To the Editor:

It was brought to my attention that the Republican candidate for Westerlo Town Supervisor, Dotty Verch, posted the following message on Facebook on Sept. 18: “Found that some people are still AFRAID of the Dems in the town. Have to wake them up and show them that the Dems are a bunch of wooses” —  followed by two crying emojis.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines woose [wuss] as: “a weak, cowardly, or ineffectual person.” Clearly a derogatory term.

My father was a Democrat. He was also a World War II combat vet, serving in the Battle of the Bulge. His best friend was blown to bits beside him. Like many vets, he wished it was him.

Sometimes survival is the hardest thing to do and requires minute-to-minute courage. He lived in Westerlo in his later years until shortly before he died. He always identified with being a soldier and was buried with military honors at Saratoga National Cemetery.

He went to college on the GI bill and taught English and history. He was tough on us kids, but we learned how to read and write and we learned about American History, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and its Amendments.

He taught me to think for myself and to challenge abuse and injustice. He went to the March on Washington and heard Dr. Martin Luther King speak. He would have no anti-Semitic or racist talk in our home. He served with Jews. He knew black soldiers who fought and lost their lives even though they were discriminated against at home and could vote only at the risk of being lynched.

It’s likely there are other veterans in Westerlo who are also Democrats. Perhaps there are some who gave what Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” Everyone in the service, regardless of race, religion, culture, ethnicity or political affiliation, takes the same oath, which, at its very core, includes a willingness to sacrifice his or her own life.

There are people here and everywhere who have never been in service, but who show courage on a daily basis in many ways. Maybe they deal with challenges like unrelenting pain, disabilities of all kinds, life-threatening illness, loss of loved ones, abusive relationships, depression, addiction, trying to stay afloat financially.

Maybe they step in to care for aging parents and young grandchildren, lovingly but with great difficulty. I could go on and on about “ordinary” people and their extraordinary, every-day courage.

I'm a Democrat. I listen to people who have different points of view than I do. I may or may not know if they have a party affiliation. I don't care about their party. I care about the kind of person they are.

I have worked to keep an open mind about all of the candidates who are running for office this year. I never vote for someone just because they’re a Democrat. Never.

I’m tired of “the lesser of two evils” choices. I do write-in or third-party votes if there is no one I can support. I want people in all levels of government who have integrity, independence, a deep sense of fairness and justice, who care about all the people, who champion the rule of law, and who are not party puppets.

I don't like the Democratic machine and make my concerns known in public. I have challenged the cronyism in Westerlo that has existed for decades. I don’t like the Republican machine either and will not support just another flavor of cronyism.

I do not believe Dotty Verch would be a fair and just supervisor. I believe she would leverage whatever power she has to serve her own purposes. In my opinion, she is, and will continue to be, a hyper-partisan crony politician.

I resent, but am not surprised, that she would call Democrats cowards. If there’s a coward in the room maybe it is she because I do not believe she would say such a thing at a public meeting.

Dianne Sefcik

Westerlo

Editor’s note: Dorothy Verch did not return calls seeking a response.