Dear Editor,
I’m writing to support Mike Boms for Town Supervisor and others on his ticket in the Democratic Primary on June 27. Boms first won a seat on the Town Board in 2018, mostly because he was determined to get Spectrum cable, not just for himself, but for all of Hurley. He worked with the entire board alongside then-Supervisor John Perry, with the persistence familiar to anyone who knows Boms. Many said, “It will never happen.” Guess what? It actually happened. Thank goodness, hookup arrived just in time for COVID.
Cut to 2022: Newly elected Town Supervisor Melinda McKnight was quoted, “There’s a boatload of stuff to deal with, some of which hasn’t been dealt with for decades, so it really is quite a mess.” How ironic that she herself has made a mess by disparaging her predecessors and dividing the town’s Democrats.
McKnight soon disbanded a comprehensive planning committee that Boms and other volunteers had been working on for two years, instead paying a consulting firm to do the analysis. Next, she removed Boms from all of his committee assignments. She effectively sidelined “the guy who gets things done,” as Boms is known.
McKnight has further demonstrated her divisive “leadership” by cutting citizens out of public Zoom meetings, and informally meeting in a quorum to make decisions without the knowledge or input of the full board.
Her latest move was to refuse Boms rightful, legal access to invoices for the leachate pulls that monitor the groundwater surrounding the transfer station. Despite his advance request, Boms was denied the invoices. When he insisted he had a right to that information, McKnight called State Police, accusing him of harassment. (Yeah, that actually happened).
This primary, please put your trust in Mike Boms as Supervisor, along with Tracy Kellogg for Town Clerk, Diana Cline for Town Board, and Mike Shultis for Highway Superintendent. Boms has vowed to unite us, keep information flowing, and find the best possible solutions for the people of Hurley.
Ellen Levine
Hurley, NY
