Vendetti responds to letter, says code enforcement isn’t political with Murray’s law mirroring state code

Posted 27 June 2018 at 9:48 am

Editor:

In answer to the concerns of Mr. Knab I offer the following:

Appointments by law are made by the Republican committee to fill vacancies.  The Town Board does the same.  At the last town Republican meeting 8 of the 10 members were present, including Mr. Sidonio, we filled two vacancies and endorsed a candidate for council unanimously. No other names were brought forward by any committee member. Anyone interested could contact any member at any time and their help will be greatly appreciated. We have a committee of 12 and generally have two alternates. We are elected every two years.

The Town of Murray meeting room holds 90 people and at the most was half filled during the discussions about the property maintenance law, and there were people on both sides. The property maintenance law, as you are well aware, mirrors the State property maintenance law, (click here to the state law  and click here to see the local Murray law) with the addition of the requirement to pick up garbage cans and limit the time refuse stays roadside. The local law allowed us to treat infractions as violations, not misdemeanors. Please take the opportunity to review and compare.

Potholes are not a violation. The grass as in the state law must be kept shorter than 10 inches. The aerial imaging you refer to is the Pictometry, which is taken once every three years, is hardly intrusive. The Supreme Court has ruled on the admissibility of this evidence. Further I have never had to use it in court, but do use it to help those that forget to obtain a permit become compliant.

No there is no politics in code enforcement, every violation has a picture. The code enforcement position is a Civil Service job, it has nothing to do with politics. I was number 1 on the list when I was hired. There is a lot more to code enforcement than property maintenance. My job is to protect the people in the Town. When there is a fire, a faulty appliance producing carbon monoxide, a car crashing into a house, I go out whatever time of night. When a contractor does faulty work I inspect and have it corrected.

I am the Town of Murray Republican Chair because I was elected by my fellow committee members. I have served in leadership positions in the American Legion, the County Joint Veterans Council and the Rotary. I have a proven record of leadership.

The committee interviews prospective candidates, fundraises, collects signatures on petitions and helps to get our candidates elected. The committee endorses, but supports the winner of the primary. That person is the choice of the party. These are hardworking unpaid individuals. Sometimes I think your group doesn’t seem to understand that it’s not the loudest voice, but the majority that rules in this country. I know you are new to the party, but the American principles should be familiar to you.

Hope this helps you to understand how the party works.

Ron Vendetti

Holley