Archive: Opinions

This is an open letter to the State and Local Board of Elections and the People of the Village of Lansing. This is a letter based upon the facts and issues of this campaign for the Village of Lansing Mayor and two Trustees and goes to the center of what this Village is and what it will become.

We are the Village of Lansing Preservation Party and are a nascent independent Village political party. Our primary focus is transparency and community engagement. Over the years there has been minimal opposition to our opponents. In this instance longevity is not always a good thing. One important issue is community engagement in development. We do not disclaim our desire to run for Office due to this issue. We acclaim it. However, we are not single issue candidates. In line with fiscal transparency we want to highlight the following to better understand where our tax dollars are going and why.

The Village built a new Village Hall and the old one is being used for storage. The new Village Hall had a $300,000 overrun.

The Village bought a snow plow and built a barn to put it in although the Town would agree to plow our streets.

The Village has a part time lawyer that is paid $90,000 a year to attend Village meetings when the Town and the County legislative bodies do not regularly employ a lawyer.

The Village taxes have increased 18% this year and over 30% in the last three years. This is a massive rate increase.

Our opponents have not regularly followed the State and Local Election Laws. They have not filed properly with the State of New York regarding having to file with the State Board of Elections. They will say and have said that they do not need to file with the State as they say they do not spend more than $1,000 per election cycle.

The Village has a web site that was created and maintained by the present Village Trustee Hardaway who is paid to maintain it. The same Trustee created and maintains our opposition party's website.

It is an "In Lieu" contribution to their Committee which must be reported at its Market Value. But, it can not be reported due to the complete lack of even filing to create a Committee which they call themselves.

Our goal is to "preserve" our bucolic Village and bring a level of transparency around these issues as well as more willingness to listen to you our potential constituents. We will listen to you. Please come to the Village Hall and vote for us on April 25th between 12 noon & 9 PM.

Matt Neuman
Treasurer, Preservation Party
Ithaca, NY
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