To the Readers' Forum:
I have been watching the discussions and following the progress regarding the potential sale of the Chautauqua County Home. As someone who ran for the County Legislature last year, I am sickened by the blatant disregard my legislator, and others, have for the will of their constituents.
My legislator, Timothy Hoyer, has made many statements in the media, and in the legislature, that make it obvious that he does not care how much the taxpayers will have to pay, he will never support the sale of the home. This goes directly against the obvious wishes of the vast majority of his constituents. Mr. Hoyer is joined by other legislators like Robert Whitney, Lori Cornell and Vickye James who have turned a deaf ear to the taxpayers of Jamestown.
Sadly, he and the other Jamestown legislators that are firmly against the sale of the home, have also doomed it to continue to lose more and more money. There is virtually no chance that the CSEA will offer any concessions because the union's decision-makers know that there are clearly not enough votes to sell. Therefore, they don't have to worry about making any concessions. The status quo is all they will offer.
These county legislators are boldly defying the will of the people because they are comfortable that, as long as a D follows their name, they will be re-elected regardless of how irresponsibly they act with the peoples' money.
Ladies and gentlemen of Jamestown, why would you allow blind-faith partisanship determine the fate of our county? When will enough be enough? Even though I am a Republican, if I had the honor of serving as your county legislator, you can be assured that I will do my best to represent the will of the people, regardless of party affiliation - especially in a situation like the county home, where the taxpayers have expressed their wishes loudly and clearly.
We cannot sit back and let Timothy Hoyer, Robert Whitney, Lori Cornell and Vickye James arrogantly snub their noses at their constituents. They must do the right thing or pay the consequences in next year's election. I, for one, am energized and I will stand up for what is right.
Michael Haddad
Jamestown