In the political excitement leading up to the forthcoming local election, the commendable service of Supervisor Sam Messina seems to have been forgotten. I think Mr. Messina focussed on the welfare of the town of Bethehem to the exclusion of personal political ambitions and did a good job of running the town government. I am sorry that he was effectively dumped by the bosses of his party and denied the chance to run for a second term. The citizens of Bethlehem owe Sam Messina a debt of gratitude for his unselfish service, and I wish him well in his retirement from government service.
Before moving to Delmar I served two terms as a vill age trustee downstate. Although a village is physically smaller than a town, both units of government deal with same issues: highway maintenance, water supply, sewage, snow removal, personnel, police, etc. This experience convinced me that there is no place for state or national politics in local government. The skills required are primarily managerial, not political. The town will be best served by people with business and technical skills who are not interested in using local positions as stepping stones toward higher political party positions.
John D. Alden
