I am enjoying getting to know some of my neighbors via the letters you receive. Re: Phyllis Goodman's letter I think she is both right and wrong. Of course many Muslims have condemned the terrorist attacks. Perhaps the sounds of protest are not as loud as some of us would like. But we cannot assume anything from this silence. There is always a tendency not to want to condemn one's family in public,no matter what one may think privately. I think our Kerhonkson family, as represented by the Town Council, would have been wise to state that our Town would not tolerate bigotry .

    I am very disappointed in the Town of Rochester Republican/Conservative candidates’ refusal to participate in a "Meet the Candidates Night" this year. The format, moderator, and rules for this year’s forum were exactly the same as the one held in 1999.

    I believe that during every local election campaign the voters in the Town of Rochester are entitled to at least one public forum to question candidates about their positions on the issues or any other topic deemed relevant by a voter.

    Make no mistake. All candidates running for office in the Town of Rochester were invited. I made the first invitation, on October 1, 2001 giving at least three possible dates for a forum. On every occasion they rejected every date that I proposed while offering no date they were available. I finally gave a deadline, by Friday October 19, 2001, for the Republican/Conservatives to give us a date that they were available. They did not and have not responded. I thank everyone for participating in the forum on Monday, October 29, 2001. I am still ready and willing to participate in another public forum. Are you? If not, why not?

    It’s time for a clean sweep in the Town of Rochester. After more than ten years of being governed by the same group of men, it’s time to fix our problems. Our local government is being criticized left and right for failing to do the most basic elements of its job properly -- and the criticism reflects badly on all of us who put these people in office. We can’t even figure how much it’s costing tax payers because the records aren’t kept properly. This all falls under the responsibility of the Supervisor and Town Board.

    We need to have a proactive government that is willing to look into things properly, one that will not dismiss other people’s opinions with eyes rolled upward, and divisive shouts of "you people!" We need inclusiveness and we need to break the cycle of pessimism and cynicism that we have in our local officials. In short, we need new people who care about the future of our community and the common people who live and work here. That’s why I’ll be voting for Richard Siegel, Brinton Baker and Tony Spano on November 6^th. I urge you all to do the same.

Dave Leiden, Kerhonkson (BSP 11/2/01)

Dear Editor:

    Once again, our Town of Rochester community shines. Although we shined by moonlight this time, shine we did. The Rochester Youth Commission with help from the Kerhonkson/Accord Chamber of Commerce, Inc. held their first annual "Haunted House" on both October 20 and 27. Actors ranging from 10 to 40 years of age, magically produced a truly world class configuration over a dozen scenes. It took these community-minded people weeks of working tirelessly, to put the great event together. Their efforts paid off, not with money, but with high praise and applause from the hundreds of people who dared to enter the haunted house and be scared to "fun!"

    The haunted house was created in one of the buildings of the former Agway purchased by the Town of Rochester to be used as a community center. We have a Town Supervisor, Harold Lipton, and a Youth Commission Director, Carol Dennin to thank for bring about the community center, a great town asset, to fruition. They are the first to say they did not do this along, and they had help from many people and organizations, etc., that are too numerous to list here. Yet they gave inspiration, leadership and direction by being involved with every step of the renovation. The kerhonkson/Accord Chamber of Commerce, Inc., is proud to be part of a community that has people like Supervisor Harold Lipton and Youth Director Carol Dennin in charge and working positively with a hands-on approach.

    It is unfortunate that, at a time when we should be coming together, some local political candidates have twisted the facts to suit their own ends.

    There are no funds missing or unaccounted for from transfer station operations. The report in question stated only that transfer station costs are exceeding the revenues to the residents. We strive to keep the cost to the taxpayers as low as possible. We have maintained lower costs than almost every town in the county. Had Mr. Spano discussed his mis-perceptions with the Town Board prior to his complaint to local law enforcement, we could have spared him the embarrassment of making erroneous accusations.

    The recent State Audit, requested by the Town Board, pointed out six deficiencies.. (1) Due to a computer malfunction resulting in the temporary "loss" of computer records, an outside accounting firm was hired to manually reconstruct the records. This delayed completion of the year end financial report, which has since been filed. (2) All ledgers and reports are now given to the Town Board in a timely manner. They were always available, but never requested by the Board.(3) The inventory of town property, which was updated in 1997, will be completed by the end of November. (4) The Highway Superintendent has instituted stricter controls over gasoline inventory. (5) Payroll timecards for all the part-time employees are now submitted promptly. (6) Cash receipts and cash disbursement journals are now fully maintained for Capital Projects and general fund projects.

    There has been no additional cost to the taxpayers resulting from any of the deficiencies reported in the audit. We are consistently under budget and records are available to any citizen, including Mr. Siegel, who thinks otherwise. Mr. Siegal, whom I have seen at only one Town Board meeting in the past four years, should first acquire an understanding of the issues before casting aspirations (sic) on the competence of our Town Government

    I read your article on allegations by Councilman Tony Spano. the story implies that our Town Clerk Veronica Sommer was not properly accounting for money taken in at the town transfer station. But it seems that the town board never established an accounting procedure for the transfer station.    

    The responsibility for the oversight of Town money falls on the Town Board. So my question is this: Why doesn’t the Town Board stand up for Veronica Sommer? Why hasn’t the board investigated the matter, rather than leaving Ms. Sommer to take all the criticism?

As a Rochester citizen and voter, I have dealt with Veronica Sommer for many years. She has served as our Town Clerk and I know that she would not misappropriate public money. Ms. Sommer is running for relection unopposed and will be the Town Clerk for two more years. The Town Board members need to work on the problem with Ms. Sommer rather than sitting back to see which way the political winds are blowing.

    I am deeply saddened and ashamed by the refusal of the Rochester Town Board to pass (or even second!) the resolution put forth by Tony Spano "to support the right of all people to live and work here free from intimidation and harassment..." It is inconceivable to me how such a truly American sentiment could not have been quickly embraced and unanimously endorsed. Instead the resolution was viewed through a parochial political lens and rejected. I hope Rochester voters will take this irresponsible and mean-spirited position of the Board's majority into consideration this coming Election Day.

Cameron S. Bonner, Kerhonkson

    I was deeply disappointed to see that Rochester Town Board members declined to endorse Councilman Anthony Spano’s resolution seeking to reassure residents and business owners of Middle Eastern descent in our town by publicly declaring that our local government will neither accept nor condone any form of bigotry or discrimination… Similar resolutions were adopted unanimously by the Congress and Senate on the heels of President Bush’s similar proclamation.

    On September 11, nationals of more than 60 countries lost their lives, including people from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. they were of many faiths and not all were American citizens; each of them made a contribution to our country. It is our responsibility to honor them and their families by ensuring that discrimination is not tolerated in our midst.

Discrimination exists because it is permitted to exist; because people like Supervisor Lipton continue in their ignorant bliss by believing that it does not exist in our community and because they do not speak up when asked.

    My grandmother was a Muslim. She prayed each day until she died at the age of 92. She prayed for her family’s health, she prayed for the hungry to be fed, she prayed for tolerance, but most importantly, she prayed for peace.

    It’s a shame that our Town Board has chosen not to make a small but vocal stand I support of people in our community who might need reassurance during this difficult time.

Z. Win, Accord

    I was outraged by the letter from Z. Win, Sunday, October 14, 2001, regarding the Rochester Town Board members rejection of Mr. Spano's resolution "seeking to reassure residents and business owners of Middle Eastern decent in our town by publicly declaring that our local government will nether accept nor condone any form of bigotry or discrimination."

    While indeed similar resolutions were unanimously adopted by Congress, no more need be done. To suggest that discrimination exists because Supervisor Lipton is living in "ignorant bliss" is incredible. It shows just how little Mr. Win knows of Supervisor Lipton and our town. It just might interest Mr. Win to know that after a thorough investigation by Supervisor Lipton, it was concluded that Mr. Win's charges are completely unfounded. The Town of Rochester is honored to have Harold Lipton for Supervisor and thank him for all he has done for our town.

    I would like to mention that while my grandmother was not a Muslim, she too prayed everyday. She prayed for justice and liberty for ALL. My grandmother thanked God everyday for allowing her to come to this country because this is without a doubt the greatest country in the world. While we had the "bad" Muslims cause the death of more than 7,000 innocent people, I have not seen any "good" Muslims (and I know there are good Muslims and I know they are out there), express regret for the deeds of the "bad" Muslims; nor have I seen any "good" Muslims voice any praise for this (their adopted) country.

    I would say if bigotry and discrimination are allowed to flourish, it is being done under the name of freedom and it is being done against the people of the United States and not by the people of the United States. And, for Mr. Win's information, the people in the United States includes the people in the Town of Rochester.

Phyllis Goodman

Kerhonkson

Grammyshse@aol.com

    It has been so distressing to read the comments by Town of Rochester Supervisor Harold Lipton in a news article and by Rochester resident Phyllis Goodman in a recent letter to the editor in which they defend the supervisor’s and town board’s refusal to take a stand against bigotry and discrimination. (Readers of this paper may recall that Councilman Tony Spano proposed that the town board adopt a resolution that would send a strong message to all that "our local government will neither accept nor condone any form of bigotry or discrimination.")

    Councilman Spano took a leadership role in speaking out and encouraging others to do the same. How proud we all would have been in Rochester if those we elected to lead us had set such a positive tone for and from our community. What a wonderful example our community could have set for the rest of the county. But rather than taking the opportunity to do something healing, something, in fact, noble, the so-called leaders in this town chose to claim that there’s no need for such a statement because there is no bigotry or discrimination here.

    Letter-writer Goodman, in supporting this attitude, takes it a step further. She says she finds it "incredible" that anyone would suggest that "discrimination exists because Supervisor Lipton is living in `ignorant bliss.’" Actually, she’s right—discrimination will exist as long as any of us, not just Lipton, lives in ignorant bliss. Discrimination starts with people who are ignorant and act on their ignorance; discrimination persists because other people fail to take a stand against injustice. Tony Spano spoke out. Lipton and the rest did not. One must ask why, and why Goodman would defend that failure to act positively.

    I suggest that it’s instructive to take a closer look at the part of Goodman’s letter in which she says she has "not seen any `good Muslims’… express regret for the deeds of the `bad Muslims.’" Oh, really? Without even getting into the characterization of Muslims as "good" and "bad," since September 11, Muslims in this country and all over the world have publicly denounced the terrorists and continue to mourn with us over the deaths of thousands of people (including Muslims) who died at the hands of those who twist the teachings of Islam beyond recognition.        

    This fact has been reported prominently in newspapers and in the national broadcast media. This is a fact only a bigot would fail to notice.

Joanne M. Still, Accord

    It is indeed a shame and shameful that the Town of Rochester did not pass an Anti-Discrimination Resolution as proposed by Tony Spano. There was at least one confirmed incident at the Sunoco Station in Kerhonkson after the September 11^th tragedy. Three men in KKK "outfits" threatened the workers there. Passing a resolution, seemingly an easy thing to do, is a way of the community declaring that such behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. What is Mr. Lipton’s thinking on this, I wonder!

Verna Gillis, Accord

    I know there has been a lot of discussion about my recent report on the Town’s handling of Transfer Station funds, and that many false rumors have distorted both my intent and conclusions. I would like to clarify the record.

    The Municipal Works Supervisor reported that approximately $6,000 from the Transfer Station was unaccounted for. Supervisor Lipton and other Town Board members supported my investigation of the matter. Poor cash record keeping makes it nearly impossible to determine the reasons for the shortage; we can’t tell if the money was never collected or if it was misapplied once taken in. The conclusions of my report show (a) poor accounting practices, including the lack of a paper audit trail that prudent oversight would require, and (b) lack of volume/weight records to reconcile against disposal bills.

    I have been criticized for reviewing the circumstances with the Ulster County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices. As there was the possibility, however remote, that $6,000 in revenue was missing, it was my legal responsibility as a sworn Town Board member to report it. In addition, such action was necessary to maintain the public trust. I sincerely hope that no criminal wrongdoing took place and I certainly did not intend to accuse anyone of such.

    My fellow Town Board members and the Supervisor asked me to investigate, and I fulfilled that responsibility. When the conclusions of that report were damaging to them, since they have ultimate responsibility for the problems, they distanced themselves from the findings. I should also note that they did not express support for the Town Clerk. Despite that, they immediately began to implement some of the changes that I recommended; record keeping has started to improve, and detailed accounting is now being kept thanks to our Town Clerk’s efforts.

What does this all mean? Why should taxpayers care about the accounting of public funds? Lack of accounting permits financial waste to exist and creates an environment in which our public officials can be accused, however falsely, of improprieties. Most importantly, it means that all of us taxpayers will have to pay more of our hard-earned income in taxes because our town’s officials do not properly watch our money.

    I have worked hard trying to do what is right for our community. I have worked on our new Community Center, for the Kerhonkson Fire Department, and as a police officer with an untarnished record. We need to have elected officials who will continue to do what is right and not conceal problems for personal political gain.

    I challenge my colleagues on the Town Board to handle this matter in an attentive, non-partisan way. I am willing to work with everyone to solve our problems through an open, honest, and thorough examination of fact and hope that you will join our efforts.

Tony Spano

Councilman, Town of Rochester

    Despite all the criticism that he’s been receiving, Tony Spano has done our community a great service for bringing up some of the problems related to the Town Transfer Station. While a lot of this flak is a result of his discussion of the way one or two individuals might have performed their jobs, the real problem is the Supervisor and the Town Board’s inattention in dealing with our Town’s finances (Supervisor Lipton admitted that, "sometimes you get lackadaisical" in a recent interview on the Town’s money).

    I think the criticism of Tony Spano and the partisan way that the other members of the Town Board have handled this matter, by ignoring its facts and dismissing it, is shameful. The Supervisor and the Town Board are responsible for watching how our Town government does its job. Failing to watch our money responsibly causes waste and higher taxes. It’s time to put partisan politics aside to work together to address the issues, not criticize the bearer of bad news.

Thomas C. Tacti

Thomas C. Tacti, Sr.

    I am deeply concerned about recent articles that have discussed the accounting deficiencies in the books and records kept by the Town of Rochester. Four previous audits showed the same problems, representing gross neglect by our elected officials. I do not aim to discredit any individuals or group with the reports. My question is, however, what has been the cost to our taxpayers over the years?

    Not having a clear picture of our finances makes it necessary to borrow more (extra town debt) and robs taxpayers of the ability to benefit from long-term planning and associated cost savings. There is no reason that we taxpayers ought to pay more than is necessary.

The present and future Town Board and Supervisor must make every effort to immediately take action to correct these deficiencies. It is not a matter of individuals or political parties, it is a matter of responsibility. If I am elected, our first priority will be to work together with existing town employees to provide proper accounting to our community of the town’s finances.

Richard Siegel

Candidate for Supervisor

    I’ve been reading the recent story of Council member Tony Spano’s charges of funds collected at the Town transfer station. This comes on top of news of another audit reporting that our elected officials are not properly minding the taxpayers’ money that they control.

    What’s going on? First of all, Supervisor Harold Lipton should have defended Town Clerk Sommer’s actions related to the money. He should have been a man about it and assumed responsibility rather than test the winds to see which way they would blow. There’s loyalty for you. It’s his job to watch the money and to lead the town’s employees. Can Veronica Sommer and Buddy Hornbeck be blamed for a lax attitude that starts at the top? It’s his job to tell them what to do.

    These guys are up for re-election. I know I’m going to think a long time for who I vote for this time round.

Dave Leiden

Kerhonkson