Letters to the Editor - The Millerton News - 11-2-23

Write-in support for Ahmed

Serving on town board is neither glorious nor glamorous, so to those who volunteer themselves for the task, a degree of respect is due, but never deference. Tough questions should be asked of those responsible for running our town, and there is a candidate who is asking them relentlessly.

Munawar Ahmed is running for Amenia Town Supervisor on a write-in campaign. Munawar is pronounced “Muh-NOW-wer” which rhymes with flower. Unlike her legacy party rivals who have been planning their campaigns for a while, Munawar got into the race this summer, indignant over several quality-of-life issues. She is running in an authentic civic spirit to be a citizen-servant to our town, and her outsider’s perspective will be a welcome change.

Munawar has an Ivy League master’s in education and solves organizational problems for a living as an engineer. She will seek solutions to Amenia’s issues from sources beyond government such as the private sector and non-profits. Raising her family in Wassaic, Munawar realizes that it’s more important that an issue gets resolved than it is for government to get credit for resolving it.

For these reasons I hope you’ll join me in writing Munawar Ahmed (spelling counts!) on the ballot for Amenia Town Supervisor!

Daniel Donnelly

Amenia

Taking issue with Brian Walsh comment

I write in response to Brian Walsh’s Oct. 26 letter to the editor. I’m a Pine Plains resident and the aunt of Chris Drago, candidate for Dutchess County Legislature, District 19, and Brian Walsh is my Town Supervisor and Fire Chief. 

I greatly appreciate the firefighters and EMS who serve our town, but I do not appreciate Brian Walsh choosing partisan politics over talking to me, his constituent. I’m an 87-year old woman and I don’t appreciate being called a liar. If there was concern or confusion about my experience of breaking my hip and waiting 2 hours for an ambulance, the respectable thing to do as an elected official, Fire Chief, and community member in Pine Plains, would have been to pick up the phone and ask me about it. Instead, Brian Walsh chose to call me a liar in a newspaper to gain political advantage for Gregg Pulver. 

At my request, I am meeting with Brian Walsh this week to share details and records concerning my 2 hour wait for Northern Dutchess Paramedics to arrive, and to talk about basic decency, leadership, and respect for your neighbors. There were multiple calls made to 911 from multiple numbers the night I broke my hip in June 2019, and I was not alone while I waited. My nephew, Chris Drago, talks about this experience in our family to share a personal experience tied to the need for more county support for EMS. That’s something that most folks agree with around here — even Gregg Pulver agrees that EMS is a major issue in Dutchess County. We don’t need this kind of cheap political attack in our local elections. What we need are better leaders.

Frances Silvert

Pine Plains

Voting for Leo Blackman in Amenia

Im voting for Leo Blackman and here is why:

Leo has lived in Amenia all of this century! 

Leo is always available, supports community needs and has donated professional services at no cost to help his fellow residents. He gives countless hours and personal time to make sure someone else in town gets a benefit. Leo answers every call.

Leo has quietly served this community for all his time here, with little loud or public announcement. He humbly gets on with public service and is probably the most altruistic participant any town could wish for. Leo served for years on town boards and committees. As a current Town Board member, Leo has working knowledge and is more than equipped for the job.

Leo wants Amenia to benefit from much needed municipal upgrades with the professional knowledge and experience to guide that process. 

Leo is a fiscal watchdog for our taxes and will take care with all expenditures. Amenia has known for decades the need for a wastewater system and affordable housing. Leo is acutely aware of any large project not adversely impacting residents with high costs and increased or unfair taxes. 

Leo recognizes that Amenia government needs improved functionality for residents prioritizing:

A Town web site that everyone can navigate and is useful, rather than the current version which is poorly used and disfunctional.

—Better systems and transparency, so residents can see and access basic information such as budgets and expenditures.

—A Team of elected members on the Town Board, staff in Town Hall and volunteers on the Town’s Boards and Committees, working together toward common goals.

—Improved recognition of Town employees, volunteers, and committees, along with our library, fire departments, constables, courts, school district, and local business.

Leo has made himself available to Amenia, conducted a polite, courteous campaign, and has done this while totally compliant with the NYS Board of Elections rules. The right to vote for representation is a privilege and an opportunity to support the best person for the job.

Leo is on the Democrat ballot line, but is offering to serve everybody in Amenia,

Andy Durbridge

Wassaic

Nobody but LEO!

I am a resident of the town of North East since the late 1970’s, a former NE Town Board member, an enthusiastic promoter of purposeful collaboration with individuals in neighboring towns and, an advocate for planning and zoning adjustments to create more affordable housing for our cost-burdened residents. Leo has become an inspiring cohort to seek and access available resources. He has productive connections with county and state officials and non-profit agencies such as the North East Community Center and Hudson River Housing. He is laser-focused on the urgent need for appropriate/affordable housing for every income level.

I met Leo at a region-wide strategic planning session moderated by the Pace University Law Center in the late 20th century. He was practicing architecture in NYC and coming to the Wassaic hamlet on weekends. Moving permanently to Wassaic, he has amplified his involvement in local politics and become an affable, energetic, and well-intentioned supporter in our rural district of northeast Dutchess. He has regularly participated in training sessions, webinars, in-person and virtual panel discussions.

Leo has been invaluable on the steering committee of the Tri-town housing Coalition (Amenia, Pine Plains and Millerton/North East), first as chair of the Amenia housing working group and now as a Town Board member and its Liaison.

Leo’s long-standing experience, enthusiasm and community engagement is unmatched — solid and real — clearly the best candidate to lead Amenia into the future as Town Supervisor.

That will benefit all of us!

Sam Busselle

Architect/Planner, co-founder NECC 1990,

North East