Letters to the editor: Oct. 17, 2024

Help support the NorthEast-Millerton Library proposition

On Nov. 5, the NorthEast-Millerton Library will be asking voters to vote on a proposition to secure $50,000 of funding from the Town of North East. This is money that the library already receives from the town, so no new money is being requested, and no tax increase will be incurred by the residents.
The funding provided by the town is only used for operating expenses, which includes salaries, material and supplies, programming for all ages, maintenance and utilities.
To answer any questions you may have regarding the proposition, the library trustees will be holding two Open Houses. The first is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., followed by another on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please join us in the library to hear more, and see some of the wonderful things happening at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
The proposition will be on the back of the ballot. It is important to reiterate that this is not a new tax. A “yes” vote will secure the money already given by the town.
The staff and trustees of the NorthEast-Millerton Library appreciate your continued support.
Debbie Ruppel
President,
Board of Trustees
Millerton

Energizing the New York State Senate

New York needs more legislators like Michelle Hinchey. In just three years since she was first elected to the New York State Senate, she sponsored 82 bills that were signed into law. She is full of energy, demonstrates the integrity we need from all our elected officials, and has shown genuine sincerity in caring for all people in her district.
So many younger generation residents in our upstate communities have found it difficult to find meaningful jobs and careers that pay wages sufficient to cover housing, food and other living expenses. As a result, it is often our best and brightest who move out of New York to find careers elsewhere. These younger generation residents need representatives who understand their dilemma and who have the intelligence, creativity and energy to do something about it. At just 36 years of age, Michelle Hinchey understands what younger residents need and want, has experience beyond her years to figure out solutions, and has the passion and perseverance to get things done.
After only three years in the Senate, she has already been selected Chair of the Agriculture and Food Committee, and she serves as a member of 11 other committees. She already has sponsored legislation that addresses the accessibility and affordability of housing, cut middle class taxes, expanded the child tax credit, raised the minimum wage, makes it possible to address healthcare deserts in pockets of our state, enhances availability of reproductive healthcare, assists seniors on utility bills and rent stabilization, etc., etc. She also is the recipient of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Award from the New York Water Environment Association for her work to advance clean water initiatives and investments. That is only part of what she has done in only three years.
We not only need to ensure that Michelle Hinchey is re-elected, we need more senators like her.
Dean R. Nicyper
North East

Supporting Charlie Miller for Amenia Town Board

I am honored to run the vegetable garden at the food pantry at St. Thomas Church in Amenia. With the help of countless volunteers, we provide fresh vegetables to over 600 people every week. About five years ago I ask for volunteers to help spread compost on the garden beds. That’s when I first saw Charlie Miller in action. He show ups with a big smile and boundless determination to get the job done. Since then he has installed additional irrigation throughout the garden, replaced broken system sections and helped on numerous other projects. Charlie is the neighbor you call when you need someone to show up and get to work- he has always been there when the food pantry needs him. It is because of his dedication to our community that I am writing to express my strong support for Charlie Miller’s campaign for a seat on the Amenia Town Board. Having lived in Wassaic for over 35 years, I have only see a few people who give as much volunteer time as Charlie does. I hope you will join me in supporting him.
Marsha Kaufman
Wassaic

Vote Charlie Miller for Amenia Town Board

I have been a resident of Amenia for 40 years and pride myself on being active in the community. I am a member of the Amenia Zoning Board of Appeals and the Amenia Wastewater Committee. I also serve as the Warden of the Vestry at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. It is through my role at the church that I first met Charlie Miller in 2018 when he joined me and our neighbors volunteering at the Food Pantry’s Giving Garden. He was an enthusiastic member of the team, ready to do any chore, especially the heavy work. In 2020, we asked Charlie if he could design an irrigation system for 28 new raised beds in the Garden. He not only designed it; he donated the whole system and installed it! This story captures who Charlie is and what he accomplishes. He is an imaginative, hardworking, and a dedicated advocate for improving the lives of everyone in Amenia.
I state this with confidence because since working together in the Giving Garden I have served with Charlie on Amenia’s Wastewater Committee. He joined in the fall of 2021 and in the summer of 2022, after I stepped down as chairman, he was elected to that role. He has been a tireless leader - from working out the best layout for the proposed wastewater system, to rallying the community’s support for its construction, to figuring out how to navigate the county and state departments to advance the prospects of the project. And most importantly, he has relentlessly researched how to assemble grants and no cost loans to keep costs down. Not supporting municipal wastewater in the Amenia Hamlet is writing off its residents, businesses and the revitalization of our downtown.
Charlie is focused on making Amenia a great place to live affordably, work and raise a family. He seeks to find ways to make it possible for kids who grew up here to stay here as adults. Another way Charlie works toward achieving these goals is through his chairmanship of the Amenia Housing Board. In this role he leads a group of residents who are working very hard to build affordable housing in Amenia. One more thing! Earlier this year he was appointed to be Amenia’s Director of Finance, where he has worked to bring transparency to how our tax dollars are spent.
Charlie is the best candidate to fill the open position on the Town Board. He has proven this by his service and by his accomplishments as a leader on both the Housing Board and Wastewater Committee. Join me in voting for Charlie this November 5th.
One last point: Charlie has a great sense of humor, is a great cook and gardener.
Jim Wright
Amenia

Dan Aymar-Blair for Comptroller

I write to support Dan Aymar-Blair for Dutchess County Comptroller. Dan’s commitment to public service is evident from the fact that he left positions in major private financial institutions to manage budgets for the New York City Department of Education. Since 2019 Dan has served on Beacon’s City Council. Importantly, Dan has 20 years’ experience in finance. By contrast Dan’s opponent, Gregg Pulver, himself questioned whether he was appropriate for the position of Comptroller when he was appointed to fill that position after he lost his seat in the County Legislature. At that time, he told The New Pine Plains Herald that his experience was in governing, not accounting, and that he would have to rely on the Comptroller’s staff to keep track of the numbers. As reported by The Daily Catch, he was “initially hesitant to commit to running for comptroller this year due to his lack of experience in an oversight role.”
Here’s an idea: how about we elect a Comptroller with a background in finance so that he can be relied upon to direct and supervise his staff?
Pulver’s judgment in financial matters, even as a legislator, is open to serious question: he strongly (and, unfortunately, successfully) advocated that $25 million in federal COVID relief funds be used for, of all things, major improvements to a minor league baseball stadium. This was despite the absence of evidence that this huge investment in a private enterprise would be more beneficial to Dutchess residents than, for instance, improvements in health care, education, transportation and other basic services. He supported this huge investment in the baseball stadium because, he said, like planting crops, “you hope that the conditions are right to [be successful] . . . you gotta have a little faith.”
Pulver’s understanding of financial matters, however, was sufficient for him to decide that it would be a good idea, as one of his last acts as a Dutchess County Legislator, to vote in favor of a 30% salary increase for the Comptroller — the job he was about to assume.
Dan Aymar-Blair’s 20 years of experience in the private and public financial sectors makes him the far superior — and indeed an excellent — candidate for Comptroller. We deserve a Comptroller who has the experience to do the job with knowledge and integrity.
Amy Rothstein
Pine Plains