To the Editor:

I've thought of myself as many things over my lifetime — a husband, a father, a policeman, a proud American, and a friend to many. But I have to admit that being labeled as a “liberal elitist” is a new one. It does sound rather impressive though.

Does this reflect the fact that I’m a hunter, fisherman, hiker, and environmental advocate? If it does, then perhaps I am. If it refers to the forum that I hosted at the Knox Town Hall to educate our townspeople about the dangers of yet another pipeline and a proposed pumping station that would pollute our air and endanger our citizens’ health, then maybe I am. If it refers to the fact that I attended numerous rallies in opposition of the SAFE [Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement] Act, then maybe I am but, I’m fairly sure I’m not.

So, what’s my agenda? I'm in favor of moving in a positive direction and presenting facts to people to help them think critically. I want to help them make their own informed decisions and not blindly march behind whoever spoon feeds them what they want to hear, be it a new business district in Knox or a wall in Mexico to keep out those bad hombres.

Was I in favor of the proposed electric-vehicle charging station? To the extent that it would have been the last item on the list to get us in on the first-come, first-served $100,000 NYSERDA [New York State Energy Research and Development Authority] grant — definitely.  Those funds could have been used for badly needed repairs to our highway garage and considerably improve the working conditions for our valuable employees.

Or another option, as noted by Matt Schanz last week, might be to put the funding towards a completely new facility. These ideas are excellent starting points to improving the work environment for our town employees and for bettering the town.

For townspeople to admonish the hard work and effort that went into applying for and working towards the grant makes no sense — just like saying that they don't want their tax monies going towards “green” technology. The NYSERDA grant will be awarded whether or not the town of Knox is in the running.

Make no mistake, the fact is that, if we don't get the needed actions completed, the grant will be awarded to another municipality, with our own local tax contributions included, and all of the work and effort will be for naught. The town of Knox will not benefit one penny.

There was a time when everyone burned whale oil for lighting and rode to town in a horse and buggy. Times have changed, technology has evolved, and we need to keep up or be swallowed in the morass of ignorance and misinformation.

I applaud Amy Pokorny for working tirelessly in this effort and also for her contributions that she’s made to our community. To say her effort is “misdirected” is incorrect and simply one person’s opinion, which I respect, but also don’t agree with.

Mr Schanz put it well in his earlier noted letter, “Not everyone is going to agree with each others ideas..[and sometimes we]... have to agree to disagree.” That's the beauty of living in America: We have the freedom of speech and everyone has the right to have their voice heard for better or worse. And nowhere was that more evident than in last week’s Altamont Enterprise.

There were quite a few references made to the “last 42 years.” Was this the same 42 years where we received a new and improved town hall and maintenance garage, a transfer station, stopped burying household garbage and polluting waste on Street Road, and also built an addition to the highway garage and town park? Was this the same 42 years where people raised happy, healthy families in a safe environment?

I think it was and I think we all owe a great debt of gratitude to our last supervisor, Mike Hammond. He didn’t go around looking to get recognition for his considerable accomplishments; he just got them done and carried on. That’s the sign of a true leader.

To that end I’d also like to clear up a misconception that our current supervisor is responsible for $650,000 in FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] funds and without him “we would still be behind a good 20 years” as printed in one of last week's letters. I went back through the town board minutes of last year and found that Mr. Lefkaditis had nothing to do with this — it happened on Mike Hammond's watch.

Mr. Hammond, Gary Salisbury, and the then-town board were responsible for laying the groundwork for this and making it a reality. The decision to have Gary present the proposed town expenditures to FEMA in the amount of $608,824.47 was passed by unanimous vote (Resolution #78-2015) in August 2015, well before Mr. Lefkaditis was even a blip on the local political radar.

Mr. Hammond leaves behind him a legacy of great work and dedication to the town of Knox and he deserves our gratitude. Period.

Eric Kuck

Knox

Editor’s note: Eric Kuck was appointed to the Knox Town Board in December 2015 but did not run last November to keep his seat.

Corrected on March 14, 2017: The letter's penultimate sentence was removed; it had said the first piece of equipment purchased with FEMA funds was in October 2015, and cited a resolution number.That purchase, for a $99,000 Caterpillar front loader, was actually made from the Knox Highway Department's capital reserve fund.