To the Editor:

Although he didn’t originate the expression “all politics is local,” Tip O’Neill, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is most closely associated with this phrase.

Which brings me to John and Sherry Haluska’s excellent letter in The Enterprise last week, “Why don’t local Republican leaders condemn national GOP initiatives?”

In the election last fall, a local Republican candidate ran, unsuccessfully, for a state office. He said that national political issues should not be considered by voters in local elections. I profoundly disagree with that concept.

Laws passed at the national level can and often do require state and local implementation. For instance, what books a library may maintain, what courses must be taught in local schools, laws affecting the environment, healthcare, etc. This is particularly true with the Trump administration now legislating down to state and municipal levels.

That being the case, voters should know just where their locally elected officials stand, in philosophy and in practice.

Gerard Houser

Guilderland