To the Editor: 

I have had the privilege of serving on the Berne Town Board since January.  We have worked well as a team, each bringing our own distinctive set of skills and points of view to the table. 

Together we have worked to see the completion of the Berne hamlet sewer district, widening of the routes 443 and 156 intersection, implementation of a new accounting system, and a new procurement policy that earned us the praise of the State Comptroller’s Office.  Berne is in the best financial shape it has ever been. 

The highway department was able to purchase new equipment without debt, we have a new website, and an upgraded phone system. The interior of Town Hall was renovated, expanding office space and improving access to them. 

We are actively working with Time Warner Cable and residents to expand Internet service within the town. This is a complex problem faced by many rural communities such as ours, but we have been successful with it and will continue to work toward coverage in other outlying areas.

Best of all, we have been able to do all of this and decrease the tax rate by 1.1 percent for 2015.  I am proud of what we have accomplished this year.

I view my position on the town board as true public service, a chance to give back to the community that has given me so much for so many years.  I am running for the position this year because I feel I bring experience, knowledge, and unique expertise to the board.

As a fifth-generation Berne resident, and longtime community advocate and active town meeting participant, I have an understanding of Berne’s past, the current needs of its residents, and their desires for the future.  I will continue to analyze and research issues critically, and work my hardest to serve my fellow residents with the attention they deserve.

I urge everyone to carefully look at all the Berne candidates this year, and to exercise their right to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Dawn Goodfellow Jordan
Berne