Election Letters

Posted 8/21/12

Green Diebboll is about service

Service is what Isaac Green Diebboll is about. I am writing to add my voice to those supporting him in his run for election to the Sullivan County Legislature, …

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Election Letters

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Green Diebboll is about service

Service is what Isaac Green Diebboll is about. I am writing to add my voice to those supporting him in his run for election to the Sullivan County Legislature, serving District 5. Previous writers to this forum have acquainted readers with Isaac’s history of recording and posting town meetings, memberships in the Hortonville Fire Department and the Callicoon Business Association, and establishment and operation of the North School Studio.

I would like his future constituents to know more about the spirit with which Isaac is creating his record of public service. Isaac has yet to encounter a position he cannot entertain in the openness of his mind or the warmth of his heart. In his campaign quest to personally speak with as many voters in the district as possible, he is paying attention to local and transplant, employed and un(der)employed, liberal and conservative, young and old, etc. He does not seek out opinions to support a preconceived agenda; rather, he has proven his ability to listen and to build community in every entity and organization in which he participates. Count District 5 and the Sullivan County Legislature among them by voting for Isaac on November 3.

Dorothy Hartz

Fremont Center, NY

Support for Brandi Merolla

Brandi Merolla has already proven herself to be a competent public servant. It was her vitality that drove the Tusten Energy Committee to research and advise the town board on municipal solar energy options. It is her vitality and volunteer work that continues to save taxpayers money as a result of the replacement of outdated lighting, to energy efficient lighting in town hall. It was her vitality, along with members of her committee, that led to finding the right person to provide an energy audit of our town hall so that we can save more of taxpayers’ funds.

Brandi is chair of the Tusten Energy Committee. Her work is always complete, accurate and relevant to our needs. The work and findings of this committee is now sought by neighboring communities so that they can follow the Tusten lead.

It is a likely next step to have Brandi Merolla elected and serve as a town council member. Brandi works hard and stays informed. She has been attending town board meetings for over eight years. She knows the issues. She is not afraid to work and will serve our town with intelligence, integrity and sincerity. My vote is for Brandi Merolla.

Jane Luchsinger

Narrowsburg, NY

Already working for Shohola

The deplorable, bone-rattling conditions of Shohola’s Lackawaxen Road are shocking—and shock absorber killers! When asked to intercede with PennDOT, board chairman George Fluhr Jr. wrote two letters. Dissatisfied with PennDOT’s response, he gave up, and said that writing to PennDOT wouldn’t do any good.

He was wrong. Write-in candidate Shirley Masuo distributed to users of Lackawaxen Road a form letter to PennDOT demanding immediate attention to the road’s deplorable conditions, which many people signed and mailed to PennDOT Secretary Richards. When Ms. Masuo introduced the letter drive at a supervisors meeting, Fluhr said, “Form letters don’t do any good.”

Apparently they sometimes do. PennDOT announced last week that Lackawaxen Road is now slated for resurfacing in 2016—five years ahead of schedule. Did Masuo’s letter drive do the trick? The timing of PennDOT’s turnaround certainly suggests so.

Masuo showed creativity and action, while her opponent sat on the sidelines and did nothing constructive to demonstrate that he cares about making positive things happen for Shohola. Ms. Masuo has already shown that she is ready to be our next supervisor. She’s earned my write-in vote.

Ora Hipsman

Shohola, PA

Steve Dellert for Masuo

I’m endorsing write-in candidate Shirley Masuo for Shohola Township Supervisor. I served as Shohola Township Supervisor for seven years, including two years as board chairman. I have a detailed understanding of what it takes to govern the township. I do not believe that Ms. Masuo’s opponent, George Fluhr Jr., has well served the township during his five-plus-year tenure.

Ms. Masuo has presented an achievable platform of programs to better Shohola government while Mr. Fluhr offers none. She is level-headed, reasonable and truly open-minded. We need a pro-active government that is responsive to citizens’ needs. It’s time for a change, and Shirley Masuo is the right person for the job.

I hope you will join me in writing in Shirley Masuo for Shohola Township Supervisor on November 3.

Steve Dellert

Shohola, PA

Supporting LaBuda

I am writing this letter in support of our outspoken legislator Kathy LaBuda, who speaks up for all of the county. When her colleagues gave a new commissioner a $24,000 raise, Kathy voted against it, saying, “It is a slap in the face to all other county employees.” Kathy has a proven record of accomplishments, whether upgrading our radio system for our fire departments, EMS and police, or making sure that we have enough additional employees to help serve our veterans, or funding our Office of the Aging. Kathy knows the issues and knows our county’s needs. Why would we trade in her 16 years of experience? Please help re-elect her on November 3. You can find her on the ballot, row A, row C or row F.

Joan Whalan

Town of Highland, NY

A DA should respect the rules

Plain and simple: the current Pike County district attorney lost the primary. His own party showed him the door. Why are we even having an election? The Republicans should be furious about this. The district attorney was voted out by his own party.

How is he able to stay in the race? On the Democratic side of the race, he received a few more write-in votes than his opponent. No Democrat ran for district attorney.

Even with the Democratic write-in votes, he did not even receive 15% of the votes cast by Democrats in the primary. That is not a ringing endorsement.

Shouldn’t a district attorney follow the rules? The district attorney cannot even respect the basic tenets of his own party’s voting process—the party with the most Republican votes wins the Republican primary. If he can’t follow the rules for an election, how can he follow the rules in his job? The voters have spoken; we need a change.

Join us and support Kelly Gaughan for district attorney.

Jan and Dave Morgan

Dingmans Ferry, PA

Petersheim knows how to run things

If Chuck Petersheim runs the town half as well as he runs his businesses, we will all be better off in two years. He lives up to his word, keeps us busy all year, and builds homes we are proud to have built.

Basically, he always has our back.

Eric Hofaker, Steve Draghi, Tim Lovelace, Dan Giglio

Employees Catskill Farms

Town of Highland, NY

Padu provides a choice

Part of the foundation of any constitutional republic or democracy is the ability of the people to choose among those candidates that they want to have represent them. This would suggest that there be more than one candidate per position available.

This was not the case in Tusten until Klu Padu made the hard decision to run as a write-in candidate. Norm Meyers, I and other Democrats and indeed, some Republicans, are totally behind Klu’s candidacy, because he has shown himself over the many years that he has resided in Narrowsburg to be an honest and decent man without any political agenda, the sort of person that we desperately need at this time. He has served on the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, among other administrative positions, during his working career. He has the experience to be a very productive and positive member of our town council. He will work for all of the people.

Tom Prendergast

Narrowsburg, NY

[These election letters are in addition to those printed in the October 22 newspaper.]

Believing in a better future for Highland

If elected, I hope to offer simple remedies to our current administrative shortcomings, a steady financial hand, aggressive social media promotion, and strong code and zoning enforcement. If I lose, I hope the conversation about Highland’s future continues. While this election in Highland has been messy, it has been necessary. The silence of inaction had to change.

Our natural and human resources are impressive. I can’t think of any good reason why we have lost ground over the past six years, with so many people working so hard.

Chuck Petersheim

Eldred NY

A failure to understand other viewpoints

Like others who have written, I too am impressed with Chuck Petersheim, but not in a way that will please him. I am impressed with his vitriolic and sometimes anonymous attacks on those who disagree with him. I am impressed with his ability to repeatedly imply, on very shaky grounds, that officials are acting unethically or illegally. I am impressed that he sees conspiracy behind every opponent and that he portrays himself alternately as victor or victim. I am impressed that he is shocked by people's behavior when he himself has written most of the inflammatory words. I am impressed that he seems to think he has great public support when he does not. Finally, I am impressed that he wants my vote to be Town of Highland Supervisor even though he seems incapable of understanding any viewpoint but his own.

Though he is very good at composing fliers and postcards, Chuck can't have learned much about getting along with people from his college education, his experience as a businessman, or his knowledge of handling budgets. In a small community, most of us know and work respectfully together even when we have disagreements about specific issues. Chuck clearly believes that living in a small town is a battle between the “good guys” (him) and the “bad guys” (almost everyone else). If you doubt me, read his blog. In it, his own words and his love of retaliation disqualify him from being Supervisor of the Town of Highland.

Walter “Bo” Stevens

Eldred, NY

DA endorsements tell a story

District Attorney (DA) Tonkin has repeatedly boasted of a 97% conviction rate. However, statistics submitted by the Pike County Courts to the PA Unified Judicial System show that “his” conviction rate in 2013 (most recent year available) was 73%—right in the middle of all other like-sized Class VI counties. No bragging rights there.

But, a DA can’t win a case without first receiving a strong, well-investigated case from law enforcement. It is very telling that our local and state law enforcement officers have outright rejected Tonkin’s bid for re-election with their enthusiastic endorsement of his opponent, Kelly Gaughan. My dad served as DA in Crawford County, PA for eight years before becoming the president judge of common pleas. As DA, he relied upon a strong working relationship with the state and local police. It wasn’t unusual to have a trooper sharing coffee with Dad at our kitchen table. He told me that he could not do his job as DA without them. He once took me to the local state police barracks to meet the men and women with whom he worked. Even at the young age of 10, I could see that the officers respected and admired my father, and that he, too, respected them.

The truth of the quality of his relationship with law enforcement was born out years later at my father’s memorial service when many of those officers, most now retired, shook my hand warmly and spoke earnestly of their admiration for my dad. As we consider our choices for DA, we should pay attention to the important nuance of law enforcement’s rejection of DA Tonkin with whom they’ve been working for eight years.

Carrie Thomas

Shohola, PA

A candidate who knows our concerns

All of us want to elect people for local and national government positions who will represent us, speak for us and address our concerns. How do politicians find out what the concerns are of their constituents? Isaac Green Diebboll, who is running for county legislature in district 5, is making a valiant effort to knock on every door in district 5 and listen.

If you live in district 5 and Isaac has not been to your door yet, you can look forward to meeting an honest, hardworking, fair and earnest young man. If you have met Isaac already, as many of you have, there is probably no need to say more. In district 5, we have a chance to elect someone who will speak for us because he knows our concerns, he is listening to us and he is ready to act for us. On November 3, vote Isaac Green Diebboll for county legislature in district 5 and have your voice heard.

Zeke and Ginny Boyle

Callicoon, NY

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