Letter to Editor:

On Election Day I ask that the residents of the Town of Stockholm and the south eastern parts of the Town and Village of Potsdam vote for Chad Colbert for county legislative district 11.

Chad has a strong financial background having a degree in accounting, MBA and professional designations of Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Analyst. In addition to operating his own financial planning firm, he is also an adjunct instructor at a local university. He has a desire to see St Lawrence County get back to where it should be financially and will be a good part of a new team of legislators to see that things get back on track. I feel he is well qualified to do so.

St Lawrence County is faced with a number difficult issues from aging infrastructure, high taxes and the need to grow economically to be able to provide employment for young people so they do not have to move away from the area. Further the September 2014 Fiscal Stress Monitoring System report from the State Comptroller’s office lists St Lawrence County as among 10 municipalities with “significant fiscal stress” in the State. According to a Comptroller’s press release in May 2013: “St. Lawrence County is walking a financial tightrope,” said DiNapoli.

“Recent budget decisions may leave the county without sufficient cash available for managing unforeseen events or closing budget shortfalls. Before the county gets in a financial bind, officials should develop a comprehensive long-range financial plan that will help identify operational and capital needs, monitor revenue and expenditure trends, and develop new financing sources.”

Vote for Chad Colbert to be a member of the county legislature on Election Day to be part of a new team of legislators to help get St Lawrence County back to good fiscal health.

Donald Gruneisen

Potsdam