It’s time to end the bullying and start working together

Have you ever wondered what became of the local bully? You remember the kid who always seemed to be doing something mean, just for the fun of it. Did he ever grow up? What kind of a woman did she become?

Well look no further than local politics. For some reason, when you get a group of local politicians together, it’s easy to see which ones were the schoolyard bullies in their earlier days. They’re the ones who are out to “get” someone and nuts to what the residents want, it’s far more important to win.

It doesn’t matter if you live in the town of Ballston, where “Get Patti” [Supervisor Southworth] is the favorite game of the rest of the town board. Why, they’d rather stand behind a constantly complaining Republican Party committee member for nomination to the ethics board, than support almost anyone the supervisor likes.

They have delayed the town newsletter and inhibited residents’ opportunities for civic engagement. Nuts to the residents, the goal is to gang up on the supervisor. Like Clifton Park, where the “party” is continuing to punish those who don’t want to join the county water system just to pay more and placate the Republican bosses. Poor Supervisor Philip Barrett, all he did was listen to the Republicans who elected him, not the county bosses. Not only was he “taken to the woodshed” in an illegal county supervisors meeting after voting “no” to county water, he continues to be the victim of the local party bosses, who voted not to support him.

It isn’t enough to mount campaigns in our local schools to stop the rising incidence of bullying, to look for ways to stop cyber-bullying. We should also be looking to the adults in our communities, schools and local governments, too. We need to put an end to bullying, at all levels, and set a better example for our children, starting with those in power.

Polly Windels

Ballston Spa

Gazette’s support for crime victims was greatly appreciated

A big thank you from the Capital District Coalition for Crime Victims’ Rights (CDCCVR) for the Gazette’s excellent coverage of our National Crime Victims’ Rights Week events.

Your front-page articles and excellent moving photos of the Saratoga Candlelight Vigil [April 14], the Schenectady Rose Garden ceremony [April 16] and the Dedication of Bricks at the New York State Crime Victims’ Memorial in Albany [April 20] clearly illustrated the ripple effect crime has on the primary victims, as well as other family members and the community.

The week’s theme, “Justice for Victims, Justice for All” states our mission fairly succinctly. The CDCCVR is composed of agencies that support victims of crime in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties. This one week in April allows us to “advertise” that we’re around to assist crime victims all year-round. Thanks again, Gazette, for helping us do that.

Patricia Gioia

Schenectady

The writer is a board member of the CDCCVR.

June 14 is Flag Day, let’s honor ‘Old Glory’ like we should

“Old Glory” — this flag which we honor and under which we serve — is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thoughts and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give from generation to generation. The choice is ours.

It floats in majestic silence above the host that execute those choices, whether in peace or war. And yet, though silent, it speaks to us — speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us and of the records they wrote upon it.

Al China

Amsterdam