in will exceed $6 million, education for students will not be impacted. She was sensitive to the financial hardships so many have suffered due to Covid, and she realized that it was not in the best interest of the community to raise taxes while alternative sources of revenue are available.

I believe Ann Bunch is a valuable asset to the village and to the Board of Education. Please consider writing in her name next Tuesday for the Board of Education.

Cynthia Servé

Medina

Editor:

I’m writing in support of write-in candidates Jennifer Buondonno and Debbie Tompkins for Medina School Board of Education.

Debbie has served all of the children in our district for several years on our PTSA. Jennifer has served our community as a member on our Audit and Finance committee.

Both of these women have a genuine interest in providing a solid education for our students, while both also have a keen awareness of the cost to provide that education. I’ve been on the board for 11 years and I would be proud to serve with either of them.

Please write in their names at the bottom of your ballot on May 18th in the Medina District Office from noon until 8 p.m.

Wendi Pencille

Medina