Letters to the Editor: Residents React to Opinions on CSEA Lawsuit

Editor's note: These letters are published in response to earlier letters to the editor regarding a lawsuit filed in January against the Westchester County by the CSEA. If you would like to respond to these letters, please comment in the box below.

To the Editor:

Re: Peter Michaelis 

It is disheartening to see my friend Peter Michaelis stoop to partisan rancor about our Legislator Pete Harckham. Michaelis knows that Harckham has been and continues to be a bipartisan consensus builder who reached across party lines to get unanimous Republican support to pass 16-1 a bipartisan budget that provided twice the tax relief to taxpayers of Westchester over that proposed by the County Executive (-2.2% vs. -1%).

He also reduced spending by tens of millions in the past two years (saving 10 points on the tax levy) and reduced the size of the county's workforce by nearly 11%. And what are these magical reforms that Pete Harckham blocked? How about Rob Astorino's unexplainable cuts to the crime lab that according to police chiefs and the District Attorney would have imperiled criminal investigations and prosecutions. One need only look to Nassau County where thousands of convictions may be overturned because of cuts to the crime lab.  Why the attack on Pete Harckham?  It seems to me that Harckham has chosen a responsible approach to downsizing County government.

I can only assume that you are looking to run against him but even if you are, I think it would behove us all to stick to the truth.

Sincerely,

Fred Silverman

CEO, NewsLook.com, Bedford Hills, NY 10507

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To the Editor:

Re: Michaelis Lives In Glass House

It was bizarre to see Peter Michaelis refer to Bruce Yablon as a political hack in his bellicose, highly partisan attack on our county Legislator Pete Harckham. Of all people, Mr. Michaelis, who twice ran unsuccessfully for public office, should not be referring to people as partisan hacks. At one point Michaelis was a Democrat. When he was refused the Democratic nomination to run for Bedford Town Supervisor, he ran as an Independent. Later, when it suited his political self interest, he became a Republican to again run unsuccessfully for office. One day he'll talk about his Democratic roots,  on another he's pounding his chest for Rob Astorino.

People elected Pete Harckham to the county legislature because as our neighbor, they know that he is an honest broker of information who works with both sides of the aisle to get things accomplished, from slashing spending and cutting taxes, to reducing the size of the county workforce, to being a recognized environmental leader and saving our municipalities money in meeting unfunded state mandates.

It's too bad for the people of Northern Westchester that Mr. Michaelis has launched his latest, self serving political quest by poisoning the well of civil debate.

Sincerely,

Mitchell I. Weingarden, Bedford Village, Bedford, NY