Disturbed by the Destruction at the Entrance to the Park.

Dear Bob Sacks;


Thanks for your wonderful Chronicle and its binding together effect on this community.

I've just moved back here to Copake Falls and am deeply disturbed by the huge destruction going on at the entrance to the Ore Pit park.

The state is closing parks, but for a minimum 150,000 ( my guess) they've taken out a lot of beautiful trees including the gorgeous red maple Tony Fosegan planted in the little grassy roadway divider when he was park superintendent. I'm told they are putting in a 30 X 50 building to replace the smaller properly scaled old entrance building.

Has anyone seen the plans for this new building? Will it be one of those faceless tasteless metal sheds ? Bigger is not always better.

I wish the town had some oversight on future state projects here, especially when state departments, especially EnCon are so deeply riddled with petty bureaucratic politics, re: the internal vendetta against Ward Stone, the tireless expert pathologist with so many years dedicated public service.

Maybe this could be, for a change, a useful project for the local Tea Party.

Robert Wood

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

Didi Barrett is the only "eligible" candidate!

As far as I am concerned, Didi Barrett is the only "eligible" candidate!
I don't care what the issues are, I want a State Senator that I know with much more assurance then a Senators say so that he or she doesn't have a conflict of interest and will represent NYS to the best to their abilities and not the best interests of their Law Firm, clients or fellow NYS Bar members.

It amazes me that Saland and others arn't forced to discontinue their law practices while serving in the NYS Senate and Assembly and I for one will never again vote for an attorney that isn't willing to discontinue the practice of NYS Law while they serve in office.

These attorneys are little more than lobbyists and it is you and I that are paying their $80,000 salaries.

Welsarth

This Election is About Jobs

This Election is About Jobs

I’m supporting Scott Murphy for Congress because he knows what a job is. He knows what it takes to create one and he knows why jobs disappear. He knows what it takes to create one because he has started companies. One failed, one was sold and one went public. He gets it. His opponent’s experience is in the army. You don’t learn what economic viability is in the army. You learn it in the trenches creating jobs. It’s not about fulfilling bumper sticker promises.

Do you create jobs with lower taxes or higher taxes, more regulation or less regulation? The reality is that these are all good tools when skillfully applied.

For instance, right now New York corporations, before loopholes, pay 41% taxes, a high rate by global standards. But they don’t pay any taxes on money earned abroad as long as they leave those profits abroad to grow their businesses overseas. So they have a huge incentive to create jobs for foreigners and a huge disincentive to create jobs here. Murphy knows that we can create jobs in the U.S.A. by lowering taxes on corporations on their domestic activities AND raising taxes on their foreign activity. Gibson has promised he won’t raise taxes, period. When was the last time you saw a skilled craftsman throw away a good tool? When it comes to creating jobs, Gibson is an unskilled greenhorn. Murphy is a master craftsman.

There is another thing I like about Murphy. He knows what a Republican is. His wife is one of eleven children who grew-up in Glens Falls where Murphy now lives. Since childhood she has been eating every Sunday dinner with her whole family; these days that usually means over forty people at her mother’s house. Her family is almost all Republican and Murphy is there for dinner every Sunday that he can be. From Sanskrit, “Walk together, talk together, O ye people of the earth, then and only then shall ye have peace.”

Please vote.

John Cady
Copake

A Breath of Fresh Air – Didi Barrett

A Breath of Fresh Air – Didi Barrett 

Let’s face it. We all know the New York legislative process is a mess. It’s easy for us, citizens, to throw up our hands in disgust and say, there is no sense in voting. It’s the same old, same old. Here’s our chance to make a difference.

I was privileged to meet Didi Barrett when she first declared her candidacy. I found her engaging, forthright, smart, articulate and thoughtful. It’s refreshing to see a woman step up to the plate and take on the establishment. I was amazed to discover there are only 10 female senators as opposed to 52 males in the New York Senate. Maybe if the odds changed, so would the working climate within the legislature.

I agree with her when it comes to Women’s issues, education, and the environment. Her policies are in direct opposition to her opponent, who has a record of voting against a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body, against no fault divorce and against allowing women time off from work for breast cancer screening.

Ms Barrett has captured the imagination of many prestigious organizations. She has recently received the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Gillibrand who said, “Didi… is a proven problem solver, who is committed to turning our economy around and working with small businesses and communities to create good-paying jobs.” The League of Conservation Voters has also thrown in its support. Her opponent, Mr. Saland, holds one of the worst voting records when it comes to environmental issues.

So it’s time for a change and a breath of fresh air. Didi Barrett gets my vote in the hope that my grandchildren will not be forced to live in a world contaminated by my generation.

Judy Rusk

Support of Senator Saland and Assemblyman Molinaro

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my support of Senator Steve Saland and Assemblyman Marc Molinaro and to urge my fellow citizens to vote for their re-election.

Steve and Marc have served our area with effective professionalism and a good degree of non-partisanship.  In particular, as Copake citizens struggled with waste hauler Sal Cascino and while the majority on the town board offered no leadership whatsoever, our State representatives spoke out publically and effectively in defense of and for the benefit of all citizens of Copake.

Senator Saland and Assemblyman Molinaro deserve to be re-elected.

Sincerely,

Edgar M. Masters

After reading – After Reading About Christine O’Connell

After reading – After Reading About Christine O’Connell

I am compelled to respond. Judy yes it truly is unfortunate you didn’t have a crystal ball to look into the future. If that were the case it sounds as if you would have settled in a country that was more suitable to your beliefs. Judy you still have options in where you live, that is one of the wonderful things about our great country, the door swings both ways, you are always welcome to leave at any time. It is individuals like you, who think as you do that is motivating people to join and give power to Tea Party, so thank you. You condescending attitude and sentiments so very familiar, “If you don’t think like I do, then you are of lower intelligent and stupid.” It is one thing to disagree with others, but for you to say that you know better, and or you are smarter then more then 30,000 people who voted for O’Donnell I find offensive. If you had simple explained why you are so opposed to Ms. O’Donnell, instead just a blanket statement of because of “Her beliefs and her fiscal incompetence” I you would have explained those two point, I too my have ended up disliking her as well. I would also encourage you to look at American history. It is full of averaged Americans being elected into office, and leading successfully. As typical you and many others like you point at George W. Bush, and how he has put this country in such debt, and how our countries reputation has been ruined. Now I am not going try to defend President George W. Bush, but what about our current president. How much debt has he added in less then 2 years in office? Again I am not here to beat up on the president, I just think it is getting tiring to keep look back at just George W. Bush, when you are not willing to look at the current state of our country. I think it is only used as a distraction, as not to look at what is going on right in front of us.

Gerard Meenagh

The Saturday Sole Assessor Meeting

Mr. Sacks: I was in the town hall at the Saturday Sole Assessor meeting and I have to say that it was just plain awful.  Please tell me why we have public meetings, if the elected people don’t have any intention to listen to the citizens who elected them. The majority of the people in that room clearly said NO, NOT NOW to a sole assessor. The board just did what they wanted to do anyway. They had no plan for how to pay for this new job, just a plan to steal my ability to vote.  I am disgusted. Unless they steal that too, none of those men will ever get my vote again.

Also, some of the things said in the back of the room were just terrible. The standing woman who kept saying to take the politics out of the decision was clearly a person placed there by the supervisor, and she made no sense at all. She should be ashamed to allow herself to be used that way. It seemed to me that she was playing some kind of strange game and I was the one who lost.  


Joan
Copake

Sincere Thanks and Appreciation to the Copake Fire Dept

To the Editor:

Sincere thanks and appreciation to the Copake Fire Department and neighboring towns' emergency responders for quickly and expertly containing a blaze late Monday afternoon on top of the Bash Bish gorge in the Taconic State Park.  Copake firefighters , assisted by volunteers from Hillsdale, Craryville, Ancram, Taghkanic and Churchtown, contained the fire by nightfall.  

DEC Forest Ranger Chris Descineo and Taconic State Park General Manager Ray Doherty, along with their crews, have worked hard since early Tuesday morning to extinguish the stubborn fire completely.

We are grateful to all of the firemen and women on the scene who did such great work in a difficult, hard to reach spot on the rocky mountainside.

Sincerely,

Edgar M. Masters and Deborah Cohen

Copake Falls

After Reading About Christine O'Donnell

Hi Bob,

After reading about Christine O'Donnell, I got so upset I had to write a blog to go nowhere. 

As someone who had a choice in the country in which she could reside, I wish now that I had a crystal ball. Who would have believed that someone would get elected who would make Karl Rove look like a first choice for Democrats? In fact, one has to wonder if the Tea Party candidates have been financially supported by the Democratic party to bring the Republicans to ruin. It sure looks like that from my perspective.

Ms Christine O’Donnell’s victory as the candidate for the Republican candidate from Delaware makes one wonder about the wisdom of democracy. Should you be required to take a test to answer questions about the candidates before you get to vote? If you don’t get any right, should you be allowed to mark your ballot? Her beliefs and her fiscal incompetence makes me wonder why anyone who has an IQ over 80, would choose her as the person they want to lead them for the next 4 years. Are Americans really that stupid?

It’s truly a mystery to me how we have come to this place, if not for the average person choosing someone like himself/herself, to represent them. Average means being typical. Do you feel capable of running our government? Then why would you choose someone like yourself to be your representative? That’s how President Bush came to office and we all know what an excellent job he did - running our country into debt and ruining our reputation in international circles. I guess there are many who long for the good old days, when George W spoke their language. Why, we now have a black man in the White House who at least

30 percent of the country believe was not born in America and thus, not qualified to be president. I am amazed at the ignorance of the populous and their apathy to search for the truth. It’s easier to listen to TV and radio shows that feed blarney, hate and sound bites, to garner your day’s dose of political rhetoric. I should be realistic. There are folks in my own family who use Michael Savage as their political guru and believe every word he utters. GOD help America!

Judy

Thanks To Copake's ZEO Ed Ferratto

To all concerned-This is a letter of thanks  directed at the diligence and perseverance of one Ed  Ferratto,who finally accomplished something I have personally struggled with for years and that is, to get Columbia Counties favorite landlord Phil Gellert to have his less than enthusiastic caretaker tenants to clean up 168 co.rte. 7a property. No longer cluttered with junk vehicles ,deposit bottles and assorted other wonders of  nondescript trash-I can finally see their lawn. Far from perfect, it is a step in the right direction and greatly appreciated.

All things considered no matter what public opion might be of me,I never the less have always endeavored to keep my property visually appealing and although not yet back  in operation will continue to do so.  B.K.

Crowley's Record of Appointments Does Not inspire Confidence

"Crowley's record of appointments does not inspire confidence. He says he wants to have an outside agency involved in the selection process. What he doesn't mention is that that agency is headed by a Republican."

The above statement appeared in my recent posting/letter to the editor concerning Copake Town Supervisor Reggie Crowley's proposal (which the Republican led town board majority passed on Sept. 11) to replace the town' s elected assessors with a single appointed assessor. In my deep concern about a plan to take away the voters' rights to choose their own assessors, without submitting the matter to a referendum, I made the statement at the expense of Suzette Booy, head of the agency to which I referred, the County Office of Real Property Services.

In fact, from conversations that I've had with Ms. Booy, I deeply respect her work with the agency and apologize for the implications of my statement and regret that I did not make that apology more directly at Saturday's board meeting. In selecting her to receive applications for the new position, Reggie Crowley made a wise choice; one can only wish that he had acting as wisely in deciding whether or not to include the voters (i.e. via a referendum) in the process.

Howard Blue

Morris Ordover's response to Bill Gregory's Letter

Morris Ordover's response to Bill Gregory's letter:

Dear Mr. Gregory:

You responded to my letter as if I was running for the Highway Department Supervisor position.  I want to make it clear that I am not running for any Town position despite the tone of your reply. I was merely stating my preference of candidates.

And I thank you for his civics lesson but I do know that the position is up for election every four years and I also know the for the last several election cycles, the candidate ran unopposed.  The only choice has been yes or no. Is that your idea of choice for our voters?

And by the way, should your campaign material be in our public Town Hall?  Can Mr. Jamieson place his material there too?

I stand by my support of Mr. Jamieson and will leave it to him to draft his OWN reply to your interesting comments, and to the voters to determine if a change would be good for Copake.

Morris Ordover

Questions about the Copake Police

As you know petitions for public input in our Town and State are very dear to my heart. I ran a petition to keep the elected assessors years ago.I certainly would sign a petition,having the citizens review the need for the police.There are a number of questions I know you will help me and our citizens with to receive the answers and the information that will help us make a wise decision.

            A.The time frame to gather signatures on a petition and have presented to the Election Board for this November's Ballot.

            B. The cost of the Police,the Budget line for them 2006,2007,2008,2009,20010

            C.The cost of both police Cars and the gas and repairs

            D.Your vote on the Police Budget in the past 5 years

            E.The audits for the Town Budget for those years.

            F.The police were brought into Copake by Town Law to discuss that law, and

               repeal that law may take some time can you list the steps and time frame.

            G.The offices/barracks for the Sheriffs,State Troopers etc.are in communities close to the Hudson River,what is their response time to Copake for criminal activates or emergencies.

     Please post this note as written in the Chronicle since you asked me directly to respond to your question.


Sincerely,
Harvey J.Weber

Nine questions about a proposal by Reggie Crowley that could cause you as much as $10,000 or more in the next decade

Nine questions about a proposal by Reggie Crowley that could cause you as much as $10,000 or more in the next decade.

Q. What's the proposal?

A. Reggie would like to replace the current system whereby the voters select three assessors with one in which current Republican board majority can appointed a single assessor.

 Q. When will he try to do this?

A. At 8:30 AM, Sat., Sept. 11 at the board meeting.

Q. Why does he want to do this?

A. Crowley says that having a sole appointed assessor will somehow take politics out of the assessment process. He claims that he wants to keep the appointment nonpolitical by involving the office of real property services in Hudson in the selection process, an office headed by a Republican!

Q. What's wrong with that?

 A. The process whereby a board majority (by virtue of one vote) undoes the decisions of the electorate can hardly be described as non political. The Republicans last two candidates for the assessor's office lost to the Democrats candidates. So they're simply trying to increase Republican power by going through a backdoor. In addition, the proposal is a diversion from making real reforms such as doing a town wide reevaluation that would treat everyone in the town fairly.

Q. Why can't Crowley's proposal that having a sole assessor will benefit the whole town, be taken at face value?

A. Crowley's record of appointments does not inspire confidence. He says he wants to have an outside agency involved in the selection process. What he doesn't mention is that that agency is headed by a Republican. Also, last January he shut out the public from commenting before the Republican majority appointed a replacement for someone who had resigned from the assessor's office. In addition, the person appointed had a murky history which involved misappropriating insurance claims funds and failing to account for town monies that were in his hands. Such a record does not make one comfortable about the town board majority substituting it's judgment for the

Q. You argued that the town should NOT consider having a sole assessor. Are there any changes that the town SHOULD consider in regard to the assessor's office?

A. With cooperation from other towns, an appointed assessor's office --- a real nonpolitical one --- could be created to handle assessments of all of the towns that pay taxes to the Taconic Hills School District. That could eliminate unfair assessments and  inequities resulting from different ways of calculating assessments on school taxes that currently exist from town to town.

Also Copake needs to do a total reevaluation. Hundreds of properties which have been in the same hands for several decades are under assessed, while many purchased in the last 10 years are over assessed. And finally, one can argue for creation of a countywide appointed assessor's office. If an assessor's office were established either for the towns that feed into the Taconic Hills School District or a countywide basis, the possibility would be to pay the assessor a full living salary rather than the relatively small salary that the chief assessor currently gets.

Reggie has shown no leadership in regard to these proposals. On the question of a town wide revaluation, he and some of his friends and colleagues clearly could be at a disadvantage because their properties have not been reassessed in decades. At least several town hall Republicans have houses which are assessed on a square foot basis significantly lower than dozens or scores of other residents who live in older and smaller houses than the well-connected people.

Q. What did you mean that Crowley's proposal because could cost me as much as $10,000 or more in the next decade?

A. Many town residents would receive significant reductions in taxes if reevaluation took place. The longer this is delayed, the more you may be overpaying your taxes.

Q. How can I try to stop Reggie Crowley from pushing through creation of a sole assessor in Copake?

A. Attend the Sat., Sept. 11 board meeting and/or send a letter to Reggie Crowley, with copies to Bob Sacks or Linda Gabaccia urging Reggie to drop his plan. Demand a town wide reevaluation. Your appearance at the board meeting is crucial. Faces and bodies have a bigger impact than letters.

Howard Blue

Copake Highway Superintendent Gregory responds to Morris Ordover’s letter

Letter to the Editor

Copake Highway Superintendent Gregory responds to Morris Ordover’s letter

Mr. Ordover’s letter to the Editor in last week’s Copake Chronicle was filled with many misleading facts.  Only two statements were accurate and truthful. One is that the Voters of Copake will have the opportunity to choose a Highway Superintendent in this November’s election. The other true statement is that our Highway Budget is over 50% of the total town budget. Not truthful is his statement that “For the first time in many election cycles, the voters of Copake will have an opportunity to make a choice in the election of our Highway Superintendent." The Highway Superintendent position is on the ballot every four-year election cycle; the voters have always had a choice.  

Furthermore, what Mr. Ordover fails to explain is that while our 2010 Highway budget accounts for 53% of the total town budget, nine Highway Departments in our county spend a higher percentage of their total town budgets. It is a myth of convenience, created for political advantage saying our Highway Budget is out of line with the spending of the other towns in the county.  At our recent Open House, I had on display a detailed comparison of all eighteen towns.  I have moved this display to the Town Hall for anyone who was unable to attend the Open House to view.

What follows is my response to the misleading statements made by Mr. Ordover for Mr. Jamieson:

1.      Mr. Ordover’s most misleading statement of his entire letter is Mr. Jamieson’s number one item of their platform; “Open records for all to see”.  That statement falsely leads people to believe that there are closed Highway Department records. The Town Board oversees any expenditure of monies out of the Highway Budget. The budget process starts with the Highway Superintendent submitting a budget request to the Budget Officer. Through the rest of the budget process, the Town Board may increase or decrease the Highway Budget.  After the Town Board approves a budget that they are satisfied with, the Highway Superintendent submits a Section 284 agreement detailing how the highway budget will be expended. During the following fiscal year, the Town Board has the power to accept or reject any expenditure out of the Highway Budget.  At every Town Board Meeting, the Board reviews and approves all bills out of the Highway Department.  These records of claims are public information.  I have been the Highway Superintendent for nearly ten months, neither Mr. Jamison nor Mr. Ordover have ever approached me with a request to see any records. How can someone claim to be denied access without ever making a request?

2.      “Savings through closer supervision”. Perhaps Mr. Jamieson can explain how he will supervise the department closer than myself while working part time?

3.      “Savings through a new tier of benefits for new employees reducing benefit costs”. This is not a new idea.  The following statement is taken out of the Town Board meeting minutes dated November 10, 2009: “Supervisor Crowley, we should take a stand that any new employee hired January 1, 2010 must pay a percentage of their insurance.” Highway Liaison & Town Board member Linda Gabaccia and I have met with our insurance agent to discuss initiating this policy. It is up to the Town Board to pass this resolution, not the Highway Superintendent.

4.      “Determining true personnel needs through attrition”. How convenient to overlook that is exactly what I have done by the elimination of a full time position in the Highway Department.  When I was unanimously appointed Highway Superintendent by the entire Town Board, I did not fill the position that I held in the Department.  The Department has traditionally had eight full time employees; I am now running the department with seven full time employees thereby saving the town a considerable amount of money.

5.    5)  “Reducing the cost of road maintenance while maintaining safety through more competitive bidding”. All major purchases by the Highway Department are made through either State, County or Town bids. How can Mr. Jamieson claim he will initiate a policy already in place?

6.     “Sharing and purchasing new equipment with neighboring towns”. This is another example of current policy.  Each year our Town Board approves an Inter-municipal agreement between the towns of Copake, Ancram, Hillsdale, and the Taconic Hills School District.  This allows each Department to share equipment and labor to save money.  In December of 2008 with the Town Board approval, (recorded in 12/13/2008 minutes), the above-mentioned Towns and school district applied for a 2008-2009 NY State Local Government Efficiency grant. This application was for $240,000 to purchase an Ariel bucket truck for tree work and three pieces of turf conditioning equipment. 

Although the truck was denied, the field equipment was approved and the equipment was received in 2009.  Each applicant paid $1,065.40 for equipment costing $38,354.40; ninety percent of the cost was covered in the grant. I have had discussions with my fellow Highway Superintendents and we plan to continue to work on grants to benefit the Taxpayers in these Towns & School District.

7.      “Selling unnecessary and aged equipment”. One of the first decisions I made as Superintendent, was to downsize our fleet of trucks. With board approval, we sold two trucks at auction. This is documented in our board meeting minutes, (1/14/2010). At our Open House, I detailed my intention to replace two dump trucks with one, further reducing our fleet size.

8.     “Extending the life of trucks to reduce replacement costs”. This statement from Mr. Ordover is interesting, given Mr. Jamieson’s reaction of surprise when I explained the age of some of our equipment at our recent Open House.

9.     “Passing savings on to reduce budget needs in following years”. The Highway Budget had an unexpended balance of $130,000 at the end of 2009. I hope to use some of these funds with Town Board approval to replace an older vehicle without burdening the Taxpayers.

                         “Limiting pay raises to annual cost of living increases”. Are Mr. Ordover and Mr. Jamieson aware that in 2010 the Highway employees did not receive any raise?

In my opinion, the preceding platform detailed by Mr. Ordover for Mr. Jamieson appears to be an attempt to "catch up" or an effort to deflect Mr. Jamieson's apparent lack of familiarity with how our Highway Department operates.

Even though I am a registered Republican with the endorsements of the Republican, Independence, and Conservative parties in the Town of Copake, I will continue to run the department in a non-partisan fashion, openly, honestly and with complete transparency. I will not make pledges on behalf of the Republican Party or any other Party for that matter because I do not believe this race should be about politics. I think this election should be decided on the merit and the qualifications of the candidate, not political affiliation. Will Bill Jamieson, a registered Conservative, endorsed by the Democratic Party in the Town of Copake make the same promises?

Bill Gregory

Town of Copake Highway Superintendent