Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A bench that is a memorial in honor of Toni L. Luckman is pictured at sunrise this morning at Boxwood Cemetery with Glenwood Lake in the background.
It has snowed today in Orleans County. It is forecast to reach a high of 38 degrees today.
It will be warmer on Monday with a high of 56, followed by a high of 40 on Tuesday and 42 on Wednesday.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Michael Stephenson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medina, leads a sunrise service this morning in Boxwood Cemetery next to Glenwood Lake. About 25 Christians from Medina churches attended the service on Easter morning.
Stephenson spoke of the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that provides for the world.
Stephenson has been a part of four sunrise services on Easter morning in Medina and he said each time there has been a glorious sunrise.
“It never ceases to amaze me about the timing,” he said.
The service today began at 6:30 a.m. One of the people at the service said, “The lake looks like it’s on fire.”
The cross at the cemetery is a memorial given in May 30, 1971 to “The People of the Village of Medina.”
Dr. Fulton and Marie Hurd Rogers gave the memorial for their parents, Arthur and Ethel Phillips Rogers and Charles and Lillie Horn Hurd.
Photo by Tom Rivers – This historical marker on Route 98 notes the Elba Mucklands, which started in 1915 when the Oak Orchard and Tonawanda swamps were drained. The muck continues to be highly productive agriculture soil.
ELBA – It was 100 years ago when the Oak Orchard and Tonawanda swamps were drained to create the Elba Mucklands. I didn’t realize we were in the centennial year of the muck’s creation.
I was driving on Route 98 on Saturday and had a feeling I should stop and look at the historical marker by a big drainage ditch for the muck, just south of the Barre town line. The marker notes the mucklands were created in 1915.
I didn’t know some of the area’s finest farmland emerged 100 years ago. The muck has been more than good agriculture land for growing onions, lettuce, potatoes, carrots and other crops.
This panoramic view shows the mucklands off Route 98 north of Elba and in the southern part of Orleans County in the early 1930s. The photo, from the Orleans County History Department, shows men harvesting lettuce and putting it into crates.
The work needed to tame the swamp brought hundreds of hard-working Italian and Polish immigrants to the community. They cleared the land, removing trees and boulders, and set up 90 miles of drainage in the 7,000-acre muck. It is an impressive feat.
The muck includes the towns of Clarendon and Barre in Orleans County, and Elba and Byron in Genesee County. Most of the remaining deeper muck is in Orleans County.
The muck continues today as valuable farmland, and still is responsible for many jobs in the community. Farmers have stepped up efforts in recent years to battle erosion to help preserve the fertile soil in the mucklands.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Ditches help keep the muck drained. This picture was taken in August 2013.
I would like to see the muck’s legacy celebrated in the community. I like the idea of bronze statues to honor the immigrants who helped shape our communities.
It would be awesome to have a statue of a quarryman in Orleans County as a memorial for the thousands of immigrants who worked in the sandstone quarries.
In Elba, a statue of a farmworker could highlight the muck’s heritage, spotlighting the immigrants who cleared the land and the farmworkers who continue to plant and harvest crops today.
It would be a nice addition on Route 98 as a gateway into the Village of Elba. Orleans and Genesee residents and agricultural organizations could make it a reality. That project could be part of a bigger heritage trail that would connect museums and historical sites on Route 98.
That trail would be a bigger attraction with a site in Elba celebrating the muck farmers and a spot in Albion in honor of the quarrymen who worked in the many quarries throughout Orleans County.
In my dreams, I’d also put a bronze statue near Batavia Downs for the horsemen and a statue at Point Breeze of a fisherman.
Provided photos – Junior Greg Husung is corded by Senior Krista Nellist.
Press Release
Medina Central School
MEDINA – Medina inducted 35 students into High School’s Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society on March 26.
The students, a combination of juniors and seniors, were selected by a faculty advisory council, and were picked based upon their fulfillment of the four requirements of the National Honor Society: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character.
In Medina, students must first meet a rigorous scholarship requirement with a cumulative high school average of 90.0 or higher. Then, they submit a 25-page Student Activity Information Form and personal statement, which helps the Faculty Council verify that students have met the requirements for service, leadership, and character.
Officer Aaron Feltz lights a candle while officers Austin Brown, Alexandra Markle and Brian Bogan look on.
The 2015 Induction Ceremony was kicked off by a slide show highlighting the current NHS members’ activities completed throughout the year, most notably the chapter’s annual Veterans’ Dinner, after which students were offered advice from the ceremony’s guest speaker, Marsha Rivers, executive director of the Orleans County United Way.
Her keynote address was titled, “Mistakes: The Compost of Character.” In the speech, which was alternatively funny and moving, she encouraged the students to see that character was the most important tenet of all, and suggested that scholarship, leadership, and service all grew naturally from one’s ability to grow as a person.
Rivers ended her remarks by saying, “You, my young friends, have grown so much already. You’ve accomplished a great deal, and we are here tonight to celebrate your achievements, as well as your potential. My best wisdom, my most sage advice to you tonight is this: Live. Do the best you can. A year ago today my friend Wayne Burlison died at the age of 36. Mr. Burlison was a music teacher at the Albion Elementary School, but he was also so many other things – including a Star Wars fan. In the band room he had a Yoda poster that said: “Do… or do not. There is no try.” So in honor and memory of my friend, I will not say, “Try your best.” I will say, “Do your best.” Or better yet: Be your best. Be and become the best possible version of yourself you can figure out how to be. And at the times when you fail to measure up to this best possible version and you will seek and find forgiveness, including from yourself.”
Newly inducted members recite the National Honor Society Pledge.
At the conclusion of Rivers’ address, Principals Mark Kruzynski and Michael Cavanagh shared excerpts from the new members’ personal statements, in which the students discussed the people who had impacted them, the characteristics that best described them, and the goals that they had for the future.
Following the introduction of new members, the 2014-15 OfficersJason Hellwig, Co-President; Regan Stacey, Co-President; Samuel Simms, Co-Vice President; Addison Zavitz, Co-Vice President; Brianna Bellan, Co-Treasurer; Aaron Feltz, Co-Treasurer; Brian Bogan, Co-Secretary; Christopher Keller, Co-Secretary; Austin Brown, Co-Social Chair; and Alexandra Markle, Co-Social Chairperformed the traditional candle-lighting ceremony.
New and Existing Members of the Arista Chapter are pictured at the March 26 ceremony.
At the conclusion of the candle lighting, existing members corded the new members, who signed the official Arista Pledge Book. Finally, together on stage, all members raised their hands and recited along with their superintendent Jeffrey Evoy to abide by the principles of the organization.
The Medina Central School District proudly congratulates the newly inducted members of the Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society. They are: Meghan Allen, Courtney Bailey, Alexis Barcena, Allison Bensley, Davina Birch, Michaela Cardone, Haylee Cogovan, Colm Cooper, Caitlyn Davies, John Derting, Zachary Harris, Aracely Hernandez, Aubrey Hoffmeister, Dominique Hughes, Gregory Husung, Emma Gardner, Alexis Koch, Zachary Laird, Ryan Leffler, Hannah Lonnen, Amanda Lunden, Joseph Mangiola, Bradley McPherson, Elizabeth Newman, Justin Morgan, Stella Russo, Carlin Sanders, Tristan Sanders, Cassandra Sargent, Alyssa Shortridge, Abigail Smith, Tyler Waldriff, Emma Wilson, Carson Zgoda, and Brennan Zinkievich.
CLARENDON – This photograph taken June 2, 1902 at the Root Schoolhouse in Clarendon shows Miss Edith McCormick, age 22, with her students. Hanging in the window is a 45-star flag.
The school was located on the northwest corner of Munger Road and Cook Road (now Merrill Road). The Cook Cemetery is located across the road to the south.
1902 marked the conclusion of Miss McCormick’s third year of teaching. A party was held on the lawn of Mrs. Mary Cook where Adah Laskey, on behalf of the entire class, presented Miss McCormick with a “nice toilet case.”
Pictured left to right, back row: George Eggers, Jamie Andrews Bird, Bertha Cook Eular, Adah Laskey Russell, Lillian Robinson Carlson, Myrtle Maxon Heise, George Whipple, Earl Laskey.
Middle row: Otis Cook, Frank Ritz, Daisy Andrews, Genie Eggers, May Cook Johnson, Mabel Maxon Greenache, Carrie Eggers Eular, Nellie Chugg.
Front row: Eddie Eggers, Harvey Whipple, Clark Maxon, Guy Pridmore, Howard Cook.
Adah Laskey Russell is the great-great-grandmother of Ballard.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Wendy Jacobson, interim president and chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health, speaks to the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday.
MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital may be a small hospital but it ranks high in the region for providing quality care, said the interim president and chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health.
Wendy Jacobson said Medina Memorial tops the national benchmark for providing care for surgical, chest pain, pneumonia, acute myocardial infarct and many other conditions.
“We really provide quality care close to home,” Jacobson told the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday. “We are held to same standards as the larger hospitals.”
Jacobson has been leading the hospital and its parent organization, Orleans Community Health, since Dolores Horvath resigned in February. Jacobson said she intends to apply for the position on a permanent basis.
She sees positives for the organization, especially with the impending announcement that it will be a “critical access hospital.” That status from the state Department of Health is expected to be retroactive, going back to January.
That status will give Medina Memorial higher reimbursement rates through Medicaid and will strengthen Medina’s bottom line, Jacobson said.
The designation as “critical access hospital” also will help Orleans Community Health attract doctors to work in Medina and at the healthcare site in Albion at the corner of Butts Road and Route 31, which would be considered a rural clinic. Doctors that work at those sites will get a break on paying back their student loans for medical school, Jacobson said.
Orleans Community Health has an affiliation with Catholic Health Systems. That organization is helping to bring primary care doctors and other specialists to Orleans Community Health, said Jacobson, who also addressed the Orleans County Legislature last week.
The hospital on April 9 will celebrate the renovation of the North Wing Long-Term Residential Home. That celebration, including tours, will be from 5 to 7 p.m.
File photos by Tom Rivers – Bill Lattin, Orleans County historian, talks about the Christ the Consoler window in the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church during a stained glass window tour in December 2013. The church in 1895 wanted a window with outstretched arms of Christ to fit the denomination’s welcoming tradition.
ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association sees the seven historic churches in Albion’s Courthouse Square as a community asset, and their artwork and architecture will be celebrated on April 18 during a stained glass window tour.
Bill Lattin, the recently retired Orleans County historian, will lead the tour beginning at 11 a.m. at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. That church has more than 40 windows from the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, perhaps the most famed stained glass artist.
The Merchants Association is organizing the event and many of the businesses will have spring sales that day. The Merchants are suggesting a donation of $5 per person for the window tour.
A crowd views the stained glass window at the First United Methodist Church during a tour of windows in December 2013. The Good Shepherd window was a gift to the congregation by the church’s pastor in 1914, the Rev. Henry Clay Woods.
This may be the last chance to see the windows at the United Methodist Church. That church is having at farewell service today at a 7 p.m. ecumenical Good Friday service.
The church has some structural problems with its roof. The congregation will start holding services on Sunday at Christ Episcopal Church.
The fate of the United Methodist church building is uncertain.
The seven churches are part of a district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lattin will discuss styles and designers of the windows, the symbolism and Biblical stories in the scenes, and some background on the people memorialized with some of the windows.
The Albion churches have examples of windows from the 1860s to 1960s. Lattin wrote a book about Orleans County’s stained glass windows: “Luminaries in the Firmament.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A crew cut down a cluster of pine trees by the tennis courts this week at Albion Central School. The trees were shedding needles and dropping debris on the tennis courts.
The trees were planted about 30 years ago as a memorial to John Moyer, who died in a car accident on Ridge Road on April 6, 1985. Bruce Wright, one of Moyer’s friends, helped plant the trees and was upset to see them cut down.
The school district is exploring options for “a suitable replacement landscape,” said Margy Brown, president of the Board of Education.
Wright said he would like to see a memorial continue for Moyer on school grounds.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Steve Cavers, right, and Paul Wengrzycki, members of the First Baptist Church in Medina, carry the cross in the Medina Canal Basin as part of a Good Friday walk in the Medina downtown today.
About 40 people from Medina area churches were part of the “Pilgramage to Golgotha.” Christians took turns carrying the cross, while local pastors read Scriptures and the group sang hymns.
Cavers and Wengrzycki walk with the cross across Main Street.
DeAnn Diermyer, a member of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church, carried the cross at one point with Judy Hipes of the Medina United Methodist Church.
“It was awesome, awesome,” Diermyer said. “There aren’t enough words to describe it.”
Cavers and Wengrzycki carry the cross on West Avenue, headed to the Medina Historical Society.
Lang Lilley, in Bills jacket, hands the cross to Judy Hipes in front of the First Baptist Church. Hipes has been to Israel fives times, tracing the steps of Jesus when he carried the cross to Golgotha.
Hipes is married to Tony Hipes, pastor of the Medina United Methodist Church. Today was her first time carrying the cross, and she said it was a powerful experience, helping her to imagine Jesus carrying the cross after being brutally beaten.
“He was beaten nearly to death and he still had to carry it,” Mrs. Hipes said. “The fact that someone would do this for you is a very personal thing. That’s why Easter comes off as an amazing day.”
The Rev. Alfreda Morse, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, speaks in front of the Presbyterian Church on Main Street. Judy Hipes, center, and DeAnn Diermyer are holding the cross.
There will be Good Friday services this evening at 7:30 at the Medina United Methodist Church and 7:30 at the Knowlesville United Methodist Church.
On Easter, there will be a sunrise service at Boxwood Cemetery at 6:30 a.m. and at 7 a.m. at the Millville Cemetery.
ALBION – The state Department of Labor is offering more resources to Orleans County, which is among the 10 counties in New York with the highest unemployment rates.
Those 10 counties are part of an “Unemployment Strikeforce” that will offer more job training assistance and tax credits for businesses that add employees. Those incentives helped bring down unemployment in the Bronx, and that success has prompted Gov. Cuomo and the state to expand the program to 10 counties.
Orleans is the only one in the Finger Lakes Region. Other “Strikeforce” counties include the Bronx, Jefferson, Lewis, Kings, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Montgomery, Franklin and Steuben.
“Our department is focused like a laser on Orleans County,” Joe Hamm, DOL regional director, told the Orleans County Legislature. “The focus will be to connect people to work and drive down the (unemployment) rate.”
Eligible businesses could receive tax credits for up to $7,900 per employee they hire, with a cap of $100,000 in incentives per business.
Hamm said there will be funding for classroom and apprenticeship training for residents looking to improve their job skills.
The state has made $5.4 million available to help businesses in the 10 counties with training so they are hire formerly unemployed individuals.
“Access to a well-trained workforce is critical for the private sector to grow and create jobs,” Governor Cuomo said in February, when he announced the expanded program for the 10 counties. “With this funding, we’re encouraging businesses in some of the most economically distressed parts of the state to invest in their workforce and help formerly unemployed New Yorkers get back to work. This is another way that we’re working to increase employment and bring new opportunities to communities across New York State.”
This $5.4 million is available to businesses looking to expand their workforce and can be used for On-the-Job, Apprenticeship or Customized training, depending on the individual needs of the employer. The Governor’s Unemployment Strikeforce has staff who will work with all interested parties to develop programs best suited to their business and secure all funding and other incentives for which that business is eligible.
Orleans County’s unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in February, above the state average of 6.4 percent and the national average of 5.8 percent.
For more information on the “Strikeforce,” visit labor.ny.gov.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Cathi Orr, a Somerset resident who opposes “Lighthouse Wind,” speaks during a public meeting Wednesday at the Barker Fire Hall. About 150 people attended the 4:30 p.m. session. There was another one at 6:30.
BARKER – A State Siting Committee may have the final vote on whether Apex Clean Energy can build 60 to 68 wind turbines in the towns of Yates and Somerset, but local residents will have plenty of opportunities to weigh in and influence the project, including having two members on the seven-member Siting Committee.
That’s what about 150 people were told on Wednesday during a presentation at Barker Fire Hall from the state Department of Public Service.
“This process is long and involved and there are many opportunities to effect this process,” said Andrea Cerbin, attorney for the Department of Public Service.
Andrew Davis outlines the Article X process for a crowd of 150 people Wednesday at the Barker Fire Hall.
Cerbin and Andrew Davis, a utilities specialist with DPS, discussed the Article 10 process for permitting and siting wind turbine projects in New York State that exceed 25 megawatts.
The companies proposing the projects need to work with the state and local governments on scoping documents that identify potential issues in 41 categories, including health and safety issues, state and local law compliance, wildlife and numerous other issues.
“The applicant has its work cut out for them,” Davis said while presenting the Article 10 process. “It’s a robust set of requirements that must be addressed in the application.”
Andrew Davis goes over the Article X process with a slide-show presentation at the fire hall.
Apex also needs to evaluate “any reasonable and available alternative locations,” Davis said.
Companies need to pay the state up to $350 per megawatt in the scoping phase to help cover the state and local government’s expenses in reviewing the proposals.
Apex Clean Energy of Virginia wants to build a wind energy project with 200 megawatts close to the Lake Ontario shoreline in the two towns. The company would need to provide up $70,000 to the governments in the scoping phase of the application.
If Apex clears those hurdles, it then has to provide up to $1,000 per megawatt in the application phase or up to $200,000. Those documents and studies would be subject hearings from an administrative law judge.
Residents distributed signs opposing the plan for 60 to 68 wind turbines in the two rural towns.
Right now, Apex is at the preliminary scoping statement phase of the project. The state requires a public involvement plan as part of the process. Apex held its third public meeting about the project on Wednesday.
Besides the two local representatives on the Siting Committee, the seven-member group is chaired by the state Department of Public Service and includes the leaders of four other state departments: Department of Environmental Conservation, NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority), Empire State Development and the Department of Health.
The Apex project differs from many other wind turbine farms in that it is spread over two counties. It’s turbines are also taller than most other ones currently in operation. The Apex turbines would peak at up to 570 feet at the top of the blade. That’s about 150 feet higher than many of the turbines in Wyoming County.
Wes Bradley, a Yates town councilman, said each town – Yates and Somerset – should have a representative on the Siting Committee.
“My township needs representation and the other township needs representation,” Bradley said.
Wes Bradley, a Yates town councilman, said both Yates and Somerset should have a voice on the State Siting Committee.
Cerbin, the DPS attorney, agreed that “is a good concern,” but she said the State Senate and State Assembly leaders, as well as Gov. Cuomo will have the final say. The local communities can submit names of potential committee members.
During the meeting at Barker Fire Hall, several residents said they didn’t like the process with so much power given to the State Siting Committee and they didn’t understand why the state would entertain the project with the Somerset power plant and nearby hydropower in Lewiston.
“Why do we need these wind turbines?” one resident asked.
Davis said Apex has submitted a proposal and now the Public Service Commission needs insist the rules are followed and a host of potential impacts considered during the review process.
Some residents said the local community should have the majority of the votes on the Siting Committee, not 2 out of 7.
“We are a minority,” a resident told Davis, who responded, “That’s the math.”
John Riggi is president of Save Ontario Shores, which opposes the wind energy project in the two towns.
Many residents have banded together to form Save Ontario Shores, an opposition group to the turbine project. John Riggi, the group’s president, said the community should have the power to reject the turbines.
But Davis said the Siting Committee will make that decision, with local input.
“The municipality can not prevent the Siting Board from giving a certificate,” Davis said.
Residents are welcome to submit written comments throughout the process to the secretary of the Siting Committee: secretary@dps.ny.gov, by mail at Honorable Kathleen Burgess, NYS Siting Board, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223-1350, or by phone (800) 355-2120. The case number is 14-F-0485.
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The temperature topped 70 degrees today, melting lots of snow and giving residents a welcome break from recent days that peaked in the 20s and 30s.
The top photo shows the silos at Poverty Hills Farm, a dairy farm on West Countyhouse Road owned by the Neal family. This picture was taken on Wednesday at dusk.
The high temperature is forecast for 56 on Friday, followed by highs of 37 on Saturday and 36 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Workers from L.C. Whitford in Wellsville repair the cover plates on the bottom of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion this afternoon.
The bridge has been closed since March 25 for repairs. Besides working on the cover plates, L.C. Whitford is fixing the floor beams and replacing some of the stringers on the bridge.
Two years ago most of the stringers were replaced. The current project will replace ones that weren’t changed in 2013.
“The road salt just wreaks havoc on these old bridges,” said Scott Sullivan, the DOT engineer in charge of the project.
The pits on the north and south sides of the bridge from 1911 also need work. Those pits hold the counter-weights that are used to move the bridge up and down. The lifting frame on the south pit will be upgraded and the beam on the north side pit will be fixed as part of the repair effort.
Sullivan said the DOT wants to have the work done by April 22, when the historic Erie Canal begins to be filled for its 191st season.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion head coach Brennan Meakin is hugged by assistant coach Tim Archer as the players run out on to the court to celebrate a 65-57 win over Maryvale on March 7, giving the Albion boys basketball team its first Sectional title in 43 years. Orleans Hub has been busy covering the community since the site went live on April 2, 2013.
ALBION – Two years ago Orleans Hub started as an on-line news site, committed to covering Orleans County, highlighting successes and challenges in the community.
The site continues to grow, adding readers and advertisers. (We set a new record in March with a daily average of 7,000 unique visitors, up from the 6,780-average in February.)
Last year, we had 6.1 million pageviews, up from the 2.8 million in the first year. We posted 2,265 news articles between April 2, 2014 and April 1, 2015, and 1,135 sports articles during that time frame.
We also posted 6,400 photos, 90 letters to the editor, and lots of other community news, including obituaries, police blotter and local achievers. We have 7,800 followers on social media.
The Orleans Hub operates under Lake Country Media, which also owns the Lake Country Pennysaver. Karen Sawicz is the publisher of the Pennysaver and Orleans Hub.
The following were named Orleans Hub’s Outstanding Citizens for 2014. The group includes, front row, from left: Melissa Ierlan of Clarendon, president of the Clarendon Historical Society; State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; and Jim Hancock, Parade of Lights organizer in Medina. Back row: Erik and Marlene Seielstad, leaders of the 4-H Robotics and Legos program; Kim Corcoran, leader of the Kendall Lawn Chair Ladies; Al Capurso, pioneer enthusiast; and Bilal Huzair, leader of a food dispersal program in Medina.
We’ve tried to report the news and offer some commentary on local issues. We are pleased one of the Hub editorials – pressing local governments to seek more Aid and Incentives to Municipalities – has been formally endorsed by many of the local villages, towns and the County Legislature. They have passed resolutions for the state to provide a fair funding formula for AIM.
Hub readers can expect this site to continue to push that issue and many others in a county where residents pay some of the highest taxes in the country as a percentage of home values. We also continue to rank near the bottom in the state in visitor spending and sales tax per capita (We need to shop locally). Our health statistics are among the worst in the state, and we have high concentrations of poverty, especially in the villages.
We will continue to highlight these challenges, and also feature the many positives of the community, mainly the residents who are committed to solving some of these problems and who contribute in other ways to building a stronger community.
It was an honor to have a recognition ceremony on Feb. 4 when we presented “Person of the Year” awards to local volunteer firefighters. We also honored “Outstanding Citizens,” a tradition we hope to continue for years to come.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Rob Ortt speaks at a gun rights rally in Albion on Sept. 8.
Rob Ortt made fighting the SAFE Act a rallying cry while he was campaigning for State Senate last year.
Ortt was elected to his first term in November. He voted for his first state budget on Tuesday and his “yes” vote has angered Second Amendment Rights advocates because the budget includes money to enforce the SAFE Act.
“Words cannot fully describe how infuriated I am with your budget vote,” Mattie Zarpentine, New York Revolution Regional Director, writes to Ortt today.
Zarpentine, in her letter to Ortt, said he has met with members of SCOPE and issued many statements about opposition to the SAFE Act.
“Now, we have this disaster of a budget of which you say you are ‘pleased with the finished product,'” Zarpentine said in her letter.
“Mr. Ortt, you lied to your constituents. More importantly, and shamefully, you violated the Constitution by voting to fund the unconstitutional SAFE Act in both the capital projects bill and state operations bill,” said Zarpentine of Holley.
Ortt acknowledged the criticism in a Facebook post today, explaining his decision to support the budget.
“As a new State Senator, my first piece of legislation was signing on to a bill to repeal the SAFE Act,” Ortt writes. “In this budget, the Senate eliminated $7 million in the executive budget that was dedicated to establishing a pistol registration database. I am currently signed on to seven bills to roll back or outright repeal the SAFE Act, because as I’ve said, the SAFE Act was an unconstitutional infringement upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. I’m a combat veteran who fought for our rights abroad and I intend to defend them here at home as well.
“I disagree with the sentiment that we should have shut down government and defunded State Police, counterterrorism, and emergency services. The effects of such a drastic action would have been incomprehensible. I simply wasn’t willing to put people’s lives at risk in order to score political points with the governor.
“I will continue to fight the Governor and liberal New York City efforts to take away our guns and restrict our rights. There’s currently legislation to require gunowners to be tested. There’s a serious push to force ineffective micro-stamping requirements onto manufacturers and gunowners. And there are several bill mandating storage, which will financially burden gun owners while threatening their family’s safety. There’s even a bill that adds to the CoBIS ballistics database – the same CoBIS database that the state abandoned three years ago! These are the measures that the Governor and Assembly are trying to get passed. So in addition to fighting to repeal the SAFE Act, we need to also remain focused on these – and similar – dangerous pieces of legislation.”
Zarpentine, in her letter, said she would encourage other candidates to run against the Republican state senators who voted for the budget.
“You not only lied to the people in writing, but also in person…face-to-face,” Zarpentine writes to Ortt. “You, and the Senate, have done nothing but further entrench the distrust of politicians and Albany politics. I was active in encouraging people to be a part of the process – to vote and engage with their lawmakers. I no longer know what to tell people other than to start looking for candidates to run against those who betrayed us.”
