To the Editor:

I find many of the recent letters to North Country Now and The Journal to be extremely humorous. The democratic majority of St. Lawrence County seems to be suffering from amnesia.

I know many of the new Republican legislators were not around back around the 2007/2008 time frame , so I will give you some of my memories to help Sam Bums, Fred Morrill, Don Peck and the boys hopefully recall the facts.

Do you legislators remember the $24,000,000+/- fund balance. Now I am not talking cash flow or anticipated revenue, Fund Balance. The conversations were something like, we have too much money and this is not fair to the taxpayers. There was even a committee formed to evaluate what the appropriate fund balance should be on a $200,000,000 plus budget.

Well 7 years later of the democratic majority shows fund balance somewhere around 4-5 million and for the last few years having to borrow upwards of $10,000,000 annually to help make payroll and cover bills.

Do you guys remember Stimulus money? that was the Obama money going around for 3 years which started around $4-5,000,000 first year and went down a little for the next 2 years. I was always the one who would not vote for a budget, I believe my reasoning was you cannot form a budget with one time money. I also believe my reasoning was down the road this money will be gone, and our budgets will be very hard to balance in future years.

Oh then there was the sales tax increase. Remember that one Sam Bums? I believe if you look hard enough I can find a picture of you on the front page of The Journal stating, you remember, I Sam Bums will never support a sales tax increase. Front page, come on Sam you have to remember that. Something like little Johnny wont be able to buy a new pair of boots.

Then there was the 14% property tax increase a couple years back. We had to take that much of an increase to make a budget. Then once we get the sales tax increase, we can give the 14% property tax back the next year. Yeeeee haaw.

When I hear the ads or see the letters from the Democrats, elected and also appointed, I cannot help but grumbling a bit.

There are several new candidates running for county legislator. Many come from business backgrounds. One such candidate is Don Hooper.

An accountant, Sam that's a numbers guy. Don worked in the private sector all his life, and since retiring believes he has the time and expertise to help the county out of this financial crisis, and I agree as well. I believe the democrats have had enough of a chance trying to run this county.

If other people are like me, and watch and listen, I believe we can all can agree they have run it almost entirely into the ground. This election year, lets vote based on qualifications and not because someone is a nice person or active in the community. ...

St. Lawrence County is a 225,000,000+/- business, like it or not. We have some serious issues that have to be decided. Most business owner' s I know over the last several years have had to make decisions so that they could stay in business. It has been a challenge to say the least.

I believe Don Peck, Fred Morrill and Sam Bums always liked to say, we don't have a spending problem, just a revenue problem. Well boys, how’s that new sales tax revenue helping balance your budget?

I ask all voters to please think of the shambles this county is in and give some new, very well qualified candidates a true chance to make a difference. Just remember, if you do not vote, you have no acceptable reason to complain.

Dave Forsythe, Lisbon

Candidate legislator district 2