Dryden Town Supervisor Jason Leifer wrote a great summary about what our Town Board has done, and also how the opposition has not participated in Town Board Meetings. This is a must-read if you are at all uncertain who to vote for. “The difference between the Democrats running for Dryden Town Board and the Republicans is simply this — the Democrats identify problems, work with the community, listen, propose solutions, and get results. The Republican candidates just complain, and they don’t show up. “

Summary of Dryden Town Board Meeting:

On Thursday November 2nd the Dryden Town Board passed the 2024 budget with a 2% tax rate decrease. The town wide property tax rate was reduced by from $5.39 to $5.29 per thousand and the Ambulance and Fire District Tax rates remained the same as in the 2023 budget. The addition of new development to the tax rolls allowed the Board to lower the tax rate while funding the Town’s priorities.

The 2024 budget funds our various infrastructure projects, Highway and DPW work on our roads, trails, and winter work, etc., as well as new equipment that is needed in Town Hall. In addition, the Town plans to hire a consultant to design and build a new, more user-friendly website. There is also funding in the budget to design a plan to develop the property behind the Town Hall for recreation and other uses that are compatible with the land, which has wetlands that impact the usability of various parts of the property. The special district budgets (water, sewer, lighting) fund the maintenance and repair of that infrastructure.

None the Republican candidates participated in last night’s budget hearing. Not a single Republican Candidate ever showed up at a budget workshop this fall or even a public meeting in all of 2023 to participate. The Republican candidates know nothing about what the Town of Dryden is doing. The one candidate who sits on an advisory board has missed so many meetings I wondered if he was still interested in participating.

As for Dryden Fiber, not one of the Republican Candidates have ever appeared at the countless public meetings we have had since 2019 about the project. They know nothing about Dryden Fiber, why it came about, or how it has been planned and executed. Had they appeared at any of these meetings they would know that Dryden Fiber came about because the people of the Town of Dryden have been asking for a solution to the problem of the Cable/Internet monopoly (Time Warner/Charter/Spectrum) for years.

Still, the Republican party stands up to defend Spectrum, which they laughably claim is a local business. To be crystal clear — Spectrum (owned by Charter Communications) is a conglomerate that has operations in 41 states. Like NYSEG, they are not a local company. The only thing that Spectrum cares about is their bottom line.

Dryden Fiber is competing against Spectrum – a large national corporation that has failed to provide the service the people of Dryden want. Dryden Fiber uses local contractors to install the fiber, do customer installations, and do other construction work on the project. Dryden Fiber as a service is one that is on demand, meaning when it is available in your area, you can choose to sign up for it. The point is that you, the people of Dryden, will have a choice.

The Republican candidates for Town Board do not want you to have a choice. The Republican candidates want you to keep paying Spectrum too much for bad service with no way to make things better. Moreover, if you don’t have service, the Republican candidates do not care.

The difference between the Democrats running for Dryden Town Board and the Republicans is simply this — the Democrats identify problems, work with the community, listen, propose solutions, and get results. The Republican candidates just complain, and they don’t show up.

Whether it’s early voting or on November 7th, vote Democratic. We get things done.