Disagreements ‘make for good government'

To the editor: My opponent in the upcoming election for the 7th County Legislative District, Daniel Burke, last week in The Photo News obliquely referred to the work of an unnamed committee that I chair as being called a “fool’s errand” by the current County Executive, Ed Diana. That Committee is the Colonel Bradley Monument Committee, which was established more than two years ago to repair and restore the famous Orange Blossom Civil War monument owned by the county after nearly a century of neglect. The “fool’s errand” remark was made regarding the moving of the monument out of harm’s way from the middle of Main Street in downtown Goshen some 25 feet out of the road way. This solution was arrived at after months of discussion by a committee made up of historians, teachers, village officials and county officials (including two other legislators). Monroe-Woodbury’s Paul Ellis-Graham has been one of those committee members. But the county executive came in after the committee made its recommendation and decided, I think, that, because his fingerprints weren’t on the plan, he needed to have his presence felt. Mr. Diana’s solution was to remove the statue to a nearby park, disregarding the historical significance of the location of the monument altogether. When the committee met with the county executive, they flatly rejected his two alternative plans. The compromise (so that now the county executive is part of the project) was to move the statue an additional 10 feet. That’s all. The project will now move forward (no longer, apparently, “a fool’s errand”) and the statue will be ready for its rededication on its 100th anniversary. If Mr. Burke knew me at all, he would know that it has not been uncommon for me to butt heads with my own party’s leadership when it comes to issues I strongly believe in, such as the monument restoration, the KJ pipeline and open space preservation. The county executive and I are good friends, but we sometimes disagree. That’s OK - that makes for good government. Opinions are aired and decisions are made - considered decisions, which make our home county a better place to live. Sincerely, Spencer McLaughlin Orange County Legislator, District 7