It is difficult to believe that nearly two years have gone by since the last election. Things have changed tremendously in that time period. The Town of Rochester was a bitterly divided community. Distrust, misperceptions, and misrepresentations were the rule, while trust and communication among all the stake holders were the exceptions. Things changed for me considerably upon my election to the office of supervisor. The past two years have been a period of personal growth and changing perceptions. Things are much different when one looks from the inside out instead of from the outside in.

I've found that the Democrats across the aisle from me are not the monsters I thought they were. I've found that we all pretty much want the same things for our town. We might have some differences (especially in methodology), but what we all share in common far outweighs our differences.

I've also come to respect and understand many of the actions of my predecessor, Pam Duke. I originally disagreed with the changing of assessor back in 2007 but now see that it was long overdue. I don't think even she realized the extent of the problems in that office. Since taking office we have found over 700 building applications unprocessed by the assessor crammed in a drawer. We have placed over $17 million on the property rolls and that number continues to increase as the real property inventory progresses. Checks and balances have been put in place in order to prevent a situation such as this from occurring again. We must be vigilant to ensure that assessments are fair and accurate so that each property owner pays his or her fair share. None of this would have come to light if not for Pam's action to replace the assessor.

I've come to respect Pam Duke's fiscal acumen with the town budget. She was quite conservative with revenue projections, and that enabled our town to escape the pitfalls of over-estimation of mortgage property tax revenue from which other towns have suffered.

Pam was very active in preserving open space in our town and I respect that greatly. She spearheaded the campaign to preserve the Davis and Domino Farms and was active with the Shawangunk Scenic Byway Coalition. I've followed in her footsteps by bringing the preservation of the Domino Farm to fruition and by bringing my own commitment to preserve our open spaces and to thus preserve the rural character of our town. Development is inevitable and necessary, but it should be balanced, and it should not come at the expense of the natural treasures that make our town so special.

Some might wonder why I would give praise to Pam Duke and her supporters. The simple truth is that credit should be given where credit is due. This should be done regardless of party affiliation. There should not be enemies or animosity in our town. We can have differences of opinion, but we must realize that we are all neighbors. I have worked very hard to foster inclusion of all stakeholders in our town and can see that diversity of opinions benefit us in solving our town's problems. It takes a lot of hard work to build trust and respect, and it takes very little to erase those gains. We must not let the current election season alter our course. The mistakes of the past must not be repeated. There should be no tolerance for mean-spiritedness and negativity. Character assassinating website postings and anonymous nasty signs springing up in the night are the acts of mean-spirited individuals with narrow-minded agendas. The public deserves better than that. We are all still neighbors after the election dust settles. Mutual respect and active listening to each other must be the first rule of decorum.

I am committed to having our town be a place where we all work together to solve our problems and I am committed to having the Town of Rochester be the best place it can be to work, live, and play.