X

Legislator Lightfoot responds to Paquin's comments

Posted 10/31/14

To The Editor: It appears in a recent letter to the editor, that Massena Legislator Greg Paquin has finally awakened from an eight year nap and brought with him the dreams that he experienced during …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Legislator Lightfoot responds to Paquin's comments

Posted

To The Editor:

It appears in a recent letter to the editor, that Massena Legislator Greg Paquin has finally awakened from an eight year nap and brought with him the dreams that he experienced during that nap. Let’s take a look at some of those dreams.

First our “twisted and distorted points,” as Mr. Paquin puts it. We Republican board members have tried our best to bring some fiscal sanity to this board, rather than political expediency, but we number only six. For the past eight years the Democrats have held the majority and the results are not only striking, but disheartening as well. Ask a department head or a county employee about the moral in county government. While Republicans have made many resolutions and offered many amendments to others, we are consistently outvoted, almost always by the unanimous votes of all nine Democrats. If a republican offers an alternative, it is most ALWAYS voted down. Now democrats write that we offer no solutions. None that they agree with that is.

A few examples of the democrat party fiscal largess and flawed thinking follow:

(1) the $60,000 plus price tag for the lobbyist at the Wladis law firm, and

the Democrats just reauthorized it again in the 2015 fiscal year budget, all republicans

voted against the reauthorization;

(2) an extra $10,000 for the village of Waddington to host another fishing tournament, over and above the $30,000 they asked for and budgeted for;

(3) continuing the operation of the Home Healthcare Agency after it lost $3 million, and cost another $1 million for the year it stayed open and this does not even include the hundreds of thousands of dollars it cost the four partners interested in taking it over, when the offer to sell was effectively withdrawn;

(4) granting raises to the chief assistant District Attorney and other assistants above the salary schedules the positions were placed in, now the indigent defense attorney’s want the same consideration;

(5) authorizing the expenditure of equipment, manpower, time and money to replace a bridge, not owned by the county, when another bridge, county owned, sits less than a quarter mile away, cost estimated at $250,000;

(6) the implementation of the highest tax increase in the history of St. Lawrence County because of the spend down of a $20 million fund balance and the continuing need to borrow millions to meet cash flow needs. I could go on but I believe my point has been made.

Then there is I-98. I-98 has been a dream of some for more than 50 years. The cost of implementing that dream is estimated to be $4 billion, that’s $4 billion dollars, when we have an international bridge in Ogdensburg, vital to commerce, that needs millions to repair, county roads that need paving, deteriorating bridges and culverts that need rehabilitation. Has anyone heard the Governor ever advocate for I-98? Does anybody want it? Do we need it? Outside of the county board room, where do we hear any talk of I-98? And where is the money to come from for this pipe dream? Only Democrats led by Jason Clark, Sam Burns and their party boss Mark Bellardini, who holds no elected office, continue to beat the I-98 drum.

Another scene in Mr. Paquins dream is that the republicans want to privatize everything. Quite the contrary. We Republican board members believe that evaluating programs and looking closely at expressions of interest from the private sector is the financially responsible thing for every county legislator to do. If private entities prove that they are able to do the job as well as the county and with measurable savings to the taxpayer, then it is our duty to explore those opportunities. Notice I said “explore”. The Democrats on the board do not believe in even a first step, exploration. Therefore, the status quo prevails.

And last, but far from least, the infamous “Safe Act.” Over a year ago, democrats voted unanimously against an amendment to the Safe Safe Act resolution calling on our Albany representatives to repeal the so called “Safe Act”. They waited for over an year, until elections rolled around, to suddenly do a 180 and come out in favor of repeal, with the lame excuse that they were “waiting for amendments” to the act. ?? Totally lame and an insult to the law abiding gun owners they represent, whom they hope will believe this kind of garbage.- Legislator Paquin has recently seen fit to publically chastise Don Hooper, who is a candidate for the seat currently held by Mr. Burns. He actually call him a liar for saying that the county legislature “ratified” the Safe Act. One of the definitions of the word “ratify” reads as follows, Mr. Paquin: “to confirm something done or arranged by an agent or by representatives”. By voting against an amendment to repeal the Safe Act, board democrats gave their stamp of approval to the Act and by definition, the democrats “ratified” it, in voting unanimously against the amendment to repeal. I believe you owe Mr. Hooper an apology Mr. Paquin.

The 2015 budget that has been brought forward is the product of months of work by the County Administrator and her budget team. That team is made up county financial staff, no legislators. I was just told by a constituent two days ago that he thought that this budget was made and brought out by the legislators? Nope, not a legislator on the budget team. So much for taking credit for a sound budget with minimal impact on taxpayers. All of the legislators are now in the process of reviewing the county administrator’s budget and some are patting themselves on the back for the work others have done.

In closing, let me say that none of the above facts are “twisted” or “distorted”, nor are there any lies. On Tuesday, please consider the fiscal roller coaster that residents of St. Lawrence County continue to ride, when you vote.

If you like the ride we’re on, stick with the status quo, if not, you have crystal clear and well qualified alternatives. You certainly know how each of us candidates stand on the issues facing the county. Remember, the loyalty of the Republican candidates for the legislature is to the residents of St. Lawrence County, not the Republican party.

Joe Lightfoot

District 3 Legislator