Editor:

I decided to run for the Yates Town Board not because I need the aggravation but because what I have seen happen over the last 6 years I find disturbing.

I threw my full support behind this board. I really thought that things would be different. I campaigned for them. Our committee even endorsed the supervisor at the end of his first term.

This board has raised taxes 6 years in a row with 2021 being the highest at 15.29%. There is also an absolutely unacceptable comptroller audit. Click here for the full report.

The public called for change of our bookkeeping and of the yearly auditor that missed the errors. Our A account was missing 86,000 dollars that to this day is still not fixed. It has caused much hardship for the town. There was a cheaper more competent alternative. Why was there not a change made? Our Supervisor said I quote. “I get to pick the book keeper.” Now the taxpayers are paying more and also paying $14,000 yearly on top of that for software for this “private firm.”

For the first time the town had to bond out in 5-year payments the purchase of a new tractor mower for the highway department at $105,000. A lot of money but town always had saved in reserves. Are we broke? Mismanaged? Supervisor said it’s the last administration’s fault. He has an obsession to put in motion everything in the comprehensive plan update. There were 5,553 surveys sent out with 740 returned in western Orleans. Between 3 towns that’s 13.4%. This should have been DOA. I was told that this was a real good amount of responses by the supervisor, according to the people who were getting many thousands for writing it.

A $2.5 million upgrade to our “remote” town park even though the people living around it were vocally opposed to it. That fell on deaf ears. It has really burdened one in-park property owner. Unclear how much the taxpayers will be paying for yearly maintenance. It’s $10,000 now. Will that double, triple? Also an obsession to obtain the NYSEG property and take $23,000 off the tax rolls for a nature reserve for the park. Other plans include a sidewalk to nowhere. A double-wide sidewalk at the edge of the village with a bike path down to Shadigee. What do you do when you arrive for the few that will use it? All private lanes. A loss of privacy for all, easements needed?

A proposed bike path/nature trail from 63 to Morrison Road down to the park. Did I mention the million-dollar renovation to the town hall? The upstairs with an elevator. Couldn’t we build a new town hall with a million dollars? The $20 million bio-digester that the town will own. They are talking to everyone but the local farmers. All of this obtained through grants. Millions and millions of dollars worth. All of the high maintenance from these projects that bring in bring in no money will be paid for by our small tax base indefinitely. The taxpayers will also have to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching money for these grants and grant fees. Will a certain area foundation be willing to do more “secret votes” to obtain the matching money again?

The Town broke the agreed contract with our volunteer fire company. Town is responsible for 81 percent, village 19 percent of fire budget. Town refused to pay $15,400 that would go toward a new pumper.

They did pay 2 payments this year but less the $15,400 in the contract. Would have cost the village and town $25,000 each to litigate. Not worth it so our fire department and the public gets the shaft. They passed Oct. 14 an overly generous 4-year union contract that totally disregards the small tax base in this town and economic climate. Then they voted to move forward a budget that raises taxes.

My conclusion is this board is out of touch with the people that they are supposed to serve. It has become controlling and completely self-serving. This is why I am running for a councilman’s seat to make sure money is used properly, to do the town business and put priorities first.

We take in a certain amount of money every year. That’s what you have to live within just like the people that you tax. If there’s any money left you give it back to the people in a tax cut.

I will be your voice. I will be ethical, frugal, and take the oath of office and your constitutional rights seriously. Stop the Tax and Spend.

I ask for your vote on November 2nd on the Conservative or The Lyndonville Taxpayers First line.

Thank you.

Paul Lauricella

Yates

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs voted against raising the debt ceiling. Raising the debt ceiling allows the government to pay for spending already allocated, included spending approved by Mr. Jacobs.

Republicans added $7.8 trillion to the debt just during the Trump administration. Historically, Republicans have added more to the national debt than Democrats. PolitiFact reported (7/23/19), that under President Ronald Reagan “the federal deficit went from about $78.9 billion at the beginning of Reagan’s presidency to $152.6 billion at the end of it.”

At the end of George H. W. Bush, the debt was $255 billion, an increase of $181.3 billion.

At the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency there was a surplus of $128.2 billion. George W. Bush “left office in 2009 with a federal deficit of roughly $1.41 trillion.” That is we went from a surplus of $128.2 billion to a deficit of $1.41 trillion.

President Barack Obama “left the presidency with a deficit of approximately $584.6 billion, which is more than halving $1.41 trillion.”

“President Donald Trump Treasury Department reported that Washington is on track to post a $1.1 trillion deficit by the end of September.” Remember this report was printed in 2019 before the pandemic and the end of Mr. Trump’s presidency.

Mr. Jacobs’s vote wasn’t just foolish it was irresponsible. Moody’s Analytic in a report issued 10/7/21 stated that such an event (a default on the debt), would cause 6 million to lose their jobs and the unemployment would climb to 9%.

A report by the Congressional Accountability Office in 2012 found that even the brinkmanship of 2011 cost taxpayers $1.3 billion and drove up interest rates on homes and cars. Mr. Jacobs’s vote to willingly and knowingly undermine our nation’s financial health is below the dignity of someone representing Western New York.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

This letter comes from life-long residents of the Town of Barre.

Our first and most important point is to inform the residents of Barre of the upcoming election in November for council and supervisor positions. Barre has the opportunity to move forward with a project which will enhance the town and offer benefits to each town resident.

The Heritage Wind project is Barre’s opportunity for a new beginning and to make its mark as a pioneer in our county for progress. This clean energy project will provide many financial advantages for school districts, roads and highways, parks and recreational areas and will offer tax breaks for all Barre residents.

Unfortunately  we have opposition in our town who don’t want progress. They want to shut down this opportunity for everyone in Barre. They have vilified the Town Board for doing their job,  which is to consider the proposal, examine the positives and negatives, and make a decision they feel is in the best interest of the town.

Nothing short of slamming the door in Heritage Wind’s face would’ve been acceptable to them.   They are running on one agenda – Stop the Wind Turbines. Electing officials who are clearly running on one agenda is dangerous and counterproductive.

If you are a resident who wants to benefit financially in the form of lower taxes, better roads and parks, and if you want progress make sure you vote for candidates who join town government for the right reasons.

Their agenda is to serve you, working together, growing and keeping our community rural while protecting our values and environment with compassion and enthusiasm!

Vote on Nov. 2nd for Sean Pogue as town supervisor and write-in candidates, Steve Harling and Tom Decker, for Town Board.

Kirk and Alice Mathes

Barre

Editor:

Where is the integrity? Where is the love of community? Multiple signs for Dave Waters and George Mckenna, who are running the Republican and Independent line for councilmen spots this upcoming election, have been stolen and replaced with other signs.

Waters and McKenna won the Republican primary beating out current sitting town board members. They have actively voiced their love and dedication to the community – and their deep desire for the Town Board to have complete transparency.

Regardless of your own political affiliation and beliefs, it is illegal to remove political signs. It is dishonorable, not only to these candidates but to the residents of Barre.

Likewise, putting signs up directly in front of someone else’s political sign is infantile. Your vote is where you should rightfully voice your personal stance, not in actions that belittle the community. Be better Barre!

Barbara Verburg

Barre

Editor:

I find it hard to believe that this news outlet has not covered the outrageous headline, “The Villages of Orleans plans $1.6M expansion into assisted living.”

The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center owners are notorious for making boastful statements on how they will improve the quality of life for the infirmed, yet in reality, it’s how they can provide little, yet profit the most.

On 9/26/2019 Department of State, Division of Corporations, listed a new entity name Albion Retirement Village, LLC. The members of this group are Mr. Evan Lahasky, Mr. David Gast, Mr. Sam Halper, Mr. Shabse Fuch and Mrs. Debbie Korngut.

All five members of this LLC have a percentage of ownership in The Villages Of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation. This group made an application to NYS DOH for Certificate of Need for 25 Assisted Living Program beds and 28 Adult Home beds.

In their application to the state they said they were “seasoned healthcare and business executives” and all bring “experience that will benefit this endeavor.”

Now let me get this straight, a facility that is currently under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “Special Focus Facility Program” due to their lack of expertise in supplying proper PPE and proper execution of infection control measures should now be allowed to operate an assisted living and adult care home?

They have clearly demonstrated since Mr. Benjamin Landa signed the paperwork to buy the nursing home in 2014 that they do not hold any expertise in operating a well-run facility. They have failed our community. They have no local ties here. The residents are dollar signs, not fragile lives that need tender care.

Their expertise at skirting state mandates, rules and regulations, and acquiring state funding is truly what they are good at. What did they do with the $853,236 from the CDC Provider Relief Fund which they received for fighting the Covid-19 virus?

For the families who witnessed the spiral down event of the handling of Covid-19 in this facility, they will certainly agree that they felt helpless and outraged.

For the NYS Public Health and Health Planning Council to even consider the authorization for the additional beds only makes me wonder how much research have they done seeing how they hold a one-star rating which is the lowest overall rating that a nursing home can receive. A one-star rating indicates that the nursing home shows evidence of significantly poor levels of care.

The Villages is not their only nursing home that they are involved with that have this low rating, but that’s a lecture for another day.  This should be a no-go project. They should be made to demonstrate their “expertise” in managing what they currently have before moving forward. For those of us who have experienced the no hot water for years, no heat, no air conditioning, sitting for hours in feces and urine due to no staff, the mystery food on the tray and the total lack of human compassion for their staff, residents and families, we say to NYS…..review your documents again and do your job! Protect those who need us the most!

Kelly Bentley

Albion

Editor:

The debt ceiling brouhaha is set to come in December. Refusal to raise the debt ceiling is a subterfuge. The so-called debt ceiling does not allow bigger budgets in the future but, rather, is used to pay for debts already incurred. That includes our Social Security.

The Federal government borrows liberally from our Social Security Trust Fund at a low fixed rate. Therefore raising the debt limit is needed to pay our bill. But there is a double whammy as we pledge the taxing power to secure the bonds (debt) we issue which are paid at market rate.

So if the debt limit is not raised we not only have no money to repay Social Security but also our other creditors who are required to be paid first under the terms of our bonds.

Social Security recipients can not force prompt payment as they can not apply penalties and demand higher interest. Regular creditors can. And if they don’t want to lend interest rises, taxes rise artificially, and people lose their jobs.

The debt ceiling is unsound financial management. It’s a smoke job just like claiming the debt ceiling is meant to save money. Both, all, share the purpose of serving up out of context sound clips and block tax increases on the rich to repay the increased national debt.

But while tax breaks increase debt that debt is not like the two current targeted infrastructure bills. FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford understood that investment in making life better for the middle class brings huge returns for all. Day care puts people in the job market. Many are economies of scale – like being able to take the bus to work rather than buy and pay for a car.

It’s like business not having to pay for hugely expensive health insurance but having more money to build factories and hire the people to run them. (Medicare gives the same service 25 percent cheaper due to lower overhead and being not for profit.) It’s like buying less oil and using the money to build.

Defaulting on the debt will costs jobs and risk recession. It means more decades of economic uncertainty for the middle class which gets sooner or later gets the bill.

We are finally being offered smart changes again – a New New Deal – and we should grab it.

It is so sad that so few remember this country’s heyday and how smart government investment and debt we paid for made it happen for all, not just a few. The goal was to be sure the infrastructure – physical and social – was in place so all of us could go as far as an individual’s will and talents could take him or her.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

A very important vote is coming up on November 2nd, which can determine whether the Town of Barre will be embroiled in fighting and make no progress or move forward on many issues that need addressing.

A vote for Sean Pogue for Town Supervisor and write-in candidates, Steve Harling and Tom Decker, will insure that Barre will move in a positive direction.

Steve and Tom, as new candidates will have fresh ideas, are anxious to work on issues such as water districts, improved infrastructure, and so much more. They want to calm things down and restore respect and positivity to the community.

Over the past five years, due to the controversy surrounding the turbine issue, there has been much strife and anger at every Town Board meeting. Steve and Tom want to change that! It doesn’t matter if you are for or against the Heritage Wind project, you will want to see a positive change!

While Steve and Tom are for green energy, they know the application has been sent to the state, which will approve the project or not. They have no say at this point, but they will have a say in managing the $1.2 million dollars that will come to Barre each year from this project!

And this is why you need to vote! The other candidates (George McKenna and Dave Waters) have adamantly campaigned against the Heritage Wind Project. They say they want to challenge everything. They have made comments that the money coming in won’t really benefit Barre.

The money coming in from the project is about the size of the current budget. Instead of using this money to reduce taxes, improve equipment and improve the town itself, it could be used to bring lawsuits against both Heritage Wind and New York State. This will ensure endless fighting and rancor!

Look what happened in the Town of Somerset, they fought against the Lighthouse Project and in 2018 spent $400,000 out of their budget. There is no other way to fight back except through litigation. Litigation usually goes nowhere. There could cancel out all or most of the benefits that Barre could have had otherwise!

Don’t let this happen! Let the money coming in from green energy projects benefit Barre and not line the pockets of lawyers!

Louise Henderson

Barre

Editor:

Any rational person has reservations about the huge towers for the wind energy project proposed for Barre. But alternate energy is coming and we are thinking piecemeal, short term and do not know which sides facts to believe.

Along huge stretches of the beltway south of Chicago there are wind mills south of the road in beautiful farm land as far as the eye. Windmill income puts all those farms are in a better financial position to fight off the further expansion of suburbia which is on the other, north,  side of the road.

Barre and the entire character of Orleans County will be effected by how the county – and not just any one municipality – deal with alternate energy production. Even now while we all hate the Landfill, Albion – unlike other places – neglected to require generators to convert all the methane into power for the local grid.

If we were going to be stuck with it we could have demanded tapping the energy, selling it and royalties – Barre is being offered yearly side money not tied to production to cover increased costs for roads etc. as the host community.

Orleans County – New York in general – has WATER. To take full advantage of that we have to start thinking about energy demands and alternate energy just as surely as we think about water and roads.

The question must always start “how best to?” And as much as I dislike and distrust  “professional planners,” it can start with inquires as simple as where do we find the independent expertise we need.

It’s time to start including energy in all these land use discussions.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs is critical of Democrat’s economic policies. In a press release Mr. Jacobs stated: “Once again, Democrats are playing games with our nation’s economic recovery. Nancy Pelosi is asking Republicans to act on a bipartisan basis to raise the debt limit so she can force through $3.5 trillion in unnecessary partisan spending.”

Budgets reflect values and priorities. Republican budgets tend to focus on tax cuts for the rich while Democrats tend to focus on programs benefiting citizens. It is the goal of both parties to create jobs and improve life for everyone.

Historically speaking Democrats create a better economic outlook than Republicans. The American Economic Association issued a report in April 2016 which stated: “The US economy has performed better when the president of the United States is a Democrat rather than a Republican, almost regardless of how one measures performance. For many measures, including real GDP growth (our focus), the performance gap is large and significant.”

The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee in June 2016 in comparing Democrats vs Republican reported: “The data show that, since World War II, the economy has performed substantially better under Democratic presidents.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps a monthly total of net jobs added. Beginning with the Truman administration 6 Democratic administration in office 429 months added 70.5 million jobs while 7 Republican administration in office for 475 months added 29.1 million jobs.

Democrats averaged 164,000 jobs per month and Republicans averaged 61,000 jobs per month.”

As I stated earlier budgets reflect values and priorities and as the statistics and research shows Democrats’ budgets improve the economy for everyone. It is Mr. Jacobs and his Republican cohorts that are trying to hurt our nation’s economic recovery.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

On Monday morning at 10 there was the Orleans County public hearing at the Barre Town Hall for the proposed PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) by Heritage Wind.

Each person was given 3 minutes to make a comment to the officials regarding the PILOT. However, there were certain people who spoke over their 3 minute limit and even one person who shined a strobe in their eyes to simulate wind terrine flicker! How disrespectful is that?

This was not a public hearing for pro or con on turbines. It was for the proposed Orleans County PILOT!

The pros would be that a set amount of money would be paid to the affected municipalities on a set schedule. The “con” thoughts are that the assessments may change over the years thus increasing taxes paid by Heritage over the years.

If New York State takes over the turbine taxation, the local government could be excluded all together and receive no funds!

Ruth Miller

Barre

Editor:

It’s crunch time. Politics and crazy proposals or science.

Alaska has joined Idaho and countless hospitals in low vaccinated states and declared statewide “crisis status.” Patients are being allowed to die without intervention!

People are: “More likely to die” no treatment; “Less likely to die” treatment; “Good enough” to go away and hope they do not die from lack of treatment.”

A year ago both the Finns and Israelis concurred that without a mask 21 feet was the safe radius. On April 27, 2021 Tucker Carlson encouraged viewers to confront mask wearers. Unlike most evening commentators, Carlson has a college degree but became a journalist after he was rejected by the CIA. He compares Covid to the flu. I note that as some here keep paraphrasing him.

But as of July 29th Johns Hopkins estimates that when dealing with the variants that respond to monoclonal antibodies – and I respect to people in the UD that have access to them – that the death rate is 10 times that of flu. (Several resistant variants “of concern” have been identified and the final number will takes years as the raging pandemic becomes an epidemic.)

Logically, since most deaths are now among unvaccinated Republicans (who increasing are coming to believe in the “big lie” about the insurrection and a danger to the Rule of Law) it’s interesting that Democrats seem disproportionately concerned about getting people vaccinated.

Legally requiring polio vaccine when there were lower standards was OK. Is Republican versus Democrat now worth betting one’s life to prove a point? (What point?)

As an employer I would never hire or keep anyone who could not solve this problem.  As an employer and human being, I also want all to not only live but also get needed hospital care. Therefore, I sometimes wonder if some of these radio and TV personalities are actually captives of their listeners. Do they have to say what their listeners want to hear to keep their market share?

In fact, sticking with denial when hospitals are crumbling is not rational. It not even sane. All kids learn to reevaluate who is telling lies and who is actually being straight and their friends when they catch some  making up stories out of thin air.

Now, today,  the truth is Covid is a global problem and only Peru is doing worse per capita. Most countries figure they need 80% vaccinated. Not us.

Jimmy Kimmel has an easy solution – a crazy political solution – to clear out beds and solve the current crisis. It’s “no vaccination, no hospital admission.” The time is coming that uncaring hard-nosed solutions like that may be the rational.

Till then who lives and dies is a medical judgement. I hope we can keep it that way. Better yet I hope adults remember the lessons they learned about as children.

Conrad F Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs complains that President Joe Biden vaccine mandate “serves no public health interest and will only further divides an already fractured nation.”

More than 1,500 American citizens are dying every day because of Covid-19 and most people sick enough to be in the hospital and dying are unvaccinated.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) issued a “Crisis Standard of Care” for hospitals in their panhandle. DHW Director Dave Jeppensen issued the following statement: “Crisis standards of care is a last resort. It means we have exhausted our resources to the point that our healthcare systems are unable to provide the treatment and care we expect. The best tools we have to turn this around is for more people to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors and in outdoor crowded public places. Please choose to get vaccinated as soon as possible – it is your very best protection against being hospitalized from Covid-19.”

Hospitals in Florida and Texas are ordering mobile morgue units to handle overflow of dying patients. Waco Tribune-Herald reported, (8/25/21): “Local mortuaries have brought in a second mobile morgue to handle Covid-19 deaths, hospitals are short on nurses and Waco’s mayor is warning that the local health care system is near ‘the brink of collapse.’”

Hospitals are having to turn away patients with cardiac, pulmonary, kidney or other illnesses because all their bed are full of Covid-19 patient. The public health interest is served when hospitals are not over-crowed and resources are not exhausted.

Vaccines are safe and effective as Mr. Jacobs noted in his press release. The science is clear; masks work, vaccines work. There is no politics in the science.

I am sure the Mr. Jacobs cares about the health of his constituents but for some reason he must feel he can exploit the issue for political gains. That is very shameful.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

In the Sept. 15, 2021 Washington Post, columnist David Von Drehle talked about how heroes like Jonas Salk, Sabin, Hilleman, Ruth Bishop and others changed our lives for the better by their invention of vaccines to eliminate encephalitis, Asian flu, measles, rubella, mumps, scarlet fever, polio, rotavirus and others.

How many of us would have died in our infancy if not for our state and federal governments declaring that the vaccinations were essential for our survival?

Von Drehle asked how many of us were born deaf and blind because of rubella, scarred by smallpox, paralyzed by polio or died at an early age because of tuberculosis. Probably very few of us, because we live in the age of vaccines.

I think he is correct in saying that vaccination today is not a choice, it is a responsibility.

Jack Capurso

Albion High School 1960 graduate

Ashburn, Va.

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs is holding another phony phone town hall tonight (9/8/21). The idea is to have residents call into an event hosted by Mr. Jacobs and have Mr. Jacobs answer questions.

But based on past ones, this event will have callers pre-selected to have callers praise Mr. Jacobs and criticize Democrats. The entire event is staged as a love-in for Mr. Jacobs.

Why does Mr. Jacobs feel so insecure that he has to stage these love-ins instead of holding a genuine open town-hall meeting? Why is Mr. Jacobs so afraid of meeting his constituents?

William Fine

Brockport