25°
To the editor:
Councilwoman Suzanne McDonough seems to have developed a habit of missing Carmel Town Board meetings. Her lack of presence resonated last week when a group of seniors confronted the town board about an unfair "alarm tax." After I did a quick study of the Carmel Town Board minutes, it became blatantly apparent there was a pattern.
Indeed, Councilwoman McDonough has missed more Carmel Town Board meetings than any other current member — and by a large margin! Councilman Lombardi, who joined the board in 2010 with McDonough, has only seven absences, while Councilwoman McDonough has 26!
Considering the town board has only about two meetings per month, that is dereliction of duties! Why run for a higher office if you cannot fulfill the duties of your present elected position?
The “alarm tax” that prompted my research targets our senior communities. This tax is immoral and unfounded — particularly for the folks who reside at “The Retreat at Carmel” since their pull string alerts do not connect with emergency service and do not cause false alarms. Yet Suzie could not find the time to do her job and make a decision on this issue.
Ironically, I think it is better she did not show up, given her record of raising our taxes the rare times she actually shows up to fulfill her duties. A vote on the issue has been postponed because of the councilwoman's glaring absence. Given the fact Councilwoman McDonough is running for state Assembly, I can say with certainty I will NOT be voting for her.
If she can not show up to vote and do her job in the town in which she resides, how can we trust her to show up and represent us in Albany? We’re going to pick a new Assembly member to represent us this year; it is our chance to pick someone new, who isn’t part of the same old political nonsense and who is ready to work on our behalf. Suzanne McDonough has proven that she's just more of the same — an absentee, tax-and-spend politician who can't be bothered with our problems.
Yours truly,
Jack Hufnagel
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