Facts and Opinions Regarding Political Issues

To the Editor:

Bob Sacks deserves our thanks as well as congratulations for producing such a thorough and informative publication. Local news has been a vacuum since the demise of The Independent, and The Copake Chronicle has provided needed relief, turning a desert into an information oasis.

Like anything new, the Chronicle has changed and grown beyond its already solid foundation. It has become the "go-to" source for goings-on about town and the immediate surrounds. It has returned a voice to the local populus.

It's a shame that some are deriding the Chronicle as merely a stump platform for political commentary. The Chronicle is so much more than that.

However, like any other legitimate periodical, the Chronicle does publish facts and opinions regarding political issues. Like it or not, politics is the vehicle through which we elect people to represent us, who in turn are entrusted to make the policies which govern the Town. No where are the effects of politics on our everyday life more evident than in a small town. Decisions made on that level affect the condition of our roads and bridges, police protection, our children's educations.

Washington and Albany don't care if there is a junk yard on every corner, if the local environment is endangered by the actions of a few, or if we can't use our cell phones in our own town.

But we do. And in order to safeguard the interests of these issues, and many more, we select folks to represent us locally. The process of choosing those people happens to be a political one.

We all lead busy lives. Most of us don't have time to attend town board meetings or serve on committees. The Chronicle is a valuable source of information about important issues, and brings to attention to what might be missing in that information.

Some of the characteristics of a good newspaper are that it maintains a high standard of journalistic integrity as it provides information, provokes thought, and allows for the vox populi to discuss the issues. The Copake Chronicle is all of that.

The explosion of subscriptions speaks for itself.

The Chronicle has plenty of room for opposing opinions. It is a venue for your voice, too--not just Bob's.

If you see something in the Chronicle that you don't agree with, do something more positive than going around mumbling negativity. It's not helpful. Instead, write a letter. Offer to be a guest editor. Write an op-ed. Provoke some thought.

The Chronicle has earned its high standing among the news and information outlets that have emerged with the expansion of the internet. I look forward to its appearance each week in my inbox. I enables me to be a more informed citizen, and I hope it continues on ad infinitum.

From the border of Hillsdale and Copake,

Rose Aulino