To the editor:
I would like to thank our county leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, for their recent letter concerning the actions of the County IDA. In the face of graft and duplicity, integrity is essential for the furtherance of a republican form of government. That is why, upon observing the lack of signatories from the town of Chester, I found myself disappointed by my town’s leadership.
I greatly appreciate Town Board Member Brandon Holdridge’s response on the matter; put frankly, he was never made aware of the letter, which went to Town Supervisor Rob Valentine, and absolutely would have signed it had he been given the opportunity. When approached about it at a recent Town Board meeting, Supervisor Valentine’s response was much less satisfying; he “did not want to get involved.”
This is yet another entry on the long list of examples of willful ignorance and ignorant willfulness for this kind of activity by Republican town leadership. Whether it be their overtly-unsound endorsement of the purchase of the Rock Sports Complex, their inaction on instituting a ward system in Chester, which in recent memory they were practically begging the town to institute so as to preserve our local identity, or committing ethical dilemma after ethical dilemma while continuing to kneecap our town’s Board of Ethics, among so many others, the town Republican leadership never fails to deliver disappointment and embarrassment on our community.
I hope the town is able to produce better leaders in the future that will stand up to the corruption of the County IDA and act like a team by doing the bare minimum of sharing emails.
Joshua Koff
Chester