Dear Editor,
I attend public meetings and events a lot and I’ve gained an increasing appreciation for the technology available for residents to participate in public policy and budget discussions. Twenty years ago some of our municipal meetings were being streamed on TV live or recorded. Fast forward to today and nearly every public meeting in the county is accessible online in video and audio formats… Why not meetings from our Putnam County Legislature?
For years, while the Legislature has posted its monthly full meeting on YouTube, it has refused to live-stream them. It was reported that the Legislature’s Committee room only recently installed equipment capable of airing meetings in video and audio… finally… but why haven’t they started?
People are having their voices stifled on a regular basis as our Legislature restricts how people can engage with its elected representatives. Right now, we are forced to download an app or visit a third party website to listen in audio-only format. Think about that for a second. Those who are hard of hearing or struggle with technology are forced to jump through hoops to engage. Shockingly, residents had more access to county legislature meetings during the COVID-19 restrictions than when the State mandated the county live-stream meetings. Once the mandate ended, so did the access. Access to information in real time stifled again.
How is this serving the residents of Patterson? We deserve better. Folks of all ages and capabilities should have access to public county meetings. Prior administrations and legislators have ignored this issue for a long time. We, especially my fellow Republicans, must stand up and unite around this issue. We the people must hold our government accountable.
Patterson voters deserve to know that while others are noticeably silent, I support live-streaming of all legislative meetings… budget meetings, committee meetings, full legislative meetings… Some legislators have spoken up to express their support for live-streaming, but not a majority of them.
I’ve attended many town board meetings in-person over the years, but I understand that, many residents can’t. Patterson Supervisor Williams and our Town Board have been live-streaming meetings on YouTube for years. Despite my past disagreements with some in Town Hall, they deserve credit for this. There’s no reason we can’t get this done in the county government. The time for excuses is over.
I’m running for Putnam County Legislator in Patterson (District 4) with both the Republican and Conservative Party endorsements. An old guard establishment seeking to cling to power has made it clear I will now have a Republican Primary on June 25th. I would be honored to have your support. Learn more about me, my background and ideas at www.russoforputnam.com
Laura Russo
Candidate for Putnam County Legislator
Patterson, NY
