To the Editor:

I would like this letter to serve as a formal apology to the voters of St. Lawrence County, registered Conservatives, and Andrew Moses. Recently Mr. Moses was falsely accused of circulating a Conservative petition for the position of Family Court Judge. The fact of the matter is, not only wasn’t he doing so, but under New York State Election Law, he has every right to do so without the consent of the party.

Only in New York are there laws that give Judges, even Judicial candidates, more rights than the citizens they are sworn to protect. Every other candidate must have authorization of the party to circulate that party’s petition. But not judges. This is the law, and such as it is, we must abide by it. Therefore using terms like sneaky and underhanded are unfair and disingenuous.

This is by no means an endorsement, or a show of support for Mr. Moses’ candidacy. I personally am not endorsing or supporting either candidate in this race. However, one of the few remaining rights we have as citizens is the right to vote in both primaries and general elections. Primaries insure a candidate is truly the voters’ choice; it’s an excellent opportunity for the registered Conservatives of this county to pick their own candidate.

I apologize for both the highly unprofessional manner in which this was handled, and especially the false accusation. As a member of the Conservative Board, in the spirit of true bi-partisanship, I welcome a primary between candidates. I urge the voters of the County to put aside the party rhetoric, and do their due diligence. Then make their decision based on who they feel is the best candidate, not just this race, but in every race.

Russ Finley, St. Lawrence County Conservative Board Member