To the Editor:

I will cross the party line this year and vote for Renee Cole as St. Lawrence County treasurer.

I have had the pleasure of working with Renee in the past and I can assure you there is no one more qualified to run this office than her.

She has the intelligence, work ethic, integrity, experience and character to manage this department. She does not need letters, CPA, at the end of her name to prove her knowledge and value. She has taken on the responsibilities of two full time positions for the past 10 months and I find it disgraceful that certain legislators have chosen to denigrate and diminish her capabilities and the work she has accomplished.

As for the whole bank reconciliation mess, the legislative Chairman of the Finance Committee is a CPA; didn’t he read the 2013 audit where this was brought to the attention of the board?

Shouldn’t the CPA bells and whistles have been going off then? Was it just swept under the rug or ignored until 2016 because a Republican treasurer was in office? How has the legislature made decisions for the past few years?

Don’t lay this blame on Renee; she wasn’t even in this department. She is the one trying to correct the mess! The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the Legislators who chose not to address the problems in 2013 and comply with the audit comments at that time.

Renee Cole has invested herself with sweat equity in this position; she has earned our vote!

Shirley White

Hammond