To the Editor:

To the registered Republicans of Massena: I’m sorry. You deserve a better candidate than what was presented to you Sept. 9.

The responsible move of the Republican Party should have been to run no mayoral candidate at all for the 2014 election, because there is no candidate available that has the integrity, knowledge, and respect for their fellow residents that the position of mayor deserves.

Instead, you now have a Republican candidate who has shown gross disrespect to the constituency that voted him into office in 2010.

From calling Massena a “ghost town” in the papers shortly after his election, to repeatedly shouting down the public in village board meetings and sharply restricting their chance to make comments in a public forum, to calling Massena a “cesspool” due to the various social issues surrounding the community, to disrespecting the voting public directly in local media, James Hidy has shown his inadequacy to continue serving as Mayor of the Village of Massena.

I supported the Republican party putting forth no mayoral candidate for the 2014 election. I did this not for a petty “personal vendetta,” as Mr. Hidy inaccurately claims, but because I feel strongly enough about how the people of this community are treated that I cannot, in good conscience, support an incumbent who rants and raves whenever someone disagrees with him.

I have attended a number of village board meetings since relocating back to my hometown in 2010, and I have seen Mr. Hidy’s childish conduct numerous times. Mr. Hidy, I believe, is more impressed with his own theatrics than in ensuring the voting public - the constituency that already voted him into public office once - have the opportunity to voice their concerns in a public forum.

Do you want a mayor who rants and raves, who shouts people down when they try to make a comment, who considers your town a “cesspool”, serving the public?

I have some experience living in the home of an elected servant of the community, and I have seen how a local office-holder should act. James Hidy has shown me none of the integrity, knowledge, or respect that earned him my vote in 2010.

He has shown time and time again that he is not serving your best interests, Massena. Do not serve his, in return -- vote him out of office in November.

David Romigh

Massena