Highway Superintendent Bill Gregory Thanks Copake Residents

Highway Superintendent Bill Gregory thanks Copake residents

Over the last two months, I have had the good fortune to meet and talk to nearly all of the residents of our great town. Every weekend and nearly every evening, I have knocked on the doors of both old friends and new acquaintances. The experience has been both very satisfying and rewarding. To the people who took their valuable time to discuss our Highway Department, I thank you. To anyone that I have not had the privilege to meet, I apologize for not connecting with you. It has been an honor to serve as your Highway Superintendent for the last eleven months. The many words of encouragement and support that I have received during this campaign cause me to wish for the opportunity to serve the Town of Copake far into the future.

Thank you,

Bill Gregory

Didi Barrett Represents a Chance at Reform

I'm a 72 year old who has lived in New York for most of my life.  I grew up in New Orleans.  I thought Louisiana politics was mostly a corrupt joke.  Well, our current crop of New York "legislators for life", or so it seems, has made Louisiana politics look responsible and clean.  I am voting for Didi Barrett because she represents a chance at reform.  The same politicos who have created and prospered in our current dysfunctional "system" cannot reform it.  It is time for a clean break and Didi Barrett gives us a fighting chance for something better.

Ted Voelker

Copake, NY

Asking the Voters to Support Senator Steve Saland

To the Editor,

For every election people write in support of candidates for various reasons. I am asking the voters to support Senator Steve Saland in this year’s election. As a parent of an Autistic child, I know first hand the difficulties in raising and educating a child with a disability or special needs. One friend in the Senate I knew I could always count on was Senator Saland. Over his many years in public service, education has always been one of his top priorities. He has chaired many committees and sponsored many bills to insure that all of our children were given the best education public school had to offer regardless of whether or not they had a disability.  The list of education bills he sponsored is too long to list in this letter. Senator Saland’s bill(s) to have special education teachers and administrators working with Autistic children be trained in Autism was of utmost importance to insure a quality education for these children.

Senator Saland’s concern for proper success of students with disabilities doesn’t end after they graduate High School.  In 2009, when my son was attending a SUNY College  I  called Senator Saland’s office with my concern about proper support services for Students with Disabilities in College.  Not only was he concerned, he also took time out of his busy schedule to meet with my wife and myself to discuss our concerns.

After our meeting, Senator Saland followed up with a letter to the Chancellor of the SUNY Colleges to look into, and establish, a policy for proper support services at the College level. Senator Saland truly cares about this community and our children. If you have a child, relative, or friend, or know anyone who has a child with Autism or any other disability or with special needs, then there is no other choice than to vote for Senator Steve Saland on November 2.

                                                            Thank you,

                                                            Jeff Nayer

Highway Crew Supports Bill Gregory

Copake Highway Crew supports Bill Gregory

Since Bill was unanimously chosen by the Town Board to be the Highway Superintendent, he has taken to this position with ease.  He cares strongly about the job that he does here in Copake, has pride in his work, has made some major improvements to the department, and will continue to do so if given the chance.  Bill Gregory treats all of us with respect but also expects efficient, hard work out of each one of us.

As not all of us live within the town of Copake, some of us will not be able to vote for Bill in the upcoming election.  We do although, have the upper hand in knowing how it is to work for and with Bill and how well he does his job.  We can only hope that our support will help to convince those of you who will be voting in November that he is the right choice.

When casting your vote for Copake Highway Superintendent, the Copake Highway Department is asking that you vote for the candidate who has the respect of the people who work for him.

Vote Bill Gregory.

The Copake Highway Department

Tim Albright

Mike Bradway

Jeremy Holdridge

Mark Edelman

John Broggi

Mike Miller

Highway Contradictions in a Recent Article Register Star

To the Editor,

I found contradictions and misleading information in a recent article in The  Register Star on October 19th comparing the two candidates for Copake Highway Superintendent.  For example, Mr. Jamieson was quoted as saying “It’s a full-time job—I’d intend to be available full -time at half the pay,” yet his “palm card” distributed in June states that “Bill Jamieson will return the position of Highway Superintendent from full- time to part- time, cutting the salary in half.”  Not only is this clearly a contradiction, but it devalues this very important position and appears short sighted.  He added that “we don’t need a crew of eight all year.”  Bill Gregory reduced the “crew” to seven full-time employees last year when he was appointed as Highway Superintendent.  Mr. Gregory presently performs both functions of manager and “hands-on” staff at significant savings of both salary and benefits.  Does Mr. Jamieson not realize the present situation?

Other avenues which Mr. Jamieson would explore to save the town money have already been implemented by our current Highway Superintendent, Bill Gregory.  These include “extending the life of vehicles, selling unnecessary equipment, and determining true personnel needs through attrition.”    

Furthermore,  Mr. Jamieson stated he will ”limit pay raises to annual cost of living increases and restructure benefits.”  These are decisions of the Town Board, not the Highway Superintendent.  His declaration that the town bridges “desperately need repair” may be accurate however bridge repairs are the responsibility of the County, not the Town of Copake or the Highway Superintendent.

Mr. Jamieson may have 31 years of valuable experience with the County, and I’m sure his intentions are good, but relevant experience and strong management skills are what we need in Copake.  Bill Gregory has implemented innovative and insightful policies and procedures including an employee handbook, performance reviews, generation of monthly reports, and the establishment of a highway liaison.  He has demonstrated strong organizational and management skills and I feel confident in his abilities.  I suggest we support Bill Gregory for Copake Highway Superintendent in the upcoming election, as he truly understands our roads and needs, and has a long-term vision for our community.

Dr. Terry Sullivan

Copake, NY