Having read the latest letters in your paper, it is hard to believe that there remains so much ignorance on what is happening to the municipalities in New York. These letters are documents that will serve as testaments to the continued deterioration of what were once sustainable communities. The latest, on one page, side-by-side, are two of the most instructive. The first from resident Lown promoting a tax-and-spend democrat to become Town Supervisor and second from an economically-challenged state legislator who knows how to pander the public. If it hasn’t become obvious by now why there is a mass exodus to the south, all you have to do is connect the dots between the purpose of these two letters and the resultant effect it will have on your bank account....regardless of whether you own property or rent an apartment.

I used to live in Maybrook and now rent my old house. Under the mismanagement of democrat Mayor Leahy, my Maybrook village taxes have gone up over 50 percent in the last nine years, 9 percent last year alone. That increase gets passed on to the tenants. Just think about what Leahy could do in the Town, which since 2014 using the large tax receipts from commercial development has actually lowered its rate by 7 percent since 2014, and under Conservative Rod Winchel has maintained that rate without any increase in the last two years.

Skoufis is nothing less than a publicity seeking politician on the fast track to keeping New York the most expensive state in the nation in which to live and retire. His rhetoric sounds good until you realize what it does to your wallet. My in-laws retired to Florida in the 1990s. Their modest home near Orlando was taxed a total of $2,100. Now, 20 odd years later, their total bill is $1,700....seriously, I have seen the tax bills.

Draw your own conclusion. Elections have consequences. It seems pretty likely that continuing to put democrats in office will lead to continuing the trend of higher (and higher) rates. If you want to save your town, you had best put Conservative Rod Winchell back in office. I think the republican candidate Maher is nothing more than a puppet for the Hoyt brothers and the republican committee. Me? I can’t wait until my kids get out of school, you know where I’m headed.