Vote for Reggero

To the editor:

On Tuesday, May 19, the voters of the Sullivan West School District will be going to the polls to cast their ballot on the school budget and who will sit on the board of education (BOE).

Over the past two years, the members of the BOE have worked hand in hand with our new superintendent, Dr. Ken Hilton and his staff, acting in a civil and productive manner, finding solutions to difficult issues ranging from the maintenance of facilities to improving education and student performance, while dealing with cuts in Federal and state aid and declining enrollment.

It came as a great disappointment when one of these members, Shaun Sensiba, unexpectedly decided not to run for the board. Sensiba has been a productive member of the BOE, bringing to it his fiscal expertise, logic and courteous manner.

Two of the current board members are running unopposed. However, in the case of Sensiba’s seat you will have a choice. Fortunately, one of those choices is an active member of this community who brings civility, experience and commitment to our school district. That individual is John Reggero.

John is a volunteer athletic coach, member of the Cochecton Town Board, vice president of a national corporation based in Jeffersonville, a neighbor for over 25 years and parent of a Sullivan West student. He often attends BOE meetings, budget hearings, school concerts and plays and many other school-related events.

His commitment, dedication, civil demeanor, and experience would allow the BOE to continue to move forward, balancing our pursuit of educational excellence with fiscal responsibility.

I recommend you vote for John Reggero on Election Day.

Jeffersonville, NY

Our very own Flat Earth Society

To the editor:

It’s not just for Congress anymore. And it isn’t any more palatable or logical here in small town America than it is in Washington, DC. To those who sat through the town meetings from the beginning and listened to the claims of what Republican Callicoon board members Bose, Fuchs and Kuebler discovered about solar energy, their lack of knowledge on the subject became abundantly clear. Ignoring credible sources of information such as the Department of Energy, as well as the engineering expert they themselves hired, Bose, Fuchs and Kuebler all voted against the grant-funded solar project.

As businessmen, one would have thought these three would at least have been able to correctly figure out the rate of return and view the bottom line. Even if their wrong-headed assumptions of minimal savings to the town were correct, would it not be in Callicoon’s best interest to save money wherever possible? Do they not understand that this solar upgrade would be paid for by a grant from the state, as well as rebates from New York State Energy Research Development Agency (NYSERDA)? In fact, the money left over from the grant would have paid for the NYSERDA energy audit, its recommendations, engineering costs etc., saving the taxpayers even more. Callicoon’s energy bills would be reduced.

We and other New York residents have already paid for this grant through our taxes, and we can’t get that money back. If Callicoon doesn’t use it, some other town will. Why our elected officials want to give away our money to others is beyond me, unless they are angry because it was our town supervisor, a Democrat, who brought this proposal to the table.

Partisan politics? Perhaps. Or maybe they’re just

following the example of the Flat Earth Society, refusing to believe what the rest of the world already knows.

Highway department proposal a power grab

To the editor:

I am writing in reference to the ad placed in the April 23 issue of The River Reporter concerning the May 19 election in the Town of Tusten. I presume that the ad was placed by the town to promote this voter-unfriendly proposal. Their reasoning has more holes in it than a pound of Swiss cheese. The proposal is meant to disenfranchise the voter. When you lose your vote, you lose your voice in government.

They say that this will save money. I think that was what we were told about the school merger. They say that you can express your views to your elected officials. When is the last time that ours views were given any consideration by our board? They claim that this is endorsed by the State of New York. Is there are better reason to vote against it? Don’t let them take your right and responsibility to choose your superintendent of highways away from you. Vote “no” to this power grabbing proposal.

Narrowsburg, NY

Replacement could be dangerous

To the editor:

Regarding your April 23 article “Pond Eddy Bridge to Be Replaced,” apart from the obvious cultural resource issues inherent to PennDOT’s proposal to replace the historic Pond Eddy Bridge, we are very concerned to read that PennDOT’s consultants have determined that a new bridge, using three piers rather that the single existing one, “would not result in an increase in the local flooding.” In fact, during the April 7 consulting party meeting in Shohola, PennDOT officials were forced to admit that there would be a considerable backwater flooding hazard during their proposed two seasons of construction, given that they plan to build a causeway across the entire width of the river.

It was also noted that the causeway would block recreational use of the river. How would this work for all the entities that rely on river boating as their only source of seasonal income? For those concerned to protect both the natural and cultural resources of the Upper Delaware, this latest revelation regarding the proposed replacement of the Pond Eddy Bridge demands real scrutiny. In the end, restoration of the historic bridge or the opening of the alternative route from the Pennylvania side make the most sense for the New York and Pennsylvania families that have been waiting for at least 10 years for this issue to be properly resolved.