In support of SaveMonroe slate

To the editor, I would like to alert all registered Monroe Republicans and Democrats to mark your calendar for Sept. 13 which is Primary Day. I would also like to point out why it is so important for you to go out and vote in this year's Monroe primary election for Town Board candidates. As a former three-time elected official, 18-year community activist and an avid follower of local politics, I am giving all of my support to the SaveMonroe candidates and here is why. Save Monroe has qualified candidates who are passionate and committed to protecting Monroe and its residents. Over the years, SaveMonroe members have lobbied our town board to promote polices of smart growth. Without smart growth, Monroe will be overcome by traffic, high property taxes, pollution and environmental destruction. Evidence of this can already be seen. Further threatening our region with overdevelopment are the proposed Kiryas Joel water pipeline and non-enforced zoning. Keeping this in mind, we should all be reminded, that the Republican incumbents wouldn't even be in office if it were not for Kiryas Joel. This presents the incumbents with a dilemma. When pressed to take a position on the KJ pipeline, they refused. It is time to stop 20 years of looking the other way. It is time for Monroe residents to wake up and take action. Will we make every effort to stay rural-suburban? Or will the urbanization of Monroe continue? It may at times seem difficult to figure out who will be the best leaders for Monroe, especially when people submit letters and political ads with falsehoods. Last week we had a letter from Ann Krawet who attacked SaveMonroe. She said she resigned from SaveMonroe, but the truth of the matter is that she was voted out of SaveMonroe as a result of the problems she created due to her refusal to come to terms with the fact that she was not a candidate of the SaveMonroe party this year. There was also an attack against SaveMonroe last week by Councilman Peter Martin accusing the SaveMonroe candidates of unnecessarily spending money by forcing a primary this year. The real truth is that the SaveMonroe candidates found it absolutely necessary to force a primary since the potential primary numbers suggested that the KJ bloc vote factor would not be as daunting in a primary, thus increasing the chances of knocking the Town Council candidates out of the race in September. When trying to overcome a potential 3,500 bloc vote that keeps the Republican incumbents in power, you need to explore every option. The best option to overcome a bloc vote that favors an urban landscape and the incumbent Town Board is for those who support a rural-suburban Monroe and non-partisan Town Board candidates to come out and vote in mass. Not only should you vote, but you should bring somebody else with you to vote who normally would not. If you vote for the SaveMonroe candidates, there is no question that you will be voting for a team that will work to stop overdevelopment. Even long-time Republican and county Legislator Spencer McLaughlin, known for his integrity and professionalism, has joined SaveMonroe and is running on the Save Monroe ballot line in November. I urge you, too, to join the cause. Sincerely, Donald R. Humphrey Monroe