To the Editor:

I am writing to the voters of Guilderland:

In June 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama criticized the action of his political opponent by stating, “You can put lipstick on a pig and call it Mabel but it’s still a pig.”

The Guilderland Democratic bosses have decided to put lipstick on the caucus and pass it off as reform but it is still an insult to the intelligence of the voters.

The bosses have said they will “appoint a committee” to study a some possible changes to the abomination of the fiasco they call a caucus.

There is no need to delay true reform. Simply step into the 21st Century and adopt the primary system to choose party candidates for town offices.

A primary provides the convenience and confidentiality that voters need and deserve. A primary is held as a normal election is held: You go to your polling place — which can be your firehouse, your school, your house of worship, the nursing home, etc. — any time between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. And you are protected from prying eyes while you cast your vote in the privacy of the voting booth.

Or, if you can not make to the place of the vote because of your illness or military service or simply because you are going to out of town, you can vote in advance by absentee ballot.

A caucus is a closed meeting held at one place, for a short time, where there is no privacy — you have to raise your hand or shout out your vote for everyone to know how you voted. And, if you are sick or disabled or on vacation or working or away from home in the service of our country, too bad for you — you cannot vote by mail or absentee ballot.

And, you are required to find a way to travel to the town park off of Route 146 on a hot July evening and stand around for hour, while the politicians blabber on praising each other.

And, if you get sick and tired of listening, or if you have other things to do and you simply can’t spend any more time at that caucus and you leave, too bad for you — you don't get to vote.

Why try to dress up that pig with lipstick? Why not just let every voter have the convenience and privacy that the primary system provides?

There is only one answer: The bosses can’t tell how you vote at the privacy of the primary the way they can tell how you vote or control the number of people who know about the time, place, etc. of the caucus.  

Eugene Napierski

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Eugene Napierski is the father of and law partner with Guilderland Town Justice Christine Napierski.