Letters to the Editor

Political payoffs take on different faces. This one is the face that promises future benefits during a hiring process by some elected officials. During the hiring of the Director of the Oswego County Land Bank (A private non-profit formed in 2015) the promise of a state retirement package was promised to the candidate if they accepted the position.

Thank you to those that have stopped by Save-a-Lot and donated to the food drive taking place. This food will be divided to go towards two programs. The first is Catholic Charities in order to have enough food on hand to get them through some of the rough points this winter. The second organization that will get items is the Meals on Wheels program.

Marionette: A small figure of a person operated from above with strings from a puppeteer. What we will have with the next appointment being made by the County Legislative majority caucus? In the past few weeks a very fine gentleman has stepped down from the board of the county’s IDA.

The Corps officers, Captain Heather Odom and Lieutenant Alberta Rakestraw, and members of the advisory board of the Oswego County Salvation Army offer their sincere thanks to several Oswego restaurateurs, members of Zonta and the Oswego Lions Club, and members of the public for their generous support of the Guest Chef Dinners of 2018.

Remediation – the Act of correcting an error, fault or evil! An error is missing a grounder in baseball, or dropping a fly ball. If done in the championship game, you won’t be around next year. That is the act of correcting an error and those at fault are dealt with.

Most states use appointment commissions or nonpartisan elections to select judges. New York’s system risks the same politicization of the bench that we see at the national level. Luckily, voters in the Fifth Judicial District, which includes Oswego, will get a breath of fresh air when they look at their ballots this year: a judicial candidate with support from across the political spectrum.

Apex Clean Energy is distributing a postcard in New York posing the question: “Do Wind Turbines Really Kill Birds?” Unfortunately, there is no doubt: They do.

When it comes to being connected to their community, few elected officials compare to Will Barclay. Having known Will for many years and witnessing his work firsthand, I am proud to endorse, campaign for, and support Assemblyman Barclay in his bid for re-election.

Assemblyman Barclay has cost the taxpayers of the 120th Assembly District $1,552,000 over the past 16 years ($97,000 a year —base salary + expenses could be higher). During his time in office he has organized 1 pep rally to save a nuke plant. I’m sure that we could have obtained a private group to do the same for a lot less.