To the Editor:

The July 15 Altamont Enterprise editorial “Voters need a choice” hit the nail on the head. “The foundation of our democracy is a citizen’s right to vote. That is how the people remain sovereign — in control of their leaders and thereby their destiny.”

It was only a few years ago that I was disturbed, driving around the area, where every Hilltown except Westerlo had election signs for their town board candidates. Those other communities had a choice. Not so in Westerlo.

At that time, only Democrats were on the ballot. There was no choice then, and there is no choice now. The only difference being the party in control of the ballot.

Three town board seats need to be filled in Westerlo: Supervisor and two council seats. That’s a majority in a five-member board. It can make a huge difference in what kind of work gets done in the coming years.

I know Matt Kryzak, running for supervisor, but I don’t know Lorraine Pecylak and Joshua Beers, the other Republican candidates running for town board seats. Matt has done a good job. He’s been fair-minded and willing to make independent, substantive decisions. I had a conversation with him before that election and supported him.

Every voter, given a choice, can vote for the candidate they think is better for the job in the general election, even if it comes down to “the lesser of two evils.” Ned Stevens, the Westerlo Democratic Party chairman, and the other committee members, have given the voters no such choice.

In fact, Mr. Stevens diminished the importance of that choice, saying the candidates “care about the community. They’re all willing to work together.” [“Westerlo Democrats back GOP board candidates,” The Altamont Enterprise, July 1, 2021]

That may be true, but working together doesn’t necessarily mean the best things will get done for the community. Partisan cooperation may mean that highly partisan agendas prevail.

I don’t want Ned Stevens, or anyone else, making that decision for me. A photograph of him was posted on the Westerlo Republican Facebook page during the last election cycle, where he joined others at a rally supporting Liz Joy.

She is infamous, in my opinion, for her 2019 lecture “A Christian’s Guide to Voting,” held at a Westerlo church. She was running as a Republican for the United States Congress at the time [“In Democratic stronghold, Joy reaches out to Christian, Conservative voters,” The Altamont Enterprise, Aug. 15, 2019]. 

I have no issue with supporting candidates across party lines. I do have an issue with possible conflicts of interest and defaulting to the other major party. The Westerlo Democratic Party committee has failed, not only every Democrat, but every voter in the town.

Absence of choice disengages people from participation. It is both a characteristic of and another step toward an authoritarian state, where citizens have no influence on government. Exactly what some in positions of power want.

Dianne Sefcik

Westerlo