I attended the North Salem Town Board candidate forum last Wednesday expecting to hear the same thing I always hear at these League of Woman Voters forums. This is who I am, this is what I believe, and this is what I want to do. So milquetoast. I always like to listen to what people say because eventually that is what they will do, even if at first they depart from their campaign promises. Wednesday was different. I heard a candidate with passion and conviction. Dr. Almeyda explained she was trained to identify a problem, gather data, and fix the problem. What a straightforward plan. She clearly and passionately stated her position on onerous regulations, such as forcing people to change their light fixtures so we can be Dark Sky compliant. This is an issue that is currently before the Town Board. Her rejection of unnecessary government intrusion in our lives drew applause from almost everyone in the audience. It was the only time last evening that we heard applause. Not just golf tournament applause but almost thunderous applause. Her response to a question about the government forcing them to change their light fixtures hit a nerve with people. I could tell Dr. Almeyda is in line with how people in town feel.
In her closing statement, Dr. Almeyda clearly enumerated what she will and will not do as a member of the Town Board. There was no ambiguity. 1. I will preserve the rural character of the town. 2. I will preserve high-quality town services. 3. I will support volunteer services. 4. I will participate in implementing the Croton Falls master plan. 5. I will do all this in a fiscally responsible manner. She went on to say, “I will look at every expenditure critically to evaluate the degree of necessity to the town.”
Then came the items she will not do. This is what I wanted to hear. 1. I will not vote yes to spend money on unnecessary items that have little or no benefit to the town. 2. I will not vote yes to onerous and intrusive new proposals to the town code that have minimal benefit to the town.
I admit I have been working with Dr. Almeyda on her campaign, but this gave me a whole new level of energy. I work hard to earn a living and get very upset when government, at any level, takes my money and wastes it. I do what is necessary to be a good citizen, but past that, I just want to be left alone. I don’t want the government to tell me what lights I have to put in my fixtures, what form of energy I have to power my car with, what type of stove to have in my house or how much water my toilet should use.
This is why I support a candidate like Dr. Almeyda. She represents the individual freedoms that make this the United States. We do not live in a controlled society. I encourage everyone to cast their vote for Dr Almeyda and her running mate Brent Golisano.
Howard Hellwinkel
North Salem
2023-10-10 08:01:28
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