To the Editor:

I am a lifelong resident of St. Lawrence County and I am deeply concerned about the deterioration of our county’s finances.

I have read our State Comptrollers reports and it is clear to me we are in over our heads. This is not about party politics for me as I have always voted for the person I believed would do the best job, regardless of party affiliation. But now I see our county’s Democratic controlled legislature has made decisions that will have negative effects for years to come.

They have pursued extraneous issues that are costly to us taxpayers, with little results to show for the money spent. They have chased the illusive dream of I-98, while ignoring our crumbling highways, closing a component of our Public Health Dept. and depleting our fund balance.

Initially I thought I-98 might be good for economic development, but now I must question the wisdom of this pursuit. The legislators that have spent our money advocating for this rooftop highway are the same people who led us to this sad financial state. They are the same group that initially endorsed the SAFE Act. Bad judgment should not be rewarded on Election Day.

If we were ever to get a Rooftop highway, what would happen to farmland? A four-lane highway cutting through our county would surely impact farmers and devalue their business. Reducing farm production, decreasing land values, and removing this large block of land from the tax rolls translates to higher taxes for you and me. We need to help reinforce and keep the strong businesses we currently have and the jobs they create.

Surely our legislators have looked at the impact of other highway expansions. I-88 connecting Binghamton with Albany comes to my mind. This four-lane highway is about 3 hours north of NY City. It benefits Albany and Binghamton but I have seen little economic development for the expansive area in between.

I no longer believe the contention that this would be good for the North Country. As I think about how North South travel might be affected by I-98, I recall how badly the Madrid community was impacted when the State closed their bridge for over a year. A village was split, affecting fire and safety response, local business, and costing residents time and money for the lengthy detour. The location of off-ramps and overhead bypasses will likely be decided by the same political process that ignored the needs of our residents.

Our county’s future is too important to place in the hands of legislators who have clearly not lived up to our expectations. We need to vote for change this Election Day.

Judy Wilson, Canton