To the Editor:

I am retiring from the Berne Town Board after 16 years, and I will tell you this: Tearing down is easy; building is a slow. hard process. The White Sulfur Springs Hotel, just outside the Berne hamlet, took two years to build. The demolition of the same building took only three days.

During my 16 years on the town board, I have had the privilege of serving with two town supervisors, Kevin Crosier and George Gebe —  Kevin for nearly 13 years and George for over two. They both approached the job with similar attitudes and goals. They both realized that every dollar spent by the town first had to be pulled from the wallets of town residents.

That is a heavy responsibility. It requires more thought than, “Hey we want that; let’s buy it.”

Neither ever looked on the job as “part-time,” and both made hard choices based on what was best for the town. They realized that some situations required saying “no” and some deserved a “yes.” Leadership.

For example, over the last few years, the town board has spent close to a million dollars on equipment for the town highway department. A big responsibility. The town board, by law, is responsible for all town spending.

Every one of those purchases was reviewed in detail and discussed with the highway superintendent. Sometimes we pleased him, sometimes we did not. Hard choices, with your money. Leadership.

Knowing which to pick, and when, is called leadership. Trying to please everyone in the town is not only difficult; it is expensive. It’s called pandering. The opposite of leadership.

At this point, Kevin is seeking another term. His approach to the job remains the same: 24/7 and 365 days a year is his schedule. If a grinder pump in the Berne hamlet system fails at 3 a.m., and sends out a signal, it rings on his phone and off he goes to solve the problem.

People call with concerns; he responds. If another town official fails to return a call to a resident, the resident calls him. He responds. The town of Berne is his main activity, period. It’s what a leader does.

Kevin is constantly in contact with town board members. Some people, who have a limited understanding of how town government is required to function, overlook the reality that every decision made and every action taken by the town has to first be voted on, and approved by the town board.

The town supervisor has only one vote. The supervisor’s role is to advise and inform. The more information the board receives from all sources, including the supervisor, the better job we can do of making decisions that are best for the town. Again, on this part of his job, he is tireless. Leadership.

A history teacher of mine, while trying to explain how a representative government, such as we have in New York, functions said this, “You will always get your say, but you will not always get your way.” The point is, government at all levels has to make hard choices.

At the local level, with the room full of your neighbors, it is especially hard. Fiscal responsibility requires that spending has limits. Sometimes saying “no.” Again, leadership.

Kevin Crosier is a master of fiscal responsibility. The state comptroller’s office believes it and town taxpayers should believe it. Five years of reductions in town taxes, with an increase in services. Watching spending, looking for grants and getting them, encouraging careful use of town resources, and shared services are some of the strategies that enabled the town to reach this point fiscally.

Several candidates for office this fall have stated that the town needs to raise taxes each year. That we need to buy more equipment, do more of this or more of that. Tax and spend. Pandering.

Kevin Crosier deserves to be re-elected, and he needs your vote. Let’s not bring in the demolition crew.

P.S. The proposed merger of the Berne Highway Department [with the county’s], if it were to happen, requires a town-wide referendum to approve it. The people get to decide. What could be more fair than that?

Joe Golden

East Berne

Editor’s note: Democrat Joe Golden is not seeking re-election to the Berne Town Board.