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Letters to the Editor: Support for Gosda and Smith for Trustee

March 07, 2012

To the Editor:

With the Village elections fast approaching I am drawn into reflecting on buzz words which have been prevalent in the news since the “great recession” we are recovering from. We are in an age where the terms “new normal” and “default” blanket the headlines. When we see the fear of default as it relates to New York State we can rest assured the response is to push fiscal requirements back down to the local level. But we also see municipalities across the country who are facing default. The principle reason these municipalities are facing this threat is that they failed to respond properly to the realities of the “new normal”. We as the electorate need to elect Trustees who we can trust to make decisions that are not business as usual. The cost of local government is increasing as state government pushes costs back and infrastructure deteriorates and begins to fail. We need Trustees who question each expense not only as it relates to current needs but also on what the effect will be on the future fiscal well being of the Village.

When I go to a Village Board meeting and hear Barbara Gosda question the use of taxpayers dollars I am comforted by the fact that she presents questions that consider where the money is coming from first. Her line of questioning then continues down the path of what the future benefit of an expense is and what precedence it sets by approving such an expense. This attention to fiscal responsibility is what the “new normal” demands. All municipalities and governments must look at the way they spend taxpayer dollars with the same thought process they would use if they were running a business or for that matter their own family finances. As an example during the recent board meeting the subject was raised to spend a small amount of money to upgrade the web site. I liken the Board’s acceptance of this expense to the thought process that gets families credit card debts out of control. Trustee Gosda stated correctly that there are numerous computer-related issues that need to be addressed. So even though the dollar amount was low is it still fiscally responsible to spend the money on a luxury? My old TV works fine so I am not about to run out and buy an HD flat screen just because its nicer and the prices are great around Christmas time.

Jan Smith also presents the Village with the expertise that we require to be successful financially. With an accounting background I feel she will look at fiscal issues with a bias based on her expertise that will ensure the right questions get asked and the answers are thoroughly understood. This will give all the board members an asset in having a resource serving on the board that has the skills needed to ensure the future financial success of the Village. Financial success will guarantee that we can continue to ensure that the village is an affordable comfortable place to live.

One of the keys to successful leadership is humility. A functional effective Village Board will be made up of individuals who are humble enough to listen to each others opinions, ask appropriate questions and work together to create consensus of what the most appropriate action is for the good of the community. We ask them to serve us in government not dictate to us what their agendas are. I feel that Gosda and Smith will move us in that direction.

Chris Neighbors
Cornwall On Hudson, NY

Comments:

Chris Neighbors, I must applaud you for your attempt but us sane people have to be insulted by you taking kindness for weekness. The fact that all the Gosda/Smith supporters keep posting the same week excuses every day in and out was amusing but is now becoming tiring. Your political vocabulary is not fooling anyone. If you saw the wolves in sheep clothing that Gosda/Smith are being then you would be ashamed to have posted that letter.
Posted by
James Horne.

posted by james horne on 03/08/12 at 4:26 PM

The mass Kane/Russell supporters have decided to take the high road and not feed into the Gosda/Smith political ploys but I have decided that the residents and taxpayers need to know the truth. By that, I'm sorry to say that im taking the low road with you.

posted by james horne on 03/08/12 at 4:42 PM

Mr. Horne,

Who is being insulting? You imply that anyone who does not agree with you and support who you support is not sane, you claim that people voicing their political opinions in a public forum are trying to "fool" others, and you portray two very accomplished people who, at the end of the day, are your neighbors as being treacherous and having an exploitative agenda (wolf in sheep's clothing).

Classy.

You do a lot for the image of the people you support, but not in the way that you think.

posted by Ted Warren on 03/09/12 at 9:11 AM

Chris I couldn't agree with you more. Barbara Gosda and Jan Smith care about responsible financial practices for the Village. They care about keeping taxes reasonable and not taking on more village debt. They ask reasonable questions about how our tax dollars are being sent. I want Village trustees to question how our money is spent. After all it's our tax dollars. What I don't want are trustees that are so focused on one single issue so much that they divert $189,000 from Villages services. The way to financial stability in the Village is to elect Barbara Gosda and Jan Smith.

posted by Tom Bailey on 03/09/12 at 9:15 AM

Mr. Neighbors,

Your letter is well written and well thought out. You made no attacks against anyone and only expressed your support for Barbara and Jan. I think you make a good case. I guess that means I am not sane. So be it.

Also, maybe I missed something in Mr. Horne's response but I don't see a case being made for 'the truth'. I would be happy to hear it.

posted by Rita Ponessa on 03/09/12 at 9:18 AM

I have an an arsenal of "truths" for you. I have come to the realization that the Gosda/Smith supporters can only maintain one thought at a time so i'll take it slow for you. Gosda, Smith, and Argenio say that the main reason why they want the D.P.W building closed is because they care about the employees safety. Why do they agree on letting the employees work in a building that has been deemed more unsafe than the D.P.W building?

posted by james horne on 03/09/12 at 10:50 PM

If Gosda, Smith, and Argenio are allowed to keep repeating the same ol excuses then I'm going to do the same. I have plenty more topics to show the Gosda/Smith deceit. I beg of you to ask for them from me. I already know what the lame defence that every Gosda/Smith supporter has for every one of my topics but I'm going to allow all of you to make yourselves look clueless. I'm not going to do it for you.

posted by james horne on 03/09/12 at 11:00 PM

I think that its sad that Gosda, Smith, Argenio, and thier few supporters demand answers to all of thier questions but as soon as we give them and answer they demand evidence. As soon as we give them evidence they accuse us of "steam rolling" and "bamboozeling" them. Why can't Mayor Coyne, Trustee Edsall, Trustee Kane, and all of thier supporters get ANY answers from Gosda, Smith, Argenio, and thier few supporters? I know why, its because they don't have any. If Gosda gets re elected and Smith gets elected it will be the worst thing that has ever happened to C.O.H.

posted by james horne on 03/11/12 at 12:24 PM

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