Worth the fight

Although we didn’t win our campaign to unseat incumbent Supervisor Fluhr, we in Shohola Township have accomplished something unheard of: 304 write-in votes. That’s 304 votes for transparency in government, for all residents to be treated with respect, and for responsible use of our tax dollars.

The voters of Shohola have sent a clear message that we will no longer stand silent for politics as usual, and I am truly encouraged, because it is now clear that change in leadership is not only wanted but, without a doubt, possible.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who had the courage to support my campaign. With creativity and thoughtful attention to the needs and concerns of citizens, there’s so much that can be done to improve the quality of life in Shohola.

I will continue to work hard to make that positive change happen.

Shirley Masuo

Shohola, PA

Re Wayne County Commissioner Brian Smith’s comments of concern

Fight the fight or result in blight

Wayne’s Commission has a function

to stop the DEP’s bad gumption

To damn the dams

homeowners’ faces will clam

Property values will drop some

starting owners to pick up ‘n run

We’ve been wounded... still feel sore

Glorious Luxton Lake is no more

PA owners can still score

Keep your lakes forever more.

Afi Phoebe

Narrowsburg/Queens, NY

Re IMHO ‘Trick or treat’

Jonathan Charles Fox—you’ve got to be kidding me! In regards to your comment about the drag show, benefiting the WJFF radio station being a little too “bawdy,” “for a less rural audience.” Give me a break! We are adults up here in Sullivan County and can easily laugh at the great humor of the WIGSTICKS troupe. The emcee was named Ermine Muff for God’s sake! Get in on the joke! I think you and your dog need to attended only the “G rated” events up here and let someone else at The River Reporter cover the wonderful variety of entertainment, be it blue or otherwise, in our neighborhoods. And of course, that’s in my humble opinion. Snap!

David Skovron

Cochecton, NY

What about the Halseys?

On September 28, at a meeting to discuss the proposed Ferry Street marina in Long Eddy, I asked Delaware Highlands Conservancy Executive Director Sue Currier to clarify what were the property’s land-title issues alluded to in the press and at previous meetings. Her reply was: “I don’t know. I am not an attorney.”

Really? The director of the organization fronting for the purchase of a property by New York State does not know the details?

Here are the facts:

At the same time Ms. Currier was speaking, an obscure legal notice was running in The River Reporter. The estate of Juanita Copeland, which is selling the Ferry Street property to the Conservancy, does not fully own the land. Forty percent of the acreage, including the prime water frontage, has been owned by the Halsey family since the late 1800s. The Copeland estate is trying to seize this key parcel through adverse possession and ultimately sell it to the state.

Apparently the Copeland estate, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and the Department of Environmental Conservation hope Halsey family heirs, who long ago left the area, will be unaware of the lawsuit. Without vocal Halsey family objections, they expect the courts will rubber-stamp the Copeland’s marginal claims to the valuable riverfront.

It is a shame if this travesty happens. Halsey family members were noted local and national philanthropists and patriots.

In 1885, Robert Halsey donated the land for, and established, Halsey Riverside Cemetery in Long Eddy near the Ferry Street property. World War II war hero Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey often visited with his relatives in Long Eddy.

Before development of a Long Eddy marina is even considered, let’s make sure the Halsey family’s rights are preserved. They deserve no less.

Eric van Swol

Long Eddy, NY

Liberty keeps tax levy flat

The Town of Liberty’s 2016 budget, adopted on October 19, will result in a virtual 0% tax levy increase. While the state’s 2% budget-cap legislation would permit towns to increase their levy by as much as .73%, Liberty’s budget will fall well below that cap. This is the second year in a row that the increase in budget revenue to be raised by property taxes will be very near zero. The 2015 tax levy had no increase as well. The entire 2016 budget can be viewed on the town web pagewww.townofliberty.org.

Town board members Dean Farrand, Brian McPhillips, Russell Reeves and I went over the budget line by line looking for categories that could be reduced without seriously impacting town services. Town budget officer Cheryl Gerow produced many pages of data exploring the numbers for certain cost-saving proposals. Small reductions in many categories, along with reductions in future reserve contributions (rainy-day funds), lower estimated costs of some employee benefits and a reduction of proposed road construction monies were necessary to produce this budget. Even after all those efforts, funds from the fund balance were necessary to limit any tax increase.

Stabilizing tax increases is a major component of the plan to attract the growth necessary to increase the town’s tax base. The board believes that taxes are the number-one concern of Liberty’s residents, and is committed to stopping, or at least slowing, tax increases. Minimizing the growth of property taxes should result in more investment in the town, which is the real solution to high tax rates.

Another piece of the plan to attract growth in Liberty is a marketing effort and new web page designed by Focus Media. These efforts will promote Liberty as a great town to visit and enjoy or to live in and raise a family. Hanofee Park, Walnut Mountain Park and the Liberty Central School will be three of the outstanding assets to be promoted.

Charlie Barbuti

Liberty, NY

Too much homework

Who likes coming home from work and doing hours of paperwork left over from our work day? Not me!

Has anyone observed the amount of homework that kids now have? It is too much! The students are in school about seven hours plus extra-curricular activities such as clubs, band, sports, etc. My 13-year-old son seems to be doing homework at least two hours per night. I thank God for summer, and I manipulated my work schedule into four days to be able to go rafting, fishing and hiking and to various fairs with my son and his friends. Now, since school started, I would like to spend more time with him, but I often hear, “I can’t go; I have too much homework.”

As a teen back in the 1980s, I did not do my homework regularly. I had a part-time job, took martial arts classes, played ball at the park, went fishing, had a girlfriend and socialized. All of what I did was just as important as the school work. This too-much-homework business has to stop.

Thanks for hearing my plea.

John JP Pasquale

Livingston Manor, NY