To the Editor:
As a member of the New Scotland Town Board and a former zoning board chairman, I’d like to say a few words to the residents of the town concerning the upcoming election.

I’m not running this year, but several of my fellow board members are, and there is a full slate of candidates running against them.

If you are unhappy with the way the town is being run, and the challengers are offering concrete plans to run it differently, by all means, vote for them.

But if you think we’re basically on the right track — preserving open space, expanding small business, keeping taxes low, protecting our seniors during COVID — then please support the incumbents: Doug LaGrange, Adam Greenberg, and Dan Leuning.

Change for the sake of change or even change for a vague notion of party diversity is counter-productive. That’s because it takes time and effort to learn about current issues, understand a budget, master zoning and planning concepts, and build the relationships with state and county agencies and neighboring towns that can help New Scotland get things done.

New board members would get there eventually, of course. But in the meantime, our forward momentum would stall, setting back the projects that are finally coming to life after the pandemic.

The old saying is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the stakes are higher than that, so I would go further: If it ain’t broke, don’t break it.

Bill Hennessy

Councilman

Town of New Scotland