To the Editor,
I am proud to be able to write to you supporting the Democratic slate of candidates for the village board this year. Each of them has exhibited the experience and dedication to this village that has earned them a place on the board.
If there were any doubts among your readers I would invite them to read the qualifications of each (both the Republicans and Democrats have mailed extensive information to every household; give all of it a thoughtful examination).
Your readers know what Jeff Katz has done to bring good government and good ideas to this community. Ellen’s long, long record of community service is unmatched. Dr. Franck has touched the lives of every single person living here whether a relative newcomer or a lifelong resident.
And, I am taking you to task on your “personal favorite.” James Dean has gone to the mat, over and over again, with bravery that challenges each one of us.
Yet you endorsed someone else recommending to him other service, out of the public eye. If he is your personal favorite, then match his courage and endorse him.
Democracy in action is not a spectator sport, nor is it neat and tidy; the mayor needs to hear ideas and opinions from every quarter of this community – he needs to hear and respect opposition to function in the best public interest.
Which brings me to the final and most sensitive point. There is a sense, evident in some of the letters to the editor in your paper, that “Democrats” are to blame for dissension within the village. There is a strong impression that “outsiders” have ruined life, as they knew it.
This is carried in the Republican advertising headline, which reads, “Live here, grow here, stay here.” The unwritten conclusion to that headline is “all others keep out!”
Let me suggest that Cooperstown already has serious, deep-seated issues concerning who belongs here and who doesn’t. It seems to me that this attitude has crossed the line of love of community into a territory of prejudice that is both dark and dangerous.
I am not asking for any public confessions but my hope is that each resident will engage in a moment of self-reflection. If for no other reason, shouldn’t we be setting a better example for the children of the village – our children and grandchildren?
SALLY R. ELDRED
Cooperstown
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