Letters to the Editor
November 04, 2014 |
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Craft Still Pursuing Lewiston Police Referendum The issue at hand is taxpayers have been deprived of their right to petition. The Lewiston village and town police consolidation began in 1997. The town's police inventory of major equipment then totaled $10,000 and has ballooned to approximately $200,000 for patrol car lease payments, additional equipment and maintenance. In 1996, there were four full-time and five part-time patrol officers. Now there are 10 full-time and nine part-time officers. The police budget in 1997 was $348,000. In 2014, it is $1.6 million. Therefore, recent quotes by Lewiston police officials saying consolidation would not save money and the department is a revenue contributor is false. Let's look at duplicated services with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department: LPD's K-9 dog cost, since 2007, $59,000 which includes training, housing and a bill for a dog bite. An additional officer and a clerk's annual salary amount to another $105,000. But the Sheriff has three dogs for use at any time. Border and State Police also have K-9 dogs. There were four police cars in 1997 compared to the current eleven. This is compared to the county Sheriff's patrol cars which number 17. Consolidating would mean significant savings. On top of that, the Sheriff's Department, in my opinion, is better equipped to not only write tickets, investigate accidents etc., but they excel in investigating serious crimes. I believe we can get better coverage at a better price. Our current police budget of $1.6 million would be distributed among the entire county, instead of the Lewiston taxpayer. Police Chief Chris Salada stated that LPD coverage is 64 miles which I also question. The Town of Lewiston has 37 square miles of coverage which raises the question as to why our police force and budget has doubled and tripled in many areas? Chief Salada includes the Power Authority, the Bridge and the Border areas, which have their own police coverage. We need not pay twice. Also note we have the Sheriff and the State Police in the area. Ronald Craft Lewiston --------------- Feral Cats Should Not Be Neutered and Released!
I would like to make a correction to my earlier letter to the editor concerning Rabies and zoonotic diseases. My statement about the numbers of cat to human transmission as reported through the CDC was not entirely correct. Approximately 40,000 PEP are given annually in the US. One-third is due to exposure from domestic cats. Lori Ogozalek West Alexander, PA. ----------- Hotel Niagara Story Overdue
How about doing a story on the Hotel Niagara? We don't need that place to get knocked down. What happened to this supposed wonderful Canadian developer, Harry Stinson? Wish someone from Buffalo like Carl Paladino or Rocco Termini would have got the place. Would be done by now. Rich Bradfield ---------------- Likes Cats But Shoots Them Sometimes In regards to all the letters supporting cats: I like cats. I don't want to own one, but if you do fine. That being said some points to ponder: I can't let my dog roam the neighborhood without a leash. Why is it okay for your cat? If I'm out with my dog and he answers the call of nature I have to pick it up and dispose of it properly. Why don't cat owners have to do this? When I recently moved into my apartment the last tenants left me a present: their cat. Why is that okay? Why is it okay for your cat to sit under my birdfeeders? Well cats will do that. Sometimes Mister .22 gets stuck out the window and Mister fuzzy pants gets a lead shampoo and then a quick burial. "Nope did not see him, sorry. Hope he makes it home." Why should I have to license my dog but not your cat? Seems like the county and state are missing out on a lot of money. I think cat owners have had it too easy for far too long. Cats should be licensed just like dogs. Any free roaming cat that gets picked up by animal control should have to be bailed out just like dogs. Cat owners should know that cats kill mice and rats and also chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels and about two billion song birds every year. They also kill a lot of game birds like pheasants and young turkeys. Cat owners do everyone a favor and keep your cats inside. There are more coyotes in our area every year. Coyotes eat cats. Want to keep your cat safe? Keep them inside. John Pauly Buffalo (Editor’s note: Mr. Pauly’s opinions are his own and the Reporter emphatically does not endorse the shooting of cats. In fact, we condemn the idea of hurting any creature. However, in the interest of free speech and to educate the public on the disparate views of people on this topic, it was decided to publish this extreme viewpoint. Readers are welcome to respond. ----------------- Doesn't Like the Town of Cambria
This is a letter to anyone who may be thinking of moving to this township: Don't do it. We wish someone had written a comment like this when we were looking to relocate because it would have been an eye opener if someone had. Try to find any of their assessments online —it can't be done. They're not listed or they're so under-assessed, the residential home owners are all pulling up the slack by being over taxed. About their being under-taxed—don't believe me, check it out yourselves. Pick any big winery, any one, see if you can even find it — you won't and why do you think that is? Corruption? You be the judge. Enforcing ordinances, that doesn't happen. Whoever is responsible for enforcing ordinances doesn't leave his/her office except to go to lunch or go home. The job should be abolished. Sitting in a chair all day and not doing what you were hired to do isn't considered a job where I come from. Cambria appears to be a very beautiful location being on the escarpment but the problem is it's run by a bunch of farmers and winery owners. And anyone living on the wine trail will agree with us, the NYS Police or the Niagara County Sheriffs office need to put a sobriety road check in place along this trail because nearly everyone driving their personal vehicles are either DWI or DUI - everyone of them. Even the ones that come on tour buses; they end up being disbursed throughout the region when they get dropped off where they got picked up by the buses. You're just spreading the problem around into a much larger area that's all. If your agencies really want to keep our road safe -- sobriety check—it may be one of your family members that gets killed. This is information that no one tells A cambria resident who asked that his name be withheld “since the assessor’s office will be all over this. |
