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To the Editor:

(Oct. 2014) My name is Erin Earl Salka, and my husband John is a candidate for the 121st District of the New York State Assembly. John is running because he feels that as a state and as a district, we are heading in the wrong direction. As a long time community leader, John is troubled by what he sees coming from our state capital, and is working hard to change it.

Twenty-four years ago, we moved to the small town of Brookfield, located in the hills of southern Madison County. We enjoy the rural atmosphere, and we knew it would be a good place to raise a family. John served on our school board for seven years and was elected its president for four of those years.

After he was elected to the position of Town Supervisor, I watched my husband work tirelessly to bring about change in our town that was so badly needed. Many a night was spent out, away from family, for the sake of his community. He truly believes in what he is doing.

Over the years, John and I have had our fair share of challenges. We struggled for years to provide an adequate education for our special needs son and have known what it is like to try to navigate through an education system that is lacking in services for children with developmental disabilities. This is something John will fight for in the Assembly.

When my husband decided to start a business, we had to adapt our family budget accordingly those first few years.

Running a small business while having two young children to care for was certainly challenging, but John worked day and night to make it successful; unfortunately, due to the high cost of operation and excess regulations placed on businesses in our state, we were forced to go out of business. John will be a strong advocate for our small business-owners.

I have seen my husband dedicate many years as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and bring the best possible care to his patients. As the past director of the Mid York Asthma Coalition and as a certified tobacco cessation counselor, he has helped many lead healthy, productive lives. His concern for those in need has always been something of which we, as a family, have been proud.

Anyone who knows or has worked with my husband understands that he is a strong, honest and compassionate man.

He cares deeply for his family, his faith and for his community. Having grown up in a single-parent home and watching his mother struggle to put bread on the table for her family, John has dedicated his life to making sure our family is protected and provided for.

As a witness to the strength and fortitude shown by his mother, my husband believes that women are the backbone of most families. Over the years, he has worked in an environment that is staffed by professional women for whom he has gained much respect and admiration, and John feels that equal treatment and pay are not election-year politics but a matter of fairness and respect.

On Nov. 4, please consider my husband John as your choice for assemblyman for the 121st Assembly District. He will work tirelessly for his constituents, and I know that he will not let you down.

John will turn this district around!

If you have any questions at all about John’s campaign, platform or experience, please feel free to contact him at salkaforassembly@gmail.com or 315.941.9207, or visit www.salkaforassembly.com.

Erin Salka, Brookfield

By martha

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