To the Editor:

I find it troubling that some of the current board members in the town of Berne are still against having public comments before and/or after their meetings. What are they afraid of? 

I’ve heard that they want the questions ahead of time. Is this so they can fabricate answers or simply ignore questions that they do not want to answer? People should be allowed to voice their opinions and ask questions at the board meetings.

You hear words like “transparency” bandied around during campaigning. You also hear things like “I want to know what the taxpayers want” and “people not politics.”

How could you possibly know what the taxpayers want if you are not letting them voice their opinions? Who knows, they might have a good idea! It is apparent that the majority of the board have chosen politics before people.

Granted COVID has made meetings a challenge but having people join meetings via Zoom is now the norm. Yet with the click of the mute button we are all silenced.

Frank Brady

East Berne

Editor’s note: Frank Brady, a Democrat, ran for Berne Town Board on the GOP line in 2017 and on the Democratic line in 2019; he was not elected.