Editor:

This year the Town of Gaines residents are tasked to elect a Town Justice into office. Two candidates are running for one position.

My views are very traditional. I am a firm believer in everyone’s Constitutional rights. I also believe that everyone is accountable for their actions. Each case that comes before the Justice is unique. A case should be decided on its own merits and be judged fairly and without prejudice.

Every citizen that appears before the court is entitled to be treated fairly and the court has the responsibility to ensure their rights are not violated. Although the Town Justice is elected by the people, it should not be a political position whatsoever. A Justice cannot be influenced by any particular political party.

I believe my service to our country in the US Army, our state as a NYS Correction Officer, and our community as a Paramedic for nearly 40 years combined prove my commitment to you. On Tuesday I ask for your vote to continue my service as your Town Justice.

Respectfully,

Charles Prentice Jr.

Editor:

Joe Sidonio is absolutely exceptional.  This community does not know how lucky we are to have Joe looking out for our interests. He is honest, trained and experienced. He is not self interested. He is giving and caring. Luckily, somehow, he is driven to want to improve our living situations here in Murray.

What one does not see on the surface is the depth of Joe’s commitment. He began being interested in helping Murray years ago. He started by attending town meetings and listening. He then volunteered to serve and was asked by Town Supervisor Hank Lehning to represent Murray on the Orleans County Planning Board and subsequently to serve on the Town of Murray Planning Board. On each board he served for years. He studied these roles, attended trainings and talked in depth to officials across the state of New York about the positions in order to educate himself fully about his responsibilities. Incredible.

These years of service spurred Joe to run for public office so that he could further his contribution. In each chapter of his service Joe has applied the same principles: working for the town endless unseen hours, researching each topic to seek the facts and the proper procedure, recruiting new people to participate in our town, and being straightforward and unequivocally honest. The truth is that Joe has given years of his life to this community.

For Joe doing the best job equals doing things correctly. This means that the principles of procedure are very important to him. Applying rules consistently to everyone, having policies in place to guide the actions of government and then adhering to them, making sure that the accounting of the town is correct and clear, and ensuring that the mandate to spend the taxpayer’s dollars wisely and conservatively is followed, are some of the guiding principles that he follows unwaveringly.

Joe makes friends wherever he goes. He befriends people of every walk of life, every age group and every world view. It is remarkable. His innate interest in his fellow citizens is radiant and permeates his smile, his humor and his outlook. He is always learning and learns from everyone he meets. He then puts his learning and friendships to good use to make the world a better place.

The saddest thing is that Joe has been rebuffed and attacked by some community members from Murray from the day he began to volunteer simply because he has wanted to do things right. We have watched in agony as individuals have gone out of their way to present roadblocks and problems and even to create accusations. If Joe were not as gracious a person he would have long ago filed harassment complaints.

Joe has inspired us as residents to believe in Murray again. People now attend town meetings and are not afraid to voice their new ideas, opinions and concerns. We have more elections, and more people involved than any other community in Orleans County.

Prior to Joe getting involved in government Murray had not had a contested election in nearly 30 years. In the last months residents have brought forward at work meetings ideas and issues about day care, memorial restoration, dangerous speeding on roads, consistent application of the law, town spending, and proposals to divide New York State into regions – just to outline a few topics. This is democracy at work!

What you will elect in electing Joe Sidonio is someone who restores our faith in intelligent, clear, honest, hard-working government for the citizens.

Amy Susan Machamer (Joe Sidonio’s wife)

Susan Hurd Machamer (Joe Sidonio’s mother-in-law)

Amelia Sidonio (Joe Sidonio’s daughter)

Murray

Editor:

This past Saturday, June 19^th, in the mail were found two postcards, which pertained to this Tuesday’s Republican primary for councilmen in the Town of Shelby.

The first was a typical post card introducing the candidate and his views, some promises if elected, some pictures. Totally usual campaign information, and something one would expect during a cleanly run primary race.

The second was a big-city type slick attack ad. The timing of the mailing was perfect, it came out just a few days before the Tuesday primary, and grouped two of our hard-working Town of Shelby councilmen with city slick lawyers. The timing makes it hard to mount a defense against unmerited claims, accusations and distortions of the facts.

Whoever produced and approved this ad must have been ashamed of their work because after making fun of councilmen William Bacon and Stephen Seitz, and condemning the entire board, the producers forgot to tell us who they were. So, the anonymous ad producer included some partially correct information but were not brave enough to take credit for their slick mailing.

The reverse of the mailing had a chart comparing the budgeted amounts for legal expenses in the Town of Shelby compared to costs from other nearby towns. The information regarding the Town of Shelby was FOILED (sought via Freedom of Information Act) by Ed Zelazny, one of the primary candidates, a month or so ago. So, while there is no proof who did this mailing the information must have come from Mr. Zelazny because we did not have other FOILs for this information.

The mailing basically said the Town of Shelby board, including Councilmen Seitz and Bacon are spending too much on legal fees, and that we spend more on lawyers than road repair.

In 2020 our actual legal expenses were about $73,000. We spent about $154,000 of town funds on road repair. In 2021 we have budgeted $160,000 for road repairs and expect to spend the entire amount. The legal budget line is $127,500, but we hope the actual spending will be less than for 2020. Unused amounts from any line item get rolled into the next years’ budget and keep tax increases down.

Back to the attack mailing. It is quite a stunning accusation that the board is overspending on legal fees when a substantial amount of the legal fees can be attributed to defending the Town of Shelby against repeated lawsuits brought by Mr. Zelazny and his family.

There is one other lawsuit against the town costing money, and we are also getting legal counsel regarding the solar, wind and STAMP projects which affect Shelby’s legal costs. If all these uncommon items were taken out, our legal fees would be similar or less than Ridgeway’s.

We have a new highway superintendent, Dale Root, and myself as new town supervisor. With both having one year of experience we are working with the board to formulate a five-year plan for road repairs. Councilmen Bacon and Seitz are on the roads committee, and with Dale laid out plans in March for road repairs. This included repairs to Martin and Fletcher Chapel Roads.  Damage to Bigford and Sour Springs Roads made it necessary to revise the plans.

Please feel free to contact me or any other board member to get the real facts about these situations. The entire board is working hard to do the best it can for the residents of Shelby. We all live, work, and pay taxes here, too. The board is trying to run a more efficient town. Our budget workshops are open to all.

Please get out and vote this Tuesday. Find out the facts and don’t be deceived by a slick attack ad produced by someone unwilling to sign their work.

Jeff Smith

Shelby Town Supervisor

Editor:

This is not a letter I wanted to write, but I feel like I have to set the record straight. It is no secret that the Murray Town Board and their entrenched politicians have had it out for Joe Sidonio even before he was elected Supervisor. They don’t like the fact that someone is coming in and shaking things up.

Louise Passarell, who is the cousin of Randy Bower, sounds like Nancy Pelosi trying to take credit for Donald Trump’s accomplishments. They called Joe when he was running for office a liar and berated him for saying there was a loss of money and a disconnect in the water department, and now that he came in and the loss has been greatly reduced, they want credit. That’s comical to me.

Bower says he will get Murray working together. Bower has been on the town board for a year now, and has shown no sign of trying to bring the town hall together. He has two cousins working in the town hall. How can Bower be unbiased and make the right decisions for us, the tax payers, while working with family at the town hall?

I have not heard one thing that Randy Bower will do for this town. His campaign is reminding me of Joe Biden’s: sit in the basement, don’t say a word and let the career politicians shovel as much dirt out as they can to try to get you to turn against our leader. Why change coaches now when we have a winner already?

Joe Sidonio has been fighting for this town for years to make it a better place for all our families. His focus and dedication to this town speaks volumes to his character. The accomplishments by him and his administration in just one year alone is outstanding and he deserves to be re-elected to keep fighting for us all.

Vote for Joe Sidonio and let’s keep Murray winning.

Adam Moore

Murray

Editor:

There’s no reason to get in this back and forth, to the point where the local Republican Party is trying to send a corrected press release with slightly less falsehoods throughout it.

No one throughout this campaign has condemned the Republican Party for their endorsements prior to my decision to run for Councilman. In fact, I’m sure they had conversations on issuing a supporting press release for incumbents back in late January. I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this. The issues begin afterword.

Shortly thereafter, I spoke with the Republican Committee Secretary to inquire about running for office. I was told specifically it was too late to get on the ballot. After kicking myself for having to first check with family, I decided to do a little research. I found out that I COULD be on the ballot. I then went out and got the necessary signatures to be a viable candidate on the Republican line this June 22nd. My name will be on the ballot right next to the two incumbents. So why try and keep me off?

The local Republican committee knew I could still pass petitions and yet I was purposely misled. The local Republican Party knew once petitions were filed that there was a Republican primary. They knew that their conversation in late January is no longer relevant. They knew their press release signifying unity was done solely to confuse voters. At no point did the committee reconvene to discuss the support for the incumbents or myself.

Enough with the deceit. The issues lie in the fact that we lack transparency in local government. Budgets are broken, our taxes go up, and the only solution offered is to keep assessing our property.

Let this sink in, the Town of Shelby will spend more on Buffalo attorneys than road repairs! We pay over five times more for these attorneys than the Town of Ridgeway! Attorney fees have grown nearly forty percent (40%) since 2018! Lastly, they proposed another town-wide assessment to offset their recklessness. The only solution proposed by the two incumbents is to raise taxes. How about cut back on unnecessary spending!? The reason our taxes escalate year after year is due to this lack of transparency.

The problem doesn’t lie in the timeline Chairwomen Eick, it’s that our local government has ignored the voice of the people. I am Eddie Zelazny, a husband, father to three, and lifelong Republican. I will stand up for what is right and champion the voice of our community. Please consider supporting me on June 22nd.

God Bless,

Eddie Zelazny

Shelby

Candidate for Town of Shelby Council

Editor:

The New York Bar Association has brought talent from every level together to look at police reform. I write to throw out some of its ideas, almost verbatim, for public debate here.

“A key component of modernizing law enforcement … is rethinking the type of person who should be a police officer and how that officer’s career is managed from being a rookie to a senior leader in the department.”

The report identified five key stages of policing that need enhancement – hiring, training, activities while “on the beat,” monitoring, and disciplining.”

1) All police officers to have college degrees, a professional license and liability insurance;

2) Reform of the curriculum and approaches taught at police academy training and requirements of continued training; aligning (including) police professionals with other professions in terms of education, licensing, and continuous substantive legal training;

3) Reform of hiring practices; that includes diversity and diversity training including district attorneys, public defenders and courts;

4) Change state laws to give communities a way to have some say in alleged police misconduct and discipline while also a) minimizing the influence of police unions on disciplinary actions and b) reforming qualified immunity laws to allow a civil remedy in order to sue over violations of an individual’s rights;

5) Leverage technology to obtain data which will improve monitoring and oversight and strengthen accountability.

Food for thought.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

As a member of the Republican District Committee of the Town of Murray, I would like to express my wholehearted support for the re-election of  Joe Sidonio as our town supervisor. Like Joe, I too am an outsider who moved to this area because I believed it had certain advantages. Lower taxes, less regulations than Monroe County and a rural environment were the attractions that led me here. I’m one of those people who came to attend SUNY College at Brockport and decided to stick around after graduation. After graduation I opened a successful business in Brockport that sustained me for over 20 years.

Perhaps this is why I support Joe, and why I supported Donald Trump. I like to see businessmen in government. That is what I believe it takes to hold a public office such as a town supervisor, a successful background in the administration of a business. Because essentially what a supervisor does is administer a business or a town.

In the time he has been in office, he has reduced our tax rate, reduced water department debt and reduced highway department spending. Exactly the things he said he’d do. Unlike most politicians, he has actually kept his campaign promises!

I want to add that I have nothing against the other candidate in this primary, Randy Bower. He was an excellent county sheriff, but I’m not sure that his background prepares him for the position of town supervisor.

By the way, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for our law enforcement people. My dad was a Seneca County deputy sheriff when I was growing up. This job takes a businessman and I will be casting my ballot for Joe on primary day.

Anthony J. Peone

Holley

Editor:

Our family immigrated to America in the late 1800’s and settled in Fancher. They worked in the quarries and eventually purchased a farm on the corner of Fancher and Telegraph Roads. This was the house that we grew up in. It was a time in America that World War II was about to become a reality.

I remember picking milk weed pods for the War effort, troop trains stopping in Fancher for water for the steam engine train and the troops throwing oranges to us. Train after train as they passed the troops would wave and we waved back. Little did we know how many would never return.

On August 14, 1949 I experienced something that has remained with me for 72 years. On that day some 2,000 people assembled in Fancher for the dedication of the war memorial. I had never seen anything like it and I had a front row seat standing on the corner of Fancher and Telegraph Roads. There were dignitaries, families, marching bands and the whole bit.

I will never forget one thing, though, the face of a mother in the back seat of the black sedan with a gold star on the door. I saw her face. Our eyes met. I could feel her heart beat. I knew then who she was and why she was there riding in that car with a gold star. I have been forever haunted by that experience.

I am so pleased that the monument is being restored. It is remarkable that a community came together with a purpose to build something for the 10 local boys lost in that horrible war. They built it as a testament to the ultimate sacrifice the boys made. They built it for the gold star mothers to honor their loss. They built it to last.

It has lasted 72 years now and will remain for future generations thanks to the hard work of Danny Mawn, President of Holley Murray Historical Society, and Marsha DiFilipps, Holley Murray Historian, who have researched the history of the monument and the importance it holds for the community. Thank you to Tom Rivers, Editor, for spreading the word for the rededication via the Orleans Hub.

Most of all thank you to Town of Murray Supervisor, Joseph Sidonio, without whom the restoration and rededication would never have happened. Joe, thank you for the one hundred phone calls, countless hours of work, pictures and emails sent and friendship I will cherish.

I (Fred Fiorito) really never expected the response to a voicemail that I left one day in late May 2020. A call that evening left me a stranger from a town just outside of New York City who left Fancher 61 years ago and only returned a couple of times a year to visit his parents and brother, Ted Fiorito, Jr., the last of the Fioritos. He left his mark of military service and fire service in FHM Fire Department for 61 years.

I was asked if I would like the monument moved to a quiet spot, maybe in Brockville or Hulberton. My answer was and is NO. The community chose to build it in the center of Fancher so we would not ever forget them.

Remember those great kids who sacrificed everything and their tomorrows so that we might enjoy our todays.

Fred and Ted Fiorito

Murray

Editor:

On June 22nd please vote for the following Orleans County Conservative Party Committee endorsed Republicans and here’s why:

For Town of Murray Supervisor, Joseph Sidonio. A Constitutional Conservative (Read my previous endorsement letter).

For Town Clerk of Ridgeway, Laurie A. Kilburn has earned our endorsement. Why? She has conservative values. So important in today’s society. She’s honest. She has been a hands-on deputy Clerk. Karen Kaiser has trained her well and allowed her to perform all the duties of a town clerk. Between this and all her professional training, her wonderful personality, (that is so important when dealing with the public) she will transition smoothly into the clerk’s position. She knows the business of the Town of Ridgeway. Laurie understands that she works for you and is ready and willing to pleasantly and professionally help you with any needs or grievances you may have. The town board cannot function without a knowledgeable, experienced clerk. It simply won’t happen. The clerk is that important. Laurie Kilburn is that person. Ridgeway deserves the best.

For Ridgeway Town Councilman, David M. Stalker. Simply, Dave watches how your money is spent. Dave questions things that appear to be unethical and goes after wasteful spending. He is a businessman, not a bureaucrat. Dave does what’s best for the tax payers that pay his salary.  Dave has evolved from his earlier years to more conservative principles. Many go the other way. Not Dave, he works for you. That’s why you should vote to re-elect Dave Stalker.

For Carlton Town Clerk, Karen Narburgh is the right choice to continue to serve the people of that town. She has good conservative values. A town does not function without an efficient clerk and town business has been going smoothly. Karen will go out of her way to help her constituents in a friendly helpful manner and do everything possible get the information or answer the questions you seek. Karen has the right credentials for the job and is always getting more training. It’s part of the job. A job she has done very well.

In November, please vote to re-elect Dirk Lammes for Highway Superintendent of Murray. He is very conservative in all aspects. His crew will keep your roads safe year round and put tax dollars back in your pocket.

In November, remember in the town of Yates that I am running for a town councilman seat. At no time in all my years attending town meetings has the town leadership raised taxes so high on the town and village residents and have in the works so many fantasy projects. If implemented they will bring in very little to no revenue and burden the tax payers with maintenance upkeep and tax increases “forever.” Vote for a Constitutional Conservative. Paul Lauricella and “Stop the Tax and Spend.”

Good luck to all of you!

Paul Lauricella

Yates

Orleans County Conservative Party Chairman

Editor:

My name is David Stalker. I currently have been serving on the Ridgeway Town Board as Ridgeway Councilman for seven-plus years. I have been endorsed through the Republican Party several times in the past presently gaining the Conservative Party endorsement running for re-election for the position Ridgeway Councilman.

During this time serving on Ridgeway Town Board, I have been involved in mediation resolution of many issues brought to the board’s attention.

During my first years serving there was talk of the Village of Medina dissolution. I was the first to speak out against this. I realize the enhance services within the village come at a cost, however not to the entire Town of Ridgeway.

I have been involved in more than one contract negotiations with the Ridgeway Fire Department that resulted in cost savings well worth the money taxpayers pay. There also have been solar projects with more in the works. The first solar project had an exceedingly small portion of distribution of funds going the Town of Ridgeway with larger amount of funds going to the School and County. I advocated for more money for the town as most of the work was performed by the town. Now the present and future solar projects are divided equally between the Town, County and School, creating more money for the Town.

I also was involved in the contract for the Town Highway Employees when it was brought to attention that Health Insurance came at no cost for Town Highway Employees. It was negotiated that all new hires would pay a portion towards those benefits. This then carried throughout to cover all newly hired Town Employees saving taxpayer money.

During the waterline project, I discussed how the engineering design created an uncompleted district. This project has since been completed by Town Employees with no engineering expense to the Town due to not being completed a few years ago as planned.

I served as a member of the Western Region Comprehensive Plan, which included representatives from the Towns of Ridgeway, Shelby, Yates and Villages of Medina and Lyndonville. We met for a little over two years with members from each municipality in the planning of protecting land use in all areas of the western region of the county.

As the Covid-19 pandemic arose, the Town had not anticipated this added expense to the budget as protocol required proper signage to be posted for the safety of employees and the community. This was going to come at a costly expense to the Town. I reached out to the local area Print Shop and all signage needed for the Town Buildings to ensure Covid -19 protocol safety was provided for free.

I have consistently looked at ways to save the Town of Ridgeway and the taxpayers money. As a local business owner, I understand the need to watch expenses and budgeting. As a former New York State Corrections Supervisor, I understand responsibility and dedication. As a former Union Leader, I understand employee rights.

I have long advocated to address the aging infrastructure at Town Hall. I say this in the involvement of upkeep to a more cost effective, efficient energy saving system. The town upgraded from oil heat with a buried oil tank to a more cost saving energy efficient natural gas system as the old system was 10-15 years old.

I have also advocated for Town-wide broadband and water. I agreed with refinancing several water districts to a lower rate of interest, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars. I was also in agreement of delaying Town-wide property assessments for another year.

I have always been your voice for the people. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David M. Stalker

Ridgeway

Editor:

I had the pleasure of training Hannah Hill, a Ridgeway resident, for the position of Second Deputy to the Town Clerk.

This position involved most aspects of the daily functions and responsibilities of a Town Clerk. Hannah was efficient, organized and professional in all the tasks she was asked to perform.

Hannah’s delightful personality and work ethic made it evident that she could stand strong in this position while serving the residents of the Town of Ridgeway or anyone who came to the Town Hall needing assistance.

Barb Klatt

Retired town clerk in Ridgeway

Editor:

I am writing this letter to express my support for Karen Narburgh as Town of Carlton Clerk in the primary election.

I have had the luxury of working alongside Karen for 5 years now. She is someone who demonstrates integrity and passion every day in the workplace.

Karen Narburgh, not only knows her town’s values and standards, but she is also well educated on the states laws for clerks.

Aside from her knowledge and competence of the normal clerk duties, she knows the town, and the people of the town. She not only works for them, but she cares for them. She goes above and beyond to make sure people get answers, even when it is outside her department.

People see the hours posted and assume that is all she works, but she is constantly taking work home and arranging her schedule to meet people after hours as needed.

She has proven herself successful as a town clerk for the last seven years.

I highly encourage my fellow Republicans to vote for Karen Narburgh for Carlton Town Clerk, at the primary election, on June 22nd.

Thank you for your support.

Lisa Ames

Carlton

(Ames is the town assessor for Carlton and Kendall.)

Editor:

In a letter Posted June 15, 2021 Louise Passarell starts out with “this is not a letter I wanted to write.” In fact she has written before with letters September 12, 2017, November 5, 2017, September 11, 2018, and 29 October 29, 2020. All express the same position in opposition to Joe Sidonio.

This isn’t a campaign letter, I have issues with both candidates. What concerns me is that the employees of the Town of Murray are trying to impact who their bosses are, without disclosing their relationships.

Randy Bower is Louise’s cousin. As she has shown in her previous correspondences, she doesn’t like Joe.

I have found her rude and combative in meetings and in dealings with her. How the Board could make the clerk the highway superintendent was puzzling.

To be fair Joe has been pointing out the water losses for years now. Louise as well as the Board first denied then minimized the losses, which amounted to hundreds of dollars a day. The losses are still too high, but they do seem to be working on it. Nobody thought Joe would be in the ditch fixing the leaks.

I am equally concerned about the direction and changes that Joe has pushed in the Town’s zoning. I have watched Planning, Zoning Boards and the code enforcement suffer losses of members and employees because there is not clear direction or someone is attempting to influence decisions.

As I started to review the changes in zoning it became painfully clear that the review of the changes by the board had been lacking and while they have corrected the first glaring error I found, there are more and I am not their consultant, they need to review it.

I am not advocating for any candidate, I hope that the residents will start to take notice of what’s happening and register their concerns with the elected officials.

Ron Vendetti

Holley

(Vendetti is a former code enforcement officer in Murray.)

Editor:

Finally, we have Louise Passarell’s greatly anticipated letter.

I have attended Town meetings in Murray for 21 years and have witnessed enough good old boy back slapping to make me sick. Politicians tend to praise each other continually.

Joe Sidonio is not a politician. He is a determined and focused leader who doesn’t have time to sit around the break table stirring up gossip and complaining about insignificant issues unrelated to town business.

I find it interesting that you and Dennis Mandigo are very proud of yourselves and are quick to list your achievements after Ed Morgan’s resignation. Remember he already retired years before and was double dipping. You state that Mr. Sidonio belittled the crew. When? I have witnessed him saying thank you even after your constant attacks on him which were videotaped on YouTube. Supervisor Sidonio has publicly stated he makes himself available to work with you. You refuse.

There was a comment made about the said water pipe Sidonio analyzed. Sidonio did the right thing. Without any accusation he looked into the pipe based on the strong allegation made by a current town hall member. I commend him for doing so in light of the calamity in the water department.

Louise, who gave you the authority to sign up your fellow employee’s girlfriend for health care benefits without any town approval? Now the Town is in legal jeopardy and your actions have increased costs to the taxpayer in health care expense and legal fees.

You credit everyone including yourself for the budget reductions. If the budget savings were so readily available why hasn’t any town official made any attempt to reduce our taxes in the past?

Since you seem to be the center piece of the Town Hall you neglect to reveal one important fact. Randy Bower is your first cousin, and your sister is the town clerk.

Lastly, shame on you for the attack on Joe for his hard work on the Fancher War Monument. Although Mr. Fiorito made the contribution it is Joe who assembled the “Team” and is organizing its rededication with the help of Marsha DeFilipps, Danny Mawn and Mike Bower. Shame on you for bringing politics into such a great tribute for our fallen heroes.

Art Knab

Murray

Editor:

A Governor drowning in scandals. Streets awash in the blood of innocent crime victims.  An economy battered by the Covid pandemic and hollowed out by New York’s oppressive business climate. Despite our state’s so-called “full reopening,” we are seeing thousands of New Yorkers fleeing to more affordable places across the country.

The Empire State has no shortage of serious problems, and this year’s 2021 Legislative Session gave lawmakers the perfect opportunity to tackle these challenges.

But instead, Democrats who control all the levers of state government in the Governor’s Office, the Senate and the Assembly chose to do the opposite. One Party Rule in Albany made these problems even worse.

They began by passing the biggest, most irresponsible budget in state history, further cementing New York’s reputation as the most heavily taxed state in the nation. They increased taxes on New Yorkers by billions of dollars, while simultaneously approving a $420 million giveaway to Hollywood fat cats. They failed to restore property tax rebate checks for New York homeowners, but gave cash payments of more than $15,000 apiece to non-US citizens.

Once their reckless budget was done, Democrats devoted the rest of the legislative session to “criminal justice priorities.”

During a crime wave like we’ve been experiencing in this state, most New Yorkers would imagine “criminal justice priorities” to include toughening penalties for criminals, providing funding and support for law enforcement, and doing everything possible to help crime victims. But not in this town. Instead, Senate Democrats did the exact opposite, pushing radical proposals to put even more violent criminals back on our streets while making it even tougher for cops and District Attorneys to do their jobs.

Under One Party Rule, we now have a state government that doesn’t view hardworking, law-abiding taxpayers as a priority. Instead, radical left-wing causes are the priority. Criminals who have broken the law and victimized New Yorkers are the priority. The reelection campaigns of Democratic legislators who live in fear of powerful leftist interest groups are the priority.

Our government in Albany considers police, corrections officers and District Attorneys to be the enemy rather than dedicated professionals who keep our communities safe. They see the business community as adversaries, or merely as sources of revenue, instead of critical foundational assets that bring prosperity and opportunity to millions.

Time and again throughout this year’s session, our Senate Republican Conference offered practical solutions to Reset New York by revitalizing our economy, making our state safer and more affordable for millions of New Yorkers, and reforming state government. Sadly, under One Party Rule, these sensible proposals were blocked over and over again.

Critically missing from this year’s session was any sense of accountability over those in power. In fact, as the allegations against Governor Cuomo began piling up – from covering-up the 15,000 nursing home deaths, to his outrageous $5.1 million dollar book deal, to the many credible claims of sexual harassment and abuse – Senate Democrats repeatedly and shamelessly blocked our efforts to get the truth and hold the Governor accountable. They also proudly concluded the Legislative Session and left Albany without stripping the Governor of his “emergency” powers – powers that he has used and abused for far too long throughout this pandemic.

What does this mean for law-abiding New Yorkers?

Expect your taxes to go up, the chaos to continue, and your quality of life to remain in jeopardy. This year’s disastrous legislative session made one thing crystal clear: the radicals who now dominate the Senate Majority Conference do not care about you. They are completely out-of-touch with the needs, concerns and priorities of everyday New Yorkers.

Hardworking, law-abiding, taxpaying New Yorkers must join together and continue fighting back – harder than ever before – to restore balance, accountability and common sense to our state government.

Rob Ortt

North Tonawanda

Ortt is the State Senate Republican leader and his Senate district includes Orleans, Niagara and part of western Monroe counties.