McLaughlin states his case for reelection

To the editor: Two years ago we put a front porch on our house - a house built by my dad and granddad more than 55 years ago. Folks driving by on Round Lake Terrace say that it's changed the whole look of the house. Yet behind this new porch, it's still the same home we've always had - where my sister and I were raised and where my wife and I have raised our kids. Our hometown of Monroe is a lot like this house: certainly changed since the 1950's, but still our home, a great place to raise our kids, a town worth saving. Preservation of this heritage has been the major focus of my tenure in the Orange County Legislature since 1990 and is the reason that I have decided to run for another term. Monroe has long reached past any concept of sustainable development. We are forced by the courts to expand our sewer plant that dumps into the already overburdened Ramapo, while the Village of Kiryas Joel continues to get approvals from the State for more water and more sewer capacity. As Chairman of the County Rules Committee I was able to push through legislation that resulted in the County suing Kiryas Joel in its attempt to tap into the New York City Aqueduct. But that fight is far from over. As I write, the court is about to hand down its verdict and - no matter what the outcome - continued opposition to the pipeline is critical. As ranking majority member of the legislature, I've been able to push through legislation on funding for open space and well head protection, creation of an economic development strategy to sustain farming in the county, and adoption of a countywide master plan for our parks system. I've chaired the County Tax and Mandate Relief Committee and the Civil War Monument Committee, which I established while Chairman of the Physical Services Committee, with the goal of restoring the Orange Blossoms monument in Goshen after nearly a century of neglect. It is our history and our environment that make us a unique county and a unique town. It is our history and our environment that creates for all of us a sense of place that we can call our home town. I would very much like to continue as the representative in Goshen for this, my home town of Monroe. Sincerely, Spencer McLaughlin Orange County Legislator, District 7