Skaneateles Press: October 12, 2005

Neighbor’s First for the record

To the editor:

Neighbors First is a true coalition of voters from all political parties throughout the town of Spafford. We formed an independent party to have our collective voices and concerns heard by candidates running for office in November. Over the past weeks, there have been several letters to the editor claiming to speak for Neighbors First. Since no one has asked us to elaborate our positions, all of the comments have been presumptuous at best, and simply wrong at worst.

So for the record, the Neighbor’s First platform is as follows:

(a)We support a planning process that first and foremost considers the rights of property owners. We do question the need for a “blueprint” or “Master” type plan because they rarely work in practice; rather, we want a process that identifies town-wide priorities, provides mechanisms for protecting farmland, and prepares the Town’s infrastructure for the future. This kind of planning goes way beyond “5-acre zoning,” which we do not support in principle.

(b) We want an unobtrusive town government that is fiscally responsible; that doesn’t mean no spending at all; rather, it means no unnecessary spending.

(c)We demand a civil board that will attend to the Town’s business in a polite and professional manner; we want to restore our good name in the eyes of our neighboring Towns and the County; we believe that neighbors can agree to disagree, and at the end of the day remain friends.

Neighbors First is, in fact, endorsing the Republican slate of candidates for one reason: we are confident that they can do the job in the manner in which we

    believe it should be done. These folks have solid credentials (including training) and established records demonstrating their commitment to service.

Above all else, these candidates are decent, hardworking and caring people who will serve in the best interests of the entire town.

We remind our neighbors that anyone can write a letter to the editor and say anything they want (present company included); there’s no journalism involved, no fact-checking, no nothing. All we ask you to do is to consider the source. Is the author of the letter someone you know and trust, or someone with an axe to grind? Better still, rather than accepting someone’s word at face value, we encourage everyone to contact the candidates and ask THEM what they think. Tell the candidates what concerns you and how you would like to see Town Government work on your behalf. Finally, go to the polls in November and vote. We think this approach is far more constructive than ranting and raving.

BRIAN UNDERWOOD

TOWN OF SPAFFORD