A letter from Mayor Terry Dungan

Dear Editor:

As we approach election day, it is disappointing to hear so many candidates saying things that are false or misleading and making empty promises. For example, quite a few have said that taxes are too high, while this may be true, how does that relate to the Village? For three years in a row we have not increased the Village tax rate. You’ll notice that no one has said what  they will cut from the budget to try and lower taxes. Quite a few have said that there is no shortage of qualified volunteers, suggesting that they’ve been rejected for personal reasons. Actually, those applicants were not qualified. They were Town residents and the law requires that an applicant reside in the Village. One Trustee candidate has just recently gotten a room in a rooming house so that he can claim a Village address and technically qualify to be a Village resident.

One mayoral candidate reportedly did not tell people they were signining a petition nominating him for Mayor, but instead said it was a petition for consolidation. The person, managing the Village EnCC web site, has posted politically motivated false information regarding the Village solar panels. Actually, the Village will never see the estimated savings cited, due to serious mismanagement of the project, over the fifty year useful life of that system, no savings will accrue to the Village. Instead it will end up being a net loss to the Village. Contrary to the remark made by a mayoral canididate that the Transportation and Land Use Study has been “essentially sitting on the shelf,” this administration has implemented or supported the implementation of many of the Study’s recommendations.

For questions or clarification regarding a particular issue , you can send an email to honestvillageelections@hotmail.com. As a voter you deserve respect; you have the right to expect the truth.

Terry Dungan

Mayor

Village of New Paltz