To the Editor:
There’s an interesting local race shaping up for residents of Madison and Oneida counties where John Salka is attempting to replace Bill Magee for the 121 st Assembly District seat.
Both men have served in elected office for years and both are qualified, honest, hard working public officials. The political landscape in Albany and Wampsville suggests to me that both should stay right where they are. If John Salka wins he would take a seat in the NYS Assembly where he would become part of a super-minority Republican conference.
The reality is, whether we like it or not, he would have less influence to serve the residents of the 121 st Assembly District than he does now as a Republican member of the Madison County Board of Supervisors. Bill Magee is currently chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and serves on local government and volunteer emergency services committees, where he has been able to bring resources to the district, especially in the area of emergency services, which have helped to stabilize our property taxes.
I’m not a Democrat or Republican, I’m a pragmatic voter who has served in local government and I believe that John Salka can serve us best in Wampsville and Bill Magee can serve us best in Albany, and that’s the way I plan to vote.
Mike Kaiser, Oneida