I would like to express my fervent support for KT Tobin in the upcoming election for New Paltz Village Trustee. KT is a strong and well-rounded candidate with a long track record of serving our community. She is committed to maintaining and enhancing the sustainability of our village, and to making sure that our village is a safe and affordable haven for people of all backgrounds and walks of life.
As a candidate, one of the attributes that makes KT invaluable is her ability and willingness to listen to, and really hear as many points of view as possible. I know that I share many a common stance with KT on several issues, so it is easy for me to say “of Course! of Course, she belongs on the board!”. I can’t stress enough, however, that KT will represent us all, and she will no doubt do so by building bridges, not walls. She will reach out wherever possible to find input from all angles: opinions, concerns, commendations, grievances. She will hear us all, and she will facilitate solutions that work for us all as best they possibly can. I cannot think of a more important quality in a public decision maker, especially in a time when it seems that we, as a society, have grown so polarized that we often lack the ability to even entertain a respectful conversation, much less actually work together towards a productive end, with those on opposite sides of the political spectrum.
I have to admit that I’m not usually the letter-writing type, but I noticed something a few weeks ago that motivated me to speak my mind here. Another candidate for the Village Trustee position made a comment on social media to the effect of KT making a salary of several hundred thousand dollars annually, and that thus she is incapable of understanding the plight of and properly representing the overworked and underpaid citizens of New Paltz. My first inclination was simply to disagree – I don’t believe that what tax bracket a person falls under can or should define them or their ability to serve. But then I thought, “wait, doesn’t KT work at SUNY.” It’s true. She’s a state employee. With just a little bit of research you can find the details of her salary, nowhere near what her opponent had claimed. In this day and age, where the new standard of truth has been set by the orange, flesh-eating lizard-man we call the leader of the free world, it angered me to recognize a blatant disregard for facts in an effort to attain a seat on the council that governs my village. So I’ll conclude by saying that I have every confidence that, on top of all of the many other responsibilities that I know she will take on so very well, I also am certain that KT will do all she can to see that our village stands strong against the hateful rhetoric and potentially devastating policies and legislation coming out of the current administration in Moscow. Oops I mean Washington.
So that’s that. GO OUT ON MAY 2 AND VOTE FOR KT!