To the Editor:

Supervisor Dennis Palow, Anita Clayton, and the whole Republican Berne Town Board have created a situation where the board cannot even legally do their jobs (for which we are still paying their salaries) and is about to pass a budget that will raise our town taxes for a second straight year.

This board:

— Has spent all of the town's $2,500,000 reserves that they inherited from the previous Democratic board;

— Has raised our taxes more than 800 percent, which has never happened in the history of Berne, and has cost many of us thousands of dollars;

— Has not followed New York State Town Law;

— Has been reprimanded by the state comptroller for financial mismanagement — they said that they didn’t even read the comptroller’s audit;

— Has hidden town documents and financial statements from their fellow Republican board members and all of us;

— Has often had town bills go unpaid;

— Has not let us ask questions and speak at town board meetings which are our legal, constitutional rights, and so, so much more. 

Our market property values are falling tremendously because of these taxes and because we live in a town that can’t pay its own bills. People may even lose their homes.

This all happened on their watch.

This board created such a dysfunctional and “hostile workplace” that it even forced three Republican town board members to resign.

Supervisor [Dennis] Palow: You have the responsibility and obligation to hold an informative town meeting. 

You need to explain to all of us why you are raising our taxes again and how you will stop the bleeding of our town’s finances that has gone on for the last two years.

Supervisor Palow: You have the legal authority to hold an informative meeting without an official quorum.

Supervisor Palow: You must explain your budget that raises our taxes for a second straight year — that you prepared without any comments from the citizens of Berne that you say you represent.

Supervisor Palow: We call on you to hold this town meeting immediately!

Jeff Marden

Peggy Christman

Berne Democratic Committee