Letters to the Editor — Thursday, Sept. 25

Amenia Fire Co. thanks community for support

On Sunday, September 21, the Amenia Fire Company sponsored our monthly pancake breakfast. We were pleased to have a nice crowd of 156 people in attendance for our monthly meal.We rely on the breakfasts to raise needed money for general operations and we always appreciate the support of the community. We thank everyone who attends our events and hope you will join us at our next breakfast on October 19 at the firehouse.

Andy Murphy,
on behalf of the Breakfast Committee

Amenia Fire Co. and Auxiliary

Amenia

Call for more civility, tolerance and respect

I would like expand upon Larry Conklin’s call for civility, tolerance and respect. Charlie Kirk and Turning Point were not shining beacons of a tolerant society.

About gays he said “they want to corrupt your children.”

About trans people “you are an abomination to God.”

About feminism “Reject feminism.Submit to your husband.”

About other religions “Islam is not compatible with Western Civilization.”

About immigrants “The great replacement is underway.”

About race “Michelle Obama and Ketanji Brown Jackson do not have the brain power to be taken seriously.”

Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of our democracy and Mr. Kirk and everybody else should feel safe in exercising their rights without fear of being silenced or killed.

Unfortunately we are living in an increasingly violent country rife with guns where any unhinged 22-year old can buy one and kill somebody.Sadly, Mr. Kirk self validated his statement that “having an armed citizenry comes with a price.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Conklin that our country is in dire need of tolerance and respect.We are all the same.We all want happiness and don’t want to suffer and areall worthy of love.This is only going to happen when we can celebrate and not silence those who are different from ourselves.

Kristie Schmid

Millerton

Supporting Aymar-Blair for Comptroller

I urge Dutchess County voters to support Dan Aymar-Blair for county Comptroller. Elected to this position for the first time last year, Dan has spent the past several months improving the Comptroller’s office and making the work of the office more transparent. In his 8-plus months as Comptroller, Dan has created a glossary of terms so that taxpayers can better understand the office’s work – and how the County Legislature and County Executive are spending our money. He has also begun monitoring the County’s federal funding and has increased oversight of all County contracts.

Dan’s review of existing County contracts revealed several problems. Some contracts were so poorly written that it was not clear what the County was paying for, and there were flaws in the bidding process. Dan brought such issues to the attention of County Executive Serino, who agreed with Dan that the Comptroller should have advanced review of contracts.

Prior to his 4 years as a Beacon City Council member, Dan worked for the New York City Public Schools for 15 years in finance and operations, where he rose to leadership positions, including Senior Executive Director of Operations, managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Clearly, Dan’s primary professional experience has been in public finance — not, as his opponent, in politics.

Dan has emphasized that the Comptroller’s job is not political. His role is not to make policy, but rather to objectively review and audit County government expenditures to make sure that taxpayers’ money is being used appropriately and that taxpayers know how the County Legislature and Executive are spending our money.

By contrast, Dan’s opponent, Will Truitt, is a politician. He even defines himself that way on his Facebook page. Truitt’s public service work over the past 10 years is that of a legislator — a policy maker, not a financial professional. Dan, on the other hand, is an experienced public finance executive — a serious financial watchdog who will not rubber-stamp decisions made by politicians.

In these times of federal funding cut-backs and other economic hardships, it is critical that County Government uses its resources efficiently. We need Dan Aymar-Blair to continue the work he has started.

Amy Rothstein

Pine Plains