BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

NORFOLK - Republican John Burke will appear on the November 8 ballot three times as he hopes to keep his seat for a third term as District 12’s St. Lawrence County legislator.

Burke’s hoping to build on the work he’s already done on the board, but sees some tough hurdles ahead.

“The biggest challenges are the uncertainty of operational costs and the added burden on our citizens due to inflation. Maintaining quality care services with a high staff turnover rate is troubling. There must be a far greater emphasis on identifying the causes and developing a comprehensive plan to stem this bleed. High turnover of staff is costly to the taxpayers, has the potential to compromise services, and places additional burdens on our remaining staff and their departments,” he said. “During my tenure on the board, I served as chair for one year, was a member of the board of health, the industrial development agency, and the soil & water committee. I also served as the liaison to the community services board. In addition, I chaired the census committee and participated in various other legislative committees,” he said.

Burke worked in mental health for over 37 years, holding leadership positions for the majority of the time.

“In my five and half years as chief of service, I served initially as the director of outpatient services and later as the director of inpatient treatment services. I provided oversight to the business office, the human resource department, and the geriatric fellowship program. I also managed the implementation and ongoing provision of several best practices identified by the NYS office of mental health,” he said.

Burke says he has a deep appreciation for the county’s employees and unions.

“I recognize that our entire county has a high quality workforce and that providing them with the respect and support they deserve is in all of our best interests. Having served in union positions and later in management positions, I learned the importance of seeking first to understand the other’s point of view in resolving workplace issues,” he said.

Burke says what separates him most from his opponent is his integrity and experience.

“There are several factors that separate me from my opponent. Perhaps most importantly is my experience. I have had the opportunity to serve my constituents and have a proven track record. I have refrained from attacking my opponent in spite of attacks on me. In addition, I am not beholden to external forces that would cause me to “bend” the truth or give the public only a portion of fact that distorts the entire picture,” he said.

Burke says his opponent Renee Azzopardi has misrepresented him in public statements.

“As an example, I have voted consistently in support of our second amendment rights, opposing the safe act twice, in favor of adopting the local law defining “proper cause,” supporting the lowering of age for hunting licenses from 14 to 12, calling for cross registration of firearms, creating a gun safety program in the sheriff’s office, opposing the “concealed carry improvement act”, and others. I did not support spending taxpayer dollars on the two amicus briefs relating to New York City. I believe the cases were well articulated and well supported by numerous states and private entities. It was also clear that the Supreme Court would hear the arguments and that the new makeup of the court held the potential for a favorable outcome. It was not my lack of support for the litigation but my concern for spending taxpayer dollars on a fight already well-funded, yet my opponent and several legislators chose to portray me as opposing the second amendment, an allegation that is blatantly false,” he said.

Although Burke has taken some flack for caucusing with Democrats, he says he’s proud of his voting record and conservative values.

“I have never voted to raise taxes. I have voted for every resolution in support of our trail system. I worked with our planning department to secure a $250,000 grant for energy efficiency projects for our county. I voted to maintain the integrity of our meal program for senior citizens and against the closure of two congregate dining sites,” he said, adding that he is a strong advocate for opioid treatment and mental health services.

Burke, who served as chairman of the legislators for a time, says he had a committee to look at employee health insurance and make recommendations for savings. The committee helped develop the framework that would save taxpayers millions of dollars.

“During that year we drafted a legislative agenda and began the process of meeting with our state representatives in Albany. We developed a fund balance policy to address our low reserves. We also authorized a health benefit plan eligibility audit to assure the benefits only went to authorized individuals,” he said.

If reelected Burke says he would like to see more focus on mental health and substance abuse services and road maintenance.

“We need to address the issue of high staff turnover and develop strategies to retain and recruit employees. In particular, we need an action plan to address the chronic shortage of social workers, nurses, and psychiatrists. We need to aggressively pursue grants to assist in providing evidenced-based treatment. We also should evaluate options for preventive maintenance for county roads.”

Burke says his experience speaks for itself.

“I would like to ask my constituents to look at my voting record. This is the true measure of my efforts to protect their wallets, advocate for their constitutional rights, and provide quality county services. Some critics would like you to believe that I do not protect your dollars, yet I have received the coveted endorsement of the conservative party,” he said.

Burke says sometimes, it’s not always about the money you spend, but rather about the money you save taxpayers in the long run by providing timely interventions.

“Had we achieved what the vast majority of other counties had achieved in DSS by reducing the number of children in foster care, millions of SLC taxpayer dollars would have been saved,” he said. “Instead, our numbers went in the opposite direction,” he said, adding that things have been improving.”