Dear Forestport Voters,We have won two elections together and we have one VERY important election to go. You stood with me in the fight to replace the twin bridges, you stood with me again during the Republican primary, and now I REALLY need your support on November 5th.Our town is at a crossroad. We can turn around and go back to the status quo, we can go sideways by reelecting a Supervisor from the past, or we can move forward with a new vision and ideas. There is a new forward momentum building in our community. If elected, I will build on that momentum, while improving services and cutting the cost of our town government. I will be very honest, open and transparent with all of you.I need each of you so much in this effort. This is a three way race, and I have a lot of resistance from everyone who wants to preserve things as they are and don’t want change. If elected, I have asked current board member Joanne to be my Deputy Supervisor, and she has accepted that responsibility. She loves our town, she believes in me, and she is a hard working person.There is a time in a person’s life when they want to give something back. My time is now and my town is Forestport. Please join with me and give me this chance to serve us. I promise you will not be disappointed.Because this is my third election, I know what is happening. I am sure that in this paper, there is an attack ad that will accuse me of everything, including being a horse thief. Remember the “Vote No for Bridges that can’t carry trucks” ad? I have set up a blog and will rebut on www.ParkerSnead.Wordpress.com, and in the newspaper next week.We can and should do this together. I know many of you are tired of this hard fought campaign, and it will be over soon. Positive change is coming! Thank you so much for your continued support.

Political

Looking ForwardThere is not time to rebut everything that is being thrown my direction in print. I will say however that I understand the highway numbers after meeting with 5 highway supervisors and I know we can provide more and better services to the taxpayers for less money and reduce or eliminate the highway Tax Levy. Our highway budget for 2013 was $1,235,744.19 for 54 miles of town roads maintained. Old Forge’s 2013 Highway Budget was $915,234.00 with 6 times the land mass and 25% more Town owned roads to maintain. That is a difference of $320,292.00. Boonville’s was $750,000.00 for 74 miles of town roads maintained. Those figures do not include the village of Boonville. I have posted the town’s budget pages including the highway information on www.ParkerSnead.com. I also understand the employee benefit cost. It went from $186,099.00 in 2008 to $302,400.00 in 2012. I have posted the audit page with those figures on it on www.ParkerSnead.com. The emails Bill Hasenauer used in his attack ad, out of context, are posted on www.ParkerSnead.com. I would not write emails to public figures that I would not want seen by the public.

The Keys to ForestportIf elected, I want to give you taxpayers the keys to your town back and I want to make your interactions with your town government as much of a pleasure as is possible. I will continue to use the letters to the editor regularly to help you stay in tune with the current issues. I have also set up a website www.ParkerSnead.com that I will use to answer your questions, review your comments or suggestions. This site is for you and it is in a forum format so you can post your thoughts or ask questions publicly or privately. Your choice. No personal information, email addresses etc. can be viewed by the public. www.ParkerSnead.com is up and running now. In a political ad, Bill Hasenauer published excepts from emails I sent various entities out of context. I consider all of those emails part of the public domain. If you wish to view any or all of them go to www.ParkerSnead.com I have posted them on there.

Frugality I am a fiscal conservative and I see no reason that we can’t maintain our town and offer excellent services to our taxpayers without raising taxes. I have studied the proposed budget and I am pleased that the board has trimmed the budget on the town side and I am also were pleased that Bill Gardner submitted a reduced budget for the highway department of about 5% and reduced the highway tax levy. More can be done but this is a start in the right direction. This budget will be voted on at the November Town Board Meeting.

Can’t we all just get along?Yes we can and we must. This has been a very tough campaign but we are all professionals and we have a job to do and it must get done and done well. I am much easier to get along with than my writings suggest and, if elected, I will reach out to all elected and appointed officials to seek common ground.

Technology Technology is here to stay and we at town hall need to embrace it. Information is power for the people and it saves them money. Neither of my opponents have computer skills or use a computer and that very much handicaps them and our town should they get elected. Without computer skills, it takes two people to do the work of one.

Our TownForestport is our town and we are very lucky to be a part of it. We have a rich history, beautiful surroundings, forever wild parks, beautiful Adirondack mountains, lakes, rivers and streams. We have abundant wildlife, great hunting and fishing, snowmobiling, boating and skiing. We have a great community spirit and you can see it all around you. Volunteers manicure the falls area above the new bridges, mow the laws at abandoned properties, organize and host Christmas dinners, the Halloween and Christmas parades, Forestport Days, the wonderful haunted house at town hall and countless more acts of caring.

Thank YouThank you Diner Dave for your prolonged support. I know it cost you business. Thank you Bill Karn for keeping me focused. Thank you Joanne for keeping me grounded. Thank you Bob Seager. Thank you Albert Zangrilli for your patience. Thank you Bell Construction. Thank you Weekly Adirondack and Adirondack Express for getting my message out. Thank you Bill Corrigan. Thank you Terry Larkin. Thank you Beep for all you do. Thank you Fire Fighters for all your support during the Horse Event and the Christmas and other parades. Thank you horse people. Thank you Girl Scouts for all you do and your amazing haunted house. Thank you to Village Churches for all you do. Thank you Judy for your help with the Christmas parade and the Christmas dinner. Thank you Jack Adams. Thank you WKTV. Thank you Husted Concrete products for your guidance. Thank you Bill Gardner for the new rails. Thank you John Isley for your help on bridge financing. Thanks to my breakfast club for your support every morning. Thanks to all my supporters for being there for me through this very difficult time

Forestport to charter “virtual” Chamber of Commercewww.ForestportChamber.org

By Carrie Cehonski

In today’s competitive environment, as it was in our historic past, local businesses need every opportunity to make their products and services known both within and outside the community. The internet tools available on the web offer today’s businesses a perfect avenue to connect locally, while advertising their products and services beyond our local boundaries. With this in mind, two local businessmen, Bill Corrigan and Parker Snead, have begun an initiative to charter a virtual Chamber of Commerce for Forestport, which will be available via a website, www.ForestportChamber.org.

A local Chamber can serve many purposes. It can help to create a strong local economy, promote the community and provide networking opportunities for businesses and organizations. Forestport has much to offer as the Gateway to the Adirondacks, and we need to promote our area as an end destination. We have begun the process of collecting information and retaining the expertise of a web designer to develop our web page and assist the business owners with setting their websites/business Facebook pages up and linking them to the Chamber home page. We envision having all our businesses and organizations listed on this site with links to local government and other relevant sites, and we need to make the cost very affordable for our members.

A local resident, Carrie Kifner, has agreed to serve as Secretary to the Chamber and to be the focal point for the web initiative. If you would like your business or organization to be represented on the Chamber website, please contact Carrie at Forestportchamber@gmail.com. Our site www.ForestportChamber.org will be online in the coming weeks.

New Forestport Twin Bridges