The River Reporter Online - Letters to the Editor

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed as they are received, or at the discretion of the editor, and without correction to grammar or spelling. It is requested they be limited to 500 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters. Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

Speaking of “village idiots,” if Nostradamus had been around in 1955, we would have known him better and we would have indeed known, in a phrase which has become part of the liberal mantra, “Ms. Greene, you (as you correctly admit) are no Nostradamus.” There may have been a “village idiot” in the last election, and the “village” that knew him best (the State of Tennessee) rejected him soundly.

When dogmatic liberals have nothing coherent to say, they cast meaningless aspersions. In the spirit of the season, blessings to you all, including Ms. Greene.

I was shocked to read Sullivan West Assistant Superintendent David P. Rowley’s front-page article in the December issue of the monthly school newsletter in which he has the audacity to attack many of the irate taxpayers who pay his own salary.

Adding insult to injury, this article was bulk mailed to Sullivan West residents at taxpayers’ expense.

Using terms like “selfishness” and “personal agendas” in his assault on local taxpayers who have criticized district policies Rowley asks, “When did trust and keeping the faith get dumped on the scrap heap?”

For the record, the credibility of the Sullivan West administration was totally shot to pieces after voters found out they were not getting the virtually free high school promised before the merger votes.

Then there is the complete lack of safeguards in the June 1999 DVCS merger vote that has led to widespread charges of vote fraud and calls for an FBI investigation.

Additionally, there are the unexpected school tax increases, cumulatively as high as 26 percent, absorbed by property owners in some of the DVCS towns between September 1999 and September 2000. The potential for tax increases of that size was never publicized by the administration before the various merger votes.

Finally, there is the betrayal of Narrowsburg parents and taxpayers who were originally promised that Narrowsburg high school students would remain in their own building until the completion of the new high school.

Now we are faced with the unnecessary overcrowding of Jeffersonville-Youngsville as a result of this pending move. This means an inevitable deterioration in the quality of education in the Jeffersonville building for at least the next two school years.

With this well-documented pattern of poor management, no wonder that trust and faith in the Sullivan West administration is at its lowest level ever.

This letter is to thank the Gutekunst family for helping to serve the Town of Highland by having the IGA in our town. We appreciate all the years that Charlie and his family helped support the community. Not only did they help the community by having a large grocery store in town, but when they were asked to help out with donations for different organizations, the school and even the town government, they didn’t hesitate. They were the first to respond. Charlie and Jim have both served on different levels of town government, as did their father, and I thank them for that.

I know this was not an easy choice for them to make, and I have not asked why they sold the IGA, because I feel it is none of my business, but I thank them for not leaving us without making sure we have somewhere to shop. They made the right choice by selling to Peck’s Markets. I believe the people who work and own Peck’s Markets will be as good to the Town of Highland as the Gutekunst family was to us. Again, I wish to say thank you to the Gutekunsts, and welcome to Peck’s Markets. We all eagerly await your grand opening.

County attorney Ira J. Cohen and the Sullivan County Legislature are deliberately concealing certain costs and expenses from the people of the county that the public are, by law, entitled to have.

I made requests in compliance with county’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) for the following information in the past four months, which the FOIL Officer has not been able to furnish, no fault on his part, but because the information will not be made available to him by the county attorney and the legislature.

The county FOIL provides that if information requested is not furnished in five days, you can take appeal. The appeal officer is the county attorney. Since the information I have requested must be furnished by the county attorney’s office, my taking appeal would be equal to letting a fox into the chicken coop to count the chickens.

The Kronish-Lieb law firm billed the County $2,700,000 for services rendered from the date of their retainer to April 1, 2000. I made a request for the billings form Apri11, 2000 to date and was advised that this information is not available. I know Santa Claus has come and gone, but did he really give the county a free ride for their services from April 1, 2000 to date?

The Kronish-Lieb firm were originally retained to defend the county attorney from formal charges made against him for lying to the court, and to have him sanctioned. The retainer, signed by both Cohen and the county, provided for a $25,000 payment up front, and hourly rates for the various associates of the Kronish-Lieb firm. These legal services were not a legal or proper charge to the county. What Cohen did was a personal matter, with no benefit to the county. It was Cohen’s personal act and he should be made to pay for his own defense. The legal fees for this service have not been made available, although I made the request. If the county paid any of this bill, Cohen should be required to reimburse the county.

The law firm of Jacobowitz & Gubits, Esqs. of Walden, NY, were originally retained to represent the county in the Concord bankruptcy. I have been unable to obtain a copy of any retainer agreement or the billings made by this firm to the county. I have had dealings with Jacobowitz & Gubits, an excellent legal firm, but they are not on speaking terms with Santa Claus.

At the first 2001 budget hearing, I asked where in the budget is there any amount set up to pay both of the above legal firms. I have not to date received a response.

What are the county attorney and the Legislature hiding from the Sullivan County public? They should both be admonished that it is OUR money they are wasting, not theirs.

I have one of the largest 4-H Clubs in Sullivan County. Our club is the Eldred 4-H Rainbow Rangers, and we are always looking to do a good deed. This time we are raising funds for police canine bulletproof vests.

I have made and hand sewn a five-and-a-half-foot by two-foot Christmas stocking filled with goods. The Rainbow Rangers are selling raffle tickets at one dollar each or six for five dollars.

The Rainbow Rangers are asking the staff at The River Reporter to put an ad in the paper to buy our tickets or donate items or help raise funds to protect these police canines to protect our community.

The River Reporter and the staff have always been more than helpful in the past in any situation. My last endeavor was the overseas relief effort to Honduras two years ago. All your staff, Mary Greene, Laurie Stuart (I can see the rest of the staff’s faces but off hand I have a memory lapse; I apologize). I am thankful to God for the success of that effort.

In accordance with the Society, the fundraiser goes until the end of February, beginning of March. East vest costs $750 so we need a lot of help for just one vest. Whatever you or anyone else can do, these brave canines will appreciate the gift of life. (If anyone shoots and kills a law enforcement canine, this is the same as shooting a police officer).

Thank you again for all your help past and present. May God Bless each and everyone at your great paper. Should you be granted, all the time, everything you deserve. You are all hard working, dedicated, make-the-difference people.

We would appreciate donations for the stocking in the form of money or buying a raffle ticket. The donations can be made to Eldred 4-H Rainbow Rangers, PO Box 18, Yulan, NY 12792-0018 or call 845/557-6192 (Rose Paolini, 4-H Leader).

Only in the town of Cochecton could a supervisor be so happy with just the return of a “misplaced” snow shovel, the “highlight” of the last town board meeting.

Only at a Cochecton town board meeting would a $15 misplaced snow shovel get more attention than a snowplow truck with a cracked frame and the safety of its driver.

So if you happen to see a lonely snow shovel just “hangin’ ’round”, give Sal a call. He sure will be one happy fellar!

Then maybe he can get down to a more serious problem, like a safe plow truck, possibly a new one, since that could be the only justifiable reason for our raise in taxes.

Cold weather has arrived and the time has come to get ready for another winter. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) asks your readers to think about their pets’ needs for the months ahead.

Dogs or cats should not be left outdoors when the temperature drops dramatically, and very young or old pets should always be kept inside. Dogs who are often kept outside need a draft-free, waterproof shelter. A doghouse should not be more than 12 inches longer or three inches higher than the dog, since the dog’s body heat cannot warm a space which is too large. Clean wood chips or straw provide a warm bed and stay drier than blankets or carpet. Make frequent checks of food and water to be sure they’re not frozen.

Chemicals such as anti-freeze can be deadly to animals. Even a small puddle of anti-freeze can kill or seriously injure a cat or dog. Anti-freeze containing propylene glycol, a safer chemical, is available. Other caustic chemicals used to melt ice and snow cannot only irritate your pets’ paws, but can be toxic if they lick their feet. After walks, wipe your pets’ paws with a moist cloth.

A parked car’s warm engine is an attractive resting place for cats outside on cold nights. Be sure to bang on the hood of your car before starting it so any cats inside will leave.

Make it a happy and safe winter for the animals in your life. If you would like free brochures on protecting your pets from winter’s woes, feeding wild birds, or proper dog house construction, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope (one envelope for each request) to The Humane Society of the United States, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, 270 Route 206, Flanders, NJ 07836.

Regarding the recent article in The Times Herald Record regarding sidewalks in the Village of Monticello, I would like to correct some of the misinformation regarding Section 220-24 of our local code. Owners and business operators are required to promptly remove snow, ice or any obstruction on the sidewalks. “Promptly” being defined as within five hours after the same is deposited.

The Village of Monticello Department of Public Works can remove snow and ice, and the cost of doing so will be charged back to the property owner.

We have, in the past, given the offending property owners notice and appropriate time to take care of the problem.

Upon the passing of my father-in-law this past Friday, we went to the Funeral Home of David Ferguson’s in Washingtonville. When we were giving the information to be put in the newspaper we were told that the paper would not list the children in the order of when they were born, but it was the policy of the The Times Herald Record to list the male gender first and then the female gender next. This was not only in the immediate family but with the stepchildren as well. I could understand if this was something the paper did for free, and why object if you were getting something for free, but you have to pay for this service, Not only should it be the oldest children first, no matter what the gender, but any way that the family wants to list it. After all we are paying for it.

Now to the fact that their policy is to list the male gender first. I thought in this day and age we have given equal rights to women. Why should The Times Herald Record think they are better than any of us?