COMING SOON...

CHECK BACK WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HRS FOR AN UPDATE ON LAST NIGHTS (11/29)
WOODBURY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE MEETING. I STILL NEED SOME TIME TO GO THROUGH MY NOTES AND POST THEM HERE....

JIM

ARE THEY FINALLY LISTENING TO REASON???

Although yours truly STILL does not get meeting notices to the committee you have elected me to, I have been informed by some of my fellow co-committeemembers that there will be a meeting of the Woodbury Republican Committee on Tuesday.

Although, apparently I am not "invited" you are!!

It appears the charge being led by many of us on the reform side of the committee, that the meetings be opened to at least the enrolled Republican public has finally resonated with the leadership, who have agreed to once again hold an open meeting.

Yours truly, and others, are trying to push for the meetings to always be open, just as the meetings of the Woodbury Democratic Committee are. I believe that everyone has a right, especially those who are enrolled in the party, to know what the committee is up to and whom they are supporting for office.

What does the leadership have to hide???

I want to take this opportunity to invite all enrolled Republicans who reside in the 4th District to attend this meeting, open house, or whatever it will be on Tuesday Night. I highly doubt the leadership will conduct any real serious business, however, your presence will show the leadership that average Republicans residing in town do want access to committee meetings and know what the committee is doing, and how to be involved in committee activities.

So, please join us:

TUESDAY, NOV 29, 2005
8:00 P.M.
WOODBURY SENIOR CENTER, CO RTE 105 (HIGHLAND RD)HIGHLAND MILLS.

I look forward to seeing you there...

Your Commiteeman,

Jim Booth

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL...

A Happy Thanksgiving to everyone....

As we gather today amongst family, let us be thankful for what we have and whom we have in our lives. Let us remember those who may no longer be with us in person, but whose memories and presence in spirit still live on. (We miss you Mom!)

Let us remember the brave men and women who are serving far from home in a land divided by conflict and war. May the new year soon bring peace, so that next Thanksgiving they can be home with their families.

Let us be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifice made by so many. We are blessed with living in the greatest nation on earth.

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Regards,

Jim Booth

A THANK YOU TO SHEILA CONROY, TOWN SUPERVISOR

The following Letter to the Editor from yours truly was in today's (11/18/2005) edition of the Photo News...

________________________________________________________________

Photo News > Opinion
Friday, November 18, 2005

Thank you, Sheila

To the editor:

Election Day has come and gone, and for the most part we know the final results from last Tuesday. Sadly, a dedicated public servant was not successful in gaining another term in office.

I wanted to take this moment as a longtime Town of Woodbury resident to personally thank Sheila Conroy for her years of dedicated service to our town, especially over the past four years as our town supervisor.

Sheila worked actively on behalf of our town on many fronts. However, what I found the most impressive about Sheila was that she put the interests of our town ahead of her own political interests.

Recently, there was a vote before the Town Board on a controversial development. Realizing the enormous benefits of allowing this development to proceed, Sheila scheduled a board vote on various legalities involving the development before election day.

Any political campaign strategist (including yours truly) probably would have told her to wait. However, she didn’t.

She was honest and sincere with the voters of Woodbury as to where she stood. That took guts!

In my nearly 13 years in the political realm I have met few elected officials who will sacrifice their careers for the benefit of their constituents. Sheila is certainly a rare commodity in the political world.

Although Sheila lost, I believe Woodbury won because of her and the majority of the board’s determination to put the town first. As a result, the town gained 113 acres of open space at no cost to the taxpayer, $10 million in water, sewer and infrastructure repairs, more than $1 million in additional parkland fees and much more. This development will also not be the burden that those who spread nothing but fear and misinformation during the campaign wanted you to fear it would be.

To Mr. Burke, congratulations, sir, on being elected Woodbury’s first Democrat supervisor in more than 20 years. You certainly worked hard for your victory and you are to be commended for it.

However, I believe you will learn quite quickly that it is easy to sit in opposition and speak out against the present administration. It is a lot harder to sit up in the seat of power and make the tough decisions everyday that need to be made and then be berated, yelled at and attacked for making them.

If you don’t believe me, ask Sheila.

Jim Booth
Highland Mills

ELECTION 2005 ROUND-UP

We'll Election Day 2005 has gone in to the history books....and there is certainly some history. On Election Day Republicans did not fare well in general in Orange County. If Election results stand as they currently do, Republicans will hold an 11-10 majority in the 21 Member Orange County Legislature. This shatters the current record of 13-8 Republican that the present Legislature is comprised of. Meaning, Republican numbers in the Legislature seem to keep on sliding each election cycle. Democrats have never controlled the Legislature since it came in to existence in 1970 replacing the old Board of Supervisors. Prior to the that, Republicans controlled the old board from 1910-1969. So, as we can see the Democrats are starting to claim ground that they have never held in decades.

History was also made here in Woodbury. For the first time since May of 1985 when Supervisor Lawrence Bayard (D) resigned, Woodbury will have a Democratic Town Supervisor. This is only the 4th time since the town was founded in 1889 that the town has gone Democratic in the Supervisors race. Democrat John Burke defeated incumbent Sheila Conroy a Republican. She becomes only the fourth supervisor in town history, and the first since Stephen W. Hayes, Sr. (D) defeated Walter Belding (R) in 1957 to be defeated for re-election. I would like to say I am disappointed to see that Sheila will not be returning as Supervisor in January. She has done a fine job at the helm of our town government.

The two GOP candidates for Town Board, Michael Queenan and incumbent Councilwoman Gerri Gianzero were successful in re-election ensuring that the Republican Party will maintain control of the board. Congrats to Mike and Gerri.

Congrats as well to Town Clerk Desiree Potvin, Tax Collector Carol Herb, Highway Supt. Pete Stabile, and Town Justice-Elect David Hasin on their victories as well. Joining in victory on Election night were Woodbury's representatives in Goshen, County Legislator Michael Amo of the 1st District and County Legislator Alan Seidman of the 12th District. The 14th District which includes most of Woodbury remained in Democratic hands with the re-election of Roxanne Donnery.

I hope that the County Republican Party takes quick note of the disappointing results throughout the county and begins to prepare for a much needed turn around next year and in years to come. It looks as though we in Orange are now on the front lines of battle with the increasing Democratic influence coming up from the south. Are we ready?? It seems we are not!!

ELECTION DAY IS HERE.....

Today is Election Day in the Town of Woodbury.....

We have some really important decisions to make....

I encourage all of you to vote wisely, by electing our town Republican team of Sheila Conroy for Town Supervisor, and Geraldine Gianzero and Michael Queenan for Town Council. Sheila, Mike, and Gerri are needed on the Town Board as they are the candidates that will fight for Woodbury and make the tough decisions that need to be made every day.

I have learned in politics it is easy to complain about everything. But, rarely do people rise to the occasion and match action with their rhetoric. Sheila, Mike and Gerri have a history of matching what they say with action. The other night Sheila, Gerri and two other members of our Town Board Lorraine McNeill and outgoing Councilman Colleen Campbell had the foresight to make a tough decision that WILL benefit our town. They voted to approve the wp3 Brodsky project because in the end that land WOULD have been developed. I personally prefer a nice community of homes, in which tax paying citizens will contribute to the greatness of our community, rather than the alternative we all know would have occurred.

Unfortunately, the town democratic slate does not comprehend that. Neither, sadly, do some of my fellow Republicans including Mr. Sullivan who has disloyally run in this election as an Independent.

The choice is yours. Please join me in supporting Sheila, Gerri, and Mike as well as our other GOP Team members, Desiree Potvin for Town Clerk, Carol Herb, for Tax Collector and Peter Stabile for Highway Superintendent.

District 4 votes, as usual, at the Town Hall, 511 Route 32. Polls are open from 6AM-9PM.