To the Editor:

This letter is to address blatant misinformation and to counter some of the political spin that is being fed the people of St. Lawrence County.

I worked for the county for 28 years and served as First Deputy Clerk for eight years prior to the appointment of Mary Lou Rupp. I have first hand knowledge of the truth.

The suggestion that Gavin Regan was justified in firing Mary Lou Rupp because Patty Ritchie fired her First Deputy in 2000 when elected is entirely false.

The First Deputy took a state job with better pay when Mrs. Ritchie was first elected County Clerk. Although management positions within the County Clerk’s Department were consolidated to save the taxpayers’ money, nobody was ever demoted or lost their job.

The second rumor that needs correcting is that Cathy Streeter was unfairly overlooked for the position of First Deputy Clerk when Mary Lou Rupp was appointed. Cathy was not offered the position because of her unwillingness to be trained in the Department of Motor Vehicles. Cathy Streeter was advised more than once that further promotion would not be possible without acquiring hands-on working knowledge of the DMV, which encompasses over two-thirds of the County Clerk’s Department and brings in the majority of revenue.

It is also false that Mary Lou was the only person willing to take the job as First Deputy Clerk upon my retirement. Mary Lou was chosen over others based on her qualifications, experience and work ethic.

The people of St. Lawrence County are now paying the price for the lack of knowledge about the county’s DMV among the current top officials at the County Clerk’s office.

Cutting public access hours in the DMV is an example of poor decision making and lack of experience. It is a risk to cut or change hours without public warning when the county receives 12.7 percent of every transaction completed locally.

Shame on you, Mr. Regan, for blaming scheduling issues on the County Administrator. I have never known Karen St. Hilaire to micromanage any department. It is not an easy job scheduling staggered lunches and juggling hours to accommodate the public and staff at no additional cost to the taxpayer but it can be done. Mary Lou has the experience and background knowledge to correct this mistake.

I am personally very upset that since Mr. Regan took over, it now takes up to three days to complete the registrations for downstate auto dealers. That business grew into a major revenue source for the people of this county on the ability of the committed staff at DMV to perform a service that no other county was willing or capable of completing.

The 24-hour window turnover time was security for expansion and maintaining the revenue that St. Lawrence County has come to rely on. It is not surprising that the rate of revenue growth has significantly declined during Mr. Regan’s short time in office.

I have been privileged to work side-by-side and even helped train Mary Lou when she took over my position. Mary Lou is a quiet but strong leader who leads by example and hard work. She is not a politician, but a dedicated and ethical woman who knows how to get a job done.

Mary Lou brings vast business and management experience along with years of work experience both in the DMV and clerk’s office. I loved my job as First Deputy Clerk and the people I served. You can trust me when I say that Mary Lou Rupp is the only candidate capable of running the office in the manner that the people of St. Lawrence County have become accustomed to. Please vote on Nov. 8 for Mary Lou Rupp.

Patricia A. Rabideau

Canton

Retired First Deputy County Clerk