To the Editor:

The disgusting and baseless personal attacks on our supervisor, Vas Lefkaditis, by his opponent’s supporters and co-conspirators are disgusting and deeply troubling. Neither Mrs. [Amy] Pokorny, nor the Knox Democratic Machine have any true substantive issues to run on (still) that the voters want to see and hear about.

Instead, they are resorting to last-minute and totally pointless lawsuit claims from 20 years ago! [“Accused of ‘indiscretions’ as a stockbroker, Lefkaditis says he had a ‘stellar track record,’” The Altamont Enterprise, Oct. 19, 2017] Folks, this shows the desperation in some to bring down the supervisor because they do not agree with his bold vision and successful track record for Knox.

I suppose it shouldn’t really surprise us that Mr. [Eric] Kuck is on this crusade against the supervisor since that’s all he did while on the town board. [“Indiscretions have no place when dealing with our tax dollars in Knox,” Opinion, The Altamont Enterprise, Oct. 19, 2017] Honestly, 20 years ago, when a young professional was just beginning a career and learning the ropes is the best you can find?

Try better than that, we can see right through your dirty tricks. There hasn’t been a lick since but you try to make a stink about something so far in the past. Let’s try to take the high road from here, what do you say? No more nasty stunts.

How about we take a second and remind the voters of some things Vas has really done for the town, like  take us on a facilities tour and show people the disarray the town is in, while Amy Pokorny has stunted growth in Knox and has tried to enact changes not beneficial to the town. Vas has helped expand senior and youth services to make this town open and accessible to both youth and adults. We’ve had the return of the Pucker Street Fair and soon, the rebirth of the store in town.

Vas has found many ways to save the town money by switching banks to get a lower interest rate for bonds and helping obtain new energy-efficient lights in town. He even tried to hire a lawyer that would have cost the town less than the current one, and probably wouldn’t have illegally screwed up a bond anticipation note.

However, Mrs. Pokorny and others wanted to retain him for his “institutional knowledge” about the town. It really smelled like political favoritism rather than hiring the best person for the job. Then, we learn a law firm had to be hired to fix his mistake, costing thousands of dollars. It’s time to hire people who are competent enough to not make major mistakes like this.

Vas re-introduced the idea of a town-wide newsletter and actually made it come to fruition so people could become more active in the town. We can’t forget when Mr. Kuck and Mrs. Pokorny threw a fit when Vas signed the opening welcome letter on the front page and they said it needed to come from the town board to show “unity.” What a joke that was.

As previously noted in a letter to the Enterprise editor, dozens upon dozens of other towns sign their welcome letter from the supervisor as they are essentially the head of the town. But God forbid, Vas’s name is on it and not theirs.

Most recently, we heard from Vas about the possibility of the Postal Service bringing back some services to the town. We didn’t see leadership during the past administration on this issue so it’s exciting to hear this news.

In addition, we have seen Mrs. Pokorny and other board members relentlessly oppose Vas when he tries and tries again to get more business districts in town. The rebirth or Knox is happening and it is because of his leadership on this issue and not grandstanding.

Let’s not forget as well when Mrs. Pokorny and other board members held a secret meeting without the supervisor’s knowledge too. That was very shady.

We can’t wait for Knox voters to vote Mrs. Pokorny and others out of town government and allow Vas to work with Ken Saddlemire and Karl Pritchard to bring about more impactful and sustainable change to Knox, including the second business district.

Another important job of the supervisor is the town budget. Just this year’s budget alone should bring cheers to all taxpayers. For the first time in years, Vas has found a way to reduce taxes, yes, reduce taxes 2 percent all while maintaining or even increasing money to some services vital to our town’s growth. It’s about time someone with knowledge and experience working with numbers helped out the little people in town.

Disturbingly, Mrs. Pokorny decided to take advantage of the election year and propose a shocking change to the budget with a 7-percent increase for part-time transfer-station workers. There’s nothing wrong with increasing pay for deserving town employees, but it’s how she springs it upon the board right before they are set to vote on the budget. How convenient, right?

We’ll remember this sneaky ploy for what it really is. It’s shameful to use these employees for political gain. If you truly cared, you would have suggested this earlier, even years prior, rather than at the last possible minute.

Vote for the continued change and growth that began two years ago. Knox isn’t done growing and Knox deserves elected officials looking after all residents. Vas will continue to do this, and our town deserves people like Ken and Karl who will help with these goals!

Matt, Sue, and Josh VonHaugg

Knox