It’s the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote.
Election day is once again upon us November 7th. Please get out and vote. In Wilton we have a full slate of candidates and are very excited that we are giving you choice.
We must remember that generations fought long and hard for the right to vote. It wasn’t long ago that large portions of the population were not allowed to vote. Women got the right to vote 100 years ago. African-Americans fought for their right to go to the polls and got it in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. Today we see voter suppression tactics and gerrymandering in many states.
Don’t squander this important and very precious right.
In our presidential and midterm elections, I vote Democratic to protect things very dear to me and that we risk losing: good health care, Medicare, Social Security and good public schools, to name a few.
There are reasons to get out and “vote local.” Those who run your town have an impact on your life. For example, at a Town Board meeting that I attended in my first days in Wilton, a resident complained that his new addition to his home ended up close to the pump house of a recently built apartment complex and it smelled. Somehow the complex was built, the pump house ended up next to his addition, nothing was done, and the resident ended up selling his home.
That’s one cautionary tale. But consider your roads (roundabouts on the horizon), your schools (over-crowded classrooms), the $6-8 million-dollar addition at Town Hall (did you know about this?), your home value, development (neighbors informed when it’s too late) and the impact of it. Additionally, with climate change, how does your town deal with water and energy? These all greatly impact your quality of life. Wouldn’t you want to know who’s making decisions? Wouldn’t you want to know about these projects from the beginning? We are always informed about them when it’s too late to do anything.
As the fastest growing town in Saratoga County, and one of the fastest in the Capital Region, our population is now close to 18,000. It’s a different town than it was. The good news is that it has brought people of many backgrounds, with creative ways to tackle these issues and save money. It’s great to have two firemen on the town board and a third running, but shouldn’t we have women, educators, environmentalists, and people with backgrounds like economic development on our town board?
We respect the work that has been done in Wilton so far. We do not respect the scare tactics that are being used by the Wilton Republicans. The Wilton Democrats are not tired of hearing about “no town tax.” We do know the town is encroaching 18,000 in population and we may need new ways to save money and fresh ideas. We have no intention of seizing land by eminent domain; we believe in development but feel everyone should be brought to the table early in the process. We have never mentioned a “highway tax” and if bigger government means possibly hiring a full-time town planner, let’s go for it.
It’s time to move forward and elect new people with ideas. Don’t sit home on election day and think your vote does not matter. It does. In the meantime, seek out your candidates, ask them questions, get answers.
And remember, on this 100th anniversary of the women’s vote, let’s celebrate by voting. And vote in a couple of women.
We support Nancy Dwyer for town supervisor, Paula Tancredi Penman and Ken Garcia for town board, Eric D. Rosenberg for town justice, and John Helenek for highway superintendent.
Pat Tuz
Chairperson
Wilton Democratic Committee
