Empowering or relinquishing the franchise

To the editor:

Kudos to reader M. Goldberger’s letter in the October 29 edition of The River Reporter.

Decades ago, we residents of Luxton Lake, originally Tusten Lake Estates or Lucky Lake, were encouraged by our association to have at least one family member registered as a voter in Narrowsburg, NY. The logic made complete sense, since we, as property-owning taxpayers, generated considerable revenue for the town, even if we were not receiving much back as private landowners. We patronized the retail businesses, too. I elected to register in Tusten in behalf of my family in the ‘70s.

Should we not have a say in local political polic? When the full-time residents benefit year round from what our community’s tax revenue has poured into the town/county coffers there’s a welcome mat; but on the other hand, when the opportunity to exercise the franchise is at hand, to expect these owners to forfeit their constitutional right is unsettling, unfair, unethical and down-right biased.

The blessings of good fortune from much sacrifice should not be penalized, but our property owners have only a paved road to show for a return from our taxes. And not all secondary homeowners are rich, either.

Keep in mind, one can only be registered in one venue, and if it takes a voting chance in our local hamlets to effectuate positive progress, then so be it. Domicile, permanent or not, should not be the deciding factor, but rather how well the local municipality enjoys the benefits of collecting our part-timer exorbitant tax monies, while many of us still have property taxes to pay in the metropolitan boroughs—a double whammy.

Bravo, Rita Sheehan

To the editor:

I just received my copy of the book “Images of America—Bethel,” from Arcadia Publishing. It was compiled and written by Rita J. Sheehan, the town clerk of Bethel, and is filled with fascinating historical images and personal recollections of the township throughout the years.

Anyone who reads this book will be instantly moved by our region’s rich history and motivated to preserve our fine rural traditions. Those of us who live in the Town of Bethel owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Sheehan for all the great work she has done this year in commemorating the bicentennial, from the parade, to the calendar, to the establishment of the museum in Kauneonga Lake. Every town in Sullivan County should have such a dedicated public servant in office.

Susannah Keagle and Chris Regan

A moving way to honor veterans

To the editor:

My husband, a four-year U.S. Navy veteran, and I spent Veteran’s Day evening at the Damascus School’s Veterans Day assembly. The staff and students did a wonderful job honoring our veterans. In addition to the music, part of the presentation involved excerpts from their Interview a Veteran Project. This involved students interviewing a veteran and sharing with the audience a part of that interview. What a wonderful way to personalize communication between a student and an actual veteran!

The program also included a slide show of photos, provided by the students, of the veterans in their families. The photos spanned many years and generations, and were a moving way to honor our local veterans and make it personal enough for children to begin to understand the contribution veterans have made to our country.

Thank you, Damascus School.