To the Editor
I recently heard former congressman John Faso use the well-known phrase “there’s no joy in Mudville” when describing the current situation for Republicans in the House of Representatives on a radio panel.
The state of our County Legislature under the failed leadership of Robert Doherty and his yes-men Mike Brooks, Nick Salomone, George Conklin, and Alan Sorenson leaves no joy for all residents of Sullivan County.
Instead, and on their watch, we’ve seen county jobs go unfilled, health rankings remaining nearly last in the state, a sweetheart deal at the airport and the Adult Care Center’s lease and potential sale agreement cause a decline in rating from Four-Stars to One. We’ve seen people die because of opioids in our county while the legislature took its sweet time to appropriate drug settlement money. We’ve seen the DA’s office go without adequate funding for its staff while the County Attorney’s office has gotten more staff at higher pay. We’ve seen highly qualified women and men leave county positions. In meetings we’ve seen division, disruption and ultimately in court, a verdict of defamation.
Do Robert Doherty, Mike Brooks, Nick Salomone and George Conklin deserve re-election? Do we trust the fractured Republican party’s choice of candidates in ethically challenged Terry Bernardo and Amanda Ward or the inexperience of Joanne Jasper? The answer is a resounding NO.
Sullivan County deserves better leadership. We deserve leadership with no agenda other than to serve the residents. We deserve leadership that brings with it a wealth of life, professional and government experience. We deserve leadership that understands the need for communication, compromise and connection with employees and residents.
Vote for Matt McPhillips, Nadia Rajsz, Brian McPhillips, Maryallison Farley, Cat Scott, Luis Alvarez, Justin Picciotti, and George Nikolados for a better future for our county.
With apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer –
On November 8th in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Doherty and his team struck out.
Anne Hart
Chair, Sullivan County Democratic Committee
October 4, 2023