Archive: Opinions

Editor, The Lansing Star:

The job of organizing and legally noticing the recent Democratic caucus in Lansing was done by the Lansing Democratic Committee (LDC).  The LDC made the logistical arrangements for the caucus and encouraged all registered Democrats in the town to attend.  However, no one particular candidate was endorsed by the LDC prior to the caucus.

Getting supporters to come out to the caucus is an important tradition in the campaign process.  This recent caucus differed from its predecessors only by the number of voters who turned out.  Over 100 people attended.  The procedure followed this year was no different than any caucus in the past.

The tenor of some of the campaign rhetoric following the caucus, however, is disturbing to me.  Each candidate for Supervisor, Connie Wilcox and Kathy Miller, has some combination of elected leadership and career experience to bring to the job.  Each has also spent many hours working for the benefit of the community.  Whether it has been the Farmer’s Market, the Library, the Firefighter’s Auxiliary, or the Town Center each has taken on responsibility for projects above and beyond that required of their job.  Some of these efforts are tied to their elected position.  Some are not.  Both, however, have demonstrated their willingness to go the extra mile to provide amenities to town residents that might not otherwise be available were it not for the dedication of groups of town residents, including both Connie and Kathy, who volunteer for projects of special interest.

The Town of Lansing has serious and important challenges ahead; encouraging business development that will diversify our tax base, protecting and preserving open space and farmland, the impacts of hydrofracking are but a few.  I sincerely hope that the remainder of the campaign will focus on issues.  Too much is at stake to allow attacks based on non-issues to play a high visibility role as voters consider their options.

Sincerely,
Pat Pryor
Lansing, NY