To the Editor:

A dark cloud that hovered over the Guilderland library for the past few weeks was blown away this past Tuesday by a combination of an aroused voter turnout and a vigilant library leadership eager to avert and correct alleged mistakes of the past.

In 2012, Albany County Legislator Mark Grimm opposed the Guilderland Public Library’s request for $12.95 million to be spent on renovation, safety upgrades, and expansion. He was generally recognized as orchestrating the defeat of that proposal. As for this time, Mr. Grimm was generally more muted in his criticism of the library’s 2019 request, but in the end he still refused to endorse the proposal.

An argument that Mr. Grimm has raised is that many longtime residents of Guilderland fear that they will not be able to afford the increase in taxes and public debt that comes with the issuing of millions of dollars in new bonds. There may be some validity to this argument, but it should not be overlooked that the majority of Guilderland voters continue to vote for and support school and library budgets after their children have left school.

The problem of seniors dealing with increased taxes is not just a local issue. It’s a systemic problem that can only be solved by local, county, state, and federal legislatures working together.

My question is: What has Mr. Grimm done, as a member of the Albany County Legislature, to reduce the tax burden of Albany County’s seniors?

As far as cutting taxes, for Mr. Grimm it seems to apply only to town and school taxes. As an Albany County legislator, he has voted to expend over $50 million in the past two years.

It should be noted that I am the Democratic and Workers Family Party candidate opposing Mr. Grimm for the right to represent the 29th Legislative District on the Albany County Legislature. If I am elected, I pledge to make this issue one of my first priorities.

Jim Cohen

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Mark Grimm responded that county taxes have been cut each year he has been a legislator. He has voted “yes” on all the county budgets since taking office in 2016. He said his approval came after lengthy fights, each time, about what should be in and what can be done without. “I think we have been responsible, and I think I’ve been a force in making that happen,” Grimm said, noting he is the ranking minority member on the Audit and Finance Committee.