To the Editor:

I appreciate the care given to the set of questions posed by The Altamont Enterprise to the candidates for the Westerlo Town Board. Those questions are all important to me and the responses to them have generated a lot of good discussion.

I'm glad the people in our town have choices this year and I hope we'll each vote for the candidates we think will serve our town best.

In some states, like New Mexico where one of my brothers lives, local elections are not party affiliated. I like it that way. I think the party bosses should keep their noses out of local government.

Instead of supporting people to find common ground and work together in the best interests of our communities, they have a vested interest in a divide-and-conquer mentality.

If we're ever going to salvage our democracy, that has to change from the ground up, because it sure won't change from the top down.

I'm a life-long Democrat. I stay in the party for one reason only: To have a say about who gets on the ballot.

I went to the Meet & Greet at Woodman's Hall to find out more about the Republican candidates and to get answers to some of my questions. I came away satisfied that there is a real willingness to listen to people and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

Our town needs the right kind of change. We need to work together, regardless of party affiliation and regardless of pedigree. If we pool our skills and knowledge, we have the best chance to solve the problems we face, develop effective local government, and share the quiet enjoyment of life with each other in our beautiful, rural town.

Thank you for listening to me.

Dianne Sefcik

Westerlo