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Letter To The Editor: Vote No On Putnam Valley School Referendum

PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. -- The Putnam Daily Voice accepts signed and original letters to the editor up to 350 words. To submit your letter, email putnam@dailyvoice.com.

Send your letters to the editor to putnam@dailyvoice.com.

Send your letters to the editor to putnam@dailyvoice.com.

Photo Credit: File photo

The scheduled vote on Dec. 8 for Putnam Valley Residents is outrageous. 

Regardless of one’s position on the referendum, the scheduling of that vote on a major Roman Catholic and Orthodox Holy Day and its shortened hours, is an act of disenfranchisement to many of our voters. 

Usually the poll hours are from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; a total of 15 hours. In this instance the shortened hours are from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

In calling the office, the Superintendent stated that they did not want to disrupt the schools so they scheduled it for after the school day. While this is convenient for the school system, it presents challenges for many citizens of Putnam Valley. 

We believe the faulty thinking of this scheduled vote must be laid at the feet of the School Board members who, at least in theory, represent the interests of the citizenry. However, there appears to be more than a simple desire to please the school administration which is rewarded when their term of office is up with a plum of a job in the school system. 

This raises ethical issues, and the quiet manner in which many of these “transitions” from the school board to the school system are suspect. 

Our concerns about the surplus funds issue is that the School Board can easily over budget so that there will always be a surplus which will then be funneled into the Reserve Funds. 

Until safeguards are established, and a percentage of a surplus is always returned to the taxpayer, we cannot support this proposal as it stands. This should be voted down. 

Voting “NO” will send a message that the citizens of Putnam Valley want full disclosure.

(Archbishop) Anthony J Bondi Chair, Putnam Valley Board of Ethics Michael Cicale, member Esther McHenry, member

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