Letters to the Editor June 16

Thanks to all from Lions

The Millerton Lions Club thanks the community for coming out and supporting the second annual carnival. It was a great event.

I would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who made this event possible: The American Legion Post 178, Millerton Fire Company, Sunday in the Country Food Drive, Marshall Miles and “NASCAR” Dave MacMillan of Robin Hood Radio, Mike Arnoff and Arnoff Moving & Storage, Flood’s Sanitation, David Miller and Welsh Sanitation and Mayor John Scutieri and the village of Millerton.

The Millerton Lions Club would also like to recognize and thank Rich Howard and the village of Millerton Police for their presence throughout the event. They provided a safe environment for the many families to enjoy.

I would like to thank the men and women of the Millerton Lions Club for their hard work and dedication for making this event a success and throughout the year. I am so proud to be a part of a service organization that is generous of heart and truly cares about its community and the world. Together, “We serve.”

In closing, I would like to thank the amazing organizations, their people and the people of this great community of Millerton that make positive and prosperous things like the carnival a reality.  

Todd M. Clinton, President

Millerton Lions Club

Millerton

Enjoyed tour

On behalf of the Board of Directors as well as the students and staff of Webutuck Elementary School, I’d like to thank Rudy and Ginny Eschbach for helping to make the recent third-grade visit to Indian Rock Schoolhouse a tremendous success.

The students took part in the first-ever all-day immersion program at the schoolhouse grounds and Rudy and Ginny were instrumental in making the day an exciting and educational outing for the children.

A special thank you also to the parents who volunteered their time to assist with the day: Kristen Lazarus, Barbara Edmundson, Melissa Barton and Robin Kett.

It is our hope that this event will become an annual activity for the students.

Glen A. White

Indian Rock Schoolhouse Board Member

Third-Grade Teacher

Millerton

School board members work hard

Casey Swift’s letter to the editor made many good points, and I would like to personally thank her for the dedication and devotion that she gave in filling the open seat on the Webutuck Board of Education (BOE) this past school year. Countless hours are spent doing the many jobs that need to be done. Again, I admire her willingness to be an active parent and community member and give her kudos for all that she has done for Webutuck.

In the last comments of her letter, she advises parents and community members to get out and attend more Board of Education  meetings at the school to find out firsthand what the BOE members do and how things are handled and, most of all, to voice your comments at a public meeting.

For the last 12 years I have been an employee of the district, I have lived in the district my entire life, am a Webutuck alum, have a child who graduated as valedictorian from the district in 2010 and pay taxes in the district. I have also attended numerous BOE meetings over the years. I have seen many positive things in the district as well as many not so positive. I have seen many administrators come and go.

The past few months have been a personal roller coaster for me as an employee. I was told in March that my position was one that “may” be eliminated in the 2011-12 school year because of budget constraints. I have been at Webutuck long enough to know that “may” means “will.”

Up until now, I have tried talking to members of the BOE, both publicly and privately and together with the administration about retaining my seniority, and a position at Webutuck, as well as the local CSEA UNIT, and gotten nowhere. Many new positions have been created (and are still being created) and filled since the announcement of my potential layoff, and I have been offered nothing except a per diem summer clerical position and promised something from the BOE.

 It is now final. I have been given a letter from the superintendent’s office stating the termination of my job as of June 30.

So, I guess getting out to BOE meetings and speaking my voice made no difference for me! There really is no “we” in Webutuck anymore. Maybe it is more like “I,” Mr. BOE President.

Judy Westfall

Millerton

Change for good in Albany, let’s hope it lasts

In a real change of events, much has changed in Albany and things are finally heading in the right direction.

The state budget was passed on time and was balanced, we cut overall spending by 2 percent and cut state government operations spending by 10 percent, there were no new taxes in the bill and no backdoor borrowing. Indeed, we are now finalizing agreements on the property tax cap and ethics reform, both historic and landmark pieces of legislation.

With this momentum, New York state is finally heading in the right direction.

That said, something happened last week in Albany that is particularly disturbing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided to suspend the state’s participation in “Secure Communities” (S-Comm). This program has successfully deported over 77,000 criminal illegal aliens, and that includes more than 25,000  violent criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists and child predators.

Even as the federal government has informed officials in Illinois that participation in S-Comm is mandatory, Gov. Cuomo’s office announced on June 1 that the state would no longer participate in the program, citing “questions and controversies.” As chairman of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Homeland Security, I completely disagree with the governor and am appalled that politics would seep into the executive’s decisions on matters of homeland security.

On April 7, I conducted a hearing in New York City on the status of our preparedness a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks. I was shocked to learn of the vulnerabilities still facing our state, including core communications and transportation vulnerabilities.We need to be adding more resources and tools for members of local law enforcement to protect our communities, not take them away.

Suspending this vital law enforcement tool is a recipe for disaster. As I work with my legislative colleagues to push the governor to reconsider his stance, I’m asking that the Federal Department of Homeland Security immediately take all necessary actions to overturn these actions by Gov. Cuomo. I’m also asking that all New Yorkers call Gov. Cuomo and demand that he reconsider his position immediately.

Sen. Gregory R. Ball

Chairman, New York State Senate Standing Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs

Albany

Tax problems not resolved

It is clear from the article in last week’s Millerton News about Grievance Day that Assessor Katherine Johnson and members of the Board of Assessment Review would like to declare that all problems with the tax revaluation have been solved and everything is hunky-dory.

I don’t think that is the case. I also don’t appreciate their callous disregard for the anguish caused by this revaluation or their descriptions of taxpayers who attended the board meetings.

If anything, people were overly respectful and polite to Ms. Johnson, only to be described in the article as big complainers by Mr. John Crawford. Ms. Anne Veteran spoke of the way everyone was screaming about the assessments. These words, complainers and screaming, may be just expressions, but they leave an impression that isn’t true.

I don’t know which so-called big complainers Mr. Crawford was referring to when he said they didn’t show up on Grievance Day. For my part, I wasn’t there because I did not become involved in this out of self-interest. My assessment is not at issue. I am concerned about the wider community of farmers and landowners and the protection of our rural way of life.

I believe 166 dissatisfied property owners is a significant number. There may be many people out there who are not satisfied but did not grieve. I’m sure the ones who did are waiting to see what the response to their grievances will be. Until that is known, it is premature, to say the least, to try and put a happy face on this tax revaluation.

Pamela Michaud

Millerton