To the Editor:

It never fails that, as election time approaches, the hype and not the facts are trumpeted.  The Republican candidates for Berne Town Board have a palm card that does just this and states misinformation and outright lies.

But, when a Republican candidate has never been to a Berne Town Board meeting or spent any time at any town programs, how could he know anything about the town of Berne?

Let me set the record straight and give you the facts.  Thanks to the hard work of the Berne Town Board and current board members Dawn Jordan and Karen Schimmer, who are running for re-election, the town of Berne is in its best financial shape in history.

Dawn Jordan’s and Karen Schimmer’s Berne Town Board accomplishments include:

— Three straight years of property tax decreases;

— A 2-percent property tax cut for 2016;

— The town of Berne general fund and highway fund are totally debt free;

— New town infrastructure including roads, sewer, library, Town Hall, bridge, etc.;

— Over $3 million in grant funding, including a newly announced $300,000 for a new salt shed;

— New parkland with a lodge that will generate revenue, help drive property taxes even lower, and for which the town of Berne has been recognized by the Open Space Institute and the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy for innovative land preservation and creating recreation opportunities for residents;

— New services for our seniors such as the Berne Town Senior Shuttle and the Senior Meal Program; and

— New upgrades to the Berne Town Park.

These are the facts that are the accomplishments of our hard-working Berne Town Board.

These are the facts of why Dawn Jordan and Karen Schimmer should be re-elected to the Berne Town Board.

With all the wonderful things happening in the town of Berne, you have to wonder why the Republican candidates paint the town of Berne in such a negative light.  This negative hype and view of the town of Berne, which is factually wrong, clearly does not show the leadership or vision needed to move the town of Berne forward.

I have lived in the town of Berne my whole life and have always said that it is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I would think that Berne residents would be offended that the Republican candidates who paint the town of Berne in only negative terms, most of which are absolutely untrue.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, please vote for Dawn Jordan and Karen Schimmer who are our friends and neighbors and are the only candidates who have demonstrated true leadership for the town of Berne.

Thank you.

Kevin Crosier, supervisor

Berne

Editor’s note: Berne Supervisor Kevin Crosier and town board members Dawn Jordan and Karen Schimmer are all Democrats.