To the Editor:

Let’s get the facts straight.

A flyer has been circulated by Knox Town Supervisor [Vasilios] Lefkaditis's choice for the upcoming town board election, Ken Saddlemire, with information that is wrong and quite misleading. I'd like to offer the correct information to help voters make an informed, educated decision on Nov. 8.

I am the only one currently serving who has not been elected to the board. I was appointed according to law to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of former Councilman Nicholas Viscio, and the rest of the members have been elected by popular vote. It's how the Democratic voting process works.

To say, "Don't let them steal your votes again!" is simply wrong, intentionally misleading, and inflammatory.

Here are some more facts: Mr. Lefkaditis and Mr. [Ken] Saddlemire were trying to take away voters’ choices in the election. They were planning on having Mr. Saddlemire on both the Republican and Democratic lines — doesn't sound like much of a choice there.

Ironically, this backfired twofold because the popular Democratic caucus vote was for Mr. Saddlemire's opponent, and the Republican caucus paperwork wasn't filed properly, nullifying the earlier endorsement. This took his name off of the ballot completely. No “political hacks,” as the flyer puts it, were involved.

While we're on the subject of those “political hacks”... here are some more facts. In 2012, Mr. Saddlemire registered as a Democrat to get a well-paid job as one of the Albany County coroners, complete with benefits like health care. The local Democratic Committee at that time felt that a representative from the Hilltowns would be in the best interests of our residents.

After a short time, Mr. Saddlemire stopped performing the job and had to be replaced with someone who could be depended upon to get the job done.

And now these same people who gave him the opportunity for a lucrative career are being referred to as "hacks" simply because they followed the law and went about things properly?

I'm disheartened by the divisiveness that has been plaguing not only our national political races but also our local ones. Common courtesy, decorum, and civility should be the accepted norm, not the opposite.

Putting out lies and misleading information serves no purpose.

For personal reasons, I've decided not to seek election on Nov. 8 and will be resigning from my town board position at the end of the year. Although my name will be at the bottom of the ballot, I am asking my supporters to vote for Dan Hanley instead.

It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Knox. I have faith in the law and in people's ability to make the right decision.

Eric Kuck, councilman

Knox Town Board

Editor’s note: Knox Deputy Supervisor Amy Pokorny was appointed to fill a vacancy on the town board and then was elected to the post; Councilman Eric Kuck was appointed to fill a recent vacancy — after Nicholas Viscio resigned — and is not seeking election.

Ken Saddlemire said that, in 2012, Viscio had approached him to be appointed to fill a part-time vacancy as one of four Albany County coroners. Viscio said this week that he put Saddlemire in touch with the head coroner to learn details of the job.

“I did everything I could to get him the job,” Viscio said.

Saddlemire had been an independent voter, not enrolled in a party, he said, adding, “I did become a Democrat to be coroner.”

Saddlemire said, as coroner, he was on call, including a rotating weekend shift, for 190 hours a month. As the newest of four coroners he was unable, he said, to trade for nighttime work, and farm work has to be done in daylight.

After a short time, Saddlemire resigned. “The bottom line was it interfered with my farm work; I couldn’t do both,” Saddlemire said. “Being a farmer is full-time.”

He also said that he had “no opportunity” to be interviewed by the Knox Democratic Committee for the seat being vacated by Kuck. “That’s when I went to the Republicans to get on the ballot,” he said. “It’s not like I tried to get both.” He pointed out, as The Enterprise had reported, that Robert Stevens nominated him at the Republican caucus, not Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis.

Lefkaditis is enrolled as a Democrat and nominated Saddlemire at the Democratic caucus.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer