Editor, The Spotlight;
On Nov. 1, I will have lived in the Town of Bethlehem 10 years. I landed here by accident. The Albany suburb where I lived for many years had very few apartments with garages and none vacant. I was past the stage where I could comfortably clean snow off my car, and so I started looking elsewhere. I found just what I needed here in town.
This town the friendliest place I have lived in since childhood. As time went on, I learned more and more about the town’s culture of inclusiveness and the integrity of its people. Yes, there are always a few, but coming from a different place, I felt lucky to be here and wished I moved here earlier.
People love this town. Many have been born here, gone to school here — maybe left for a few years, but come back to spend the rest of their lives here. Though I have learned quite a bit, I feel it will take me a lot longer to really understand the essence of where we live.
I have been following this current election as best I can. The thing that really strikes me about the man running for supervisor — Jim Foster — is that he has only lived here for any length of time before he was 18. At 18, one does not have a wide enough view to know what is good for the larger population. And having returned to our town only last year, Mr. Foster has not had enough time to learn intricacies of the town’s culture and needs. He talks about things like better snow and leaf removal. Yes, those things can always be better, but I am disappointed that he can’t talk about complex issues I would expect any Town Supervisor candidate to talk about — things like good water, priority spending, taxes, development and the like.
I encourage Mr. Foster to wait 10 years and try again.
Barbara Quint
Delmar