In His Own Words …

by Contributor | October 17, 2015 6:45 pm

To The Editor:
“I saved the taxpayer”…. “I work for you”…. “I voted no on non value spending.”…. “It’s not my money.”

Really? The current (25th District) legislator voted for a sidewalk to nowhere which would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  (His own party voted against it).

Really? He votes against every grant (Your tax dollars already sent to the State and Federal governments) sent back to help defray the mandated programs. Can you imagine how much more you’d pay if we didn’t accept these dollars? (Again, his own party voted to accept this money.  He stood alone).

Really? He wanted the sales tax agreement opened up between the city of Fulton and the county.  He started this whole uproar. Then couldn’t understand why one legislator highlighted the amount of money Fulton gets through sales taxes compared to the rest of the county.

Really? Actually called you stupid.  Says “it’s a virus’ because … you actually went to the polls and voted the legislators in that you want to be there.

Huh? You are not stupid if you want county roads plowed, a court system, a sheriff’s department to protect you, a DMV office, DSS to care for the poor and elderly, a 911 center (Frank Castiglia voted against training – life and death training), a county tourism department, planning for potential jobs.

These are all departments in every county of the state. Many are mandated. Some make money, others cost money. Do you want to go without them?

Really? Capital items are funded every year in the budget to cover costs for needed equipment. Surprise, equipment, cars and technology wear out and the budget process plans ahead for these things. Mr. Castiglia doesn’t understand how a budget works and has problems reading it.

Really? Frank Castiglia went to the Fulton City Council meeting and spoke against Aldi’s coming to Fulton. Are you kidding me? We need growth, expansion and jobs.

Really? A resolution was put before the legislature to charge rental fees for equipment borrowed from the county. Mr. Castiglia voted for it. When he realized he didn’t understand, again, what he voted for, he continued to try to have it brought back to the floor. As a legislator you have to understand what you are voting for.

Really? Mr. Castiglia will talk about how he is the savior, he is the only one who understands. Ladies and gentlemen, he doesn’t understand. The many items he sites as wasteful are not. They are needed to make our county government work for you. The legislators in the majority party pay taxes too. They don’t want to pay more either.

Department heads pay taxes, they cut every year. They try to do more with less, always looking for ways to consolidate.

Fulton and Oswego County can not afford to have 2 more years of Frank Castiglia.

If he got his way, your taxes would have doubled.

During my tenure, as your legislator, your tax rate went down, they are now higher.

Writing letters to the editor criticizing everyone from legislators, department heads, and the people, may seem like a great thing to do, but if all the facts are untrue and his understanding of committee meetings and votes are so unclear you get a very misleading impression!

I do understand county government. I will, and have worked for you. I will work with the city of Fulton to promote jobs and growth.

I won’t have to publicly apologize for issues I didn’t understand.

Louella LeClair

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/in-his-own-words/

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