To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the article dated March 15, 2021 in The Enterprise regarding Leo Vane Jr. and the Berne Town Board appointment [“GOP’s Vane appointed to Berne Town Board in party-line vote].

Supervisor Sean Lyons stated in the article, “I am confident he [Vane] will work hard for the people of Berne, like [councilmembers] Dennis [Palow], Bonnie [Conklin] and I do.” I am not surprised to see that Councilmember Joel Willsey is yet again left out in the cold.

Supervisor Lyons and Councilmember Palow were part of a campaign that touted “People not Politics.” They ran with people of varying parties yet they cannot seem to be able to work together with the previous or current town council.

In my opinion, regardless if you agree with each other or not, there should be respect amongst the members of the board. If five people are not able to work together for the common good of our town, what does that say to our community?

According to the article, Councilmember Vane stated that his biggest concern is for the residents that live in this community. How can that be?

Per the article, one of the first things Vane did as a councilmember was to reject the motion that was being made to allow public comment to be reintroduced at town board meetings. Are these the same residents that you are concerned about?

Councilmember Vane, you were quoted as stating, “They get on their high horse and … they continue and continue and continue.” Isn’t listening to the residents’ part of a council member’s job?

The previous supervisor, Kevin Crosier, and town board always had public comments included in the agenda. And yes, sometimes people went over the three minutes; it happens.

This is no reason for you or the current board to shut down the entire town’s voice. As a town board member or supervisor, my opinion is that you have a responsibility to listen to the taxpayers’ concerns no matter how small or unimportant they seem to you.

Per the article, you have a master’s degree but declined to specify what the degree is. Wouldn’t you want the people to know?

In the article, it is mentioned that Councilmember Vane was a union president for nine years. I hope your members got to speak without a time limit. That is the job; it is about listening and gathering information. The people of this town deserve the respect of being heard.

Frank Brady

East Berne

Editor’s note: Frank Brady, a Democrat, ran for Berne Town Board on the GOP line in 2017 and on the Democratic line in 2019; he was not elected.