Letter To The Editor – Facts or Gross Exaggerations?

To the Editor:
In a recent Letter to the Editor in the Eastwick Press on May 3, 2013, Jim Martinez highlighted four main points that he would like readers to believe are facts instead of the gross exaggerations that they actually are.
Point One: He mentioned in his letter to the Editor (Eastwick Press) that I, as Supervisor have overspent the Highway Fund by the tune of $377,268 – per State Audit.
Did he read the entire report? In December 2009 a wheeled trackhoe was purchased after being rented during that summer for a grand total of $156,000. A vibrating roller was also purchased in December of 2009 for $13,000. The rest of the money was designated in that very same month (2009) to purchase a dump truck which the Town did in the summer of 2010. Let me take a second to clarify something for him. I did not designate the money for the dump truck, nor buy the trackhoe, nor buy the roller in 2009. As a matter of fact none of the current Board Members were even in office in 2009 except for Mr. Surdam.
Point Two: He stated that I likely trespassed or illegally entered an area not leased by the Town per a local police report.
There were no illegal actions. If there were, why weren’t there any arrests made and charges filed? All the residents have to do is to read the recent article in the Eastwick Press, and it will be clear what actually happened.
Point Three: He mentioned because of the shoddy treatment towards our highway employees expenditures for negotiations have increased from $0 to $10,000 to $15,000.
Doesn’t he know that Town Boards cannot stop a union from forming? Did I sign a card inviting the union to come? Would you or he sit back and give your employees the world and at the same time punish the taxpayers? Do you or he think it’s cruel and unusual punishment making an employee pay only $56 every two weeks along with receiving a $2,500 debit card to cover prescriptions and co-pays for a family plan? How many of our hardworking taxpayers only pay this much towards their healthcare and get a $2,500 debit card to cover the medical co-pays? If this is unreasonable treatment how come the entire Board, (minus one), agree with me? Does he really feel this Board’s intentions are to harm the employees or their families? Companies around NYS are looking for creative ways to reduce health insurance costs, usually forcing employees to contribute more. Are these companies wrong too? As a public servant, I work for the taxpayers and not just our employees.
Point Four: He stated I used *69 to harass the Credit Union.
At the time, the Town Clerk had just hung up her phone and told me that Jim Martinez had called inquiring if there was a meeting that night. Wanting to see if I could answer any questions he may have had, I used Verizon’s *69 callback feature instead of waiting for the Town Clerk to finish what she was working on so I could use her phonebook. He and I had a very cordial short conversation. Nothing like he described in his Letter to the Editor where he said I made a follow up call to harass a local business, the Credit Union. In fact, there was never any harassment during our call on my part.
It’s ironic that Mr. Martinez accuses me of “smoke and mirrors” in his letter, when that is the exact tactic he uses to try to discredit me. Why he would take facts and turn them into gross exaggerations is anyone’s guess. I can only attribute it to the fact that it’s spring and it’s an election year, something I have grown accustomed to in my position as Town Supervisor.
Keith Cipperly
Hoosick Town Supervisor