Mohan trying to do job he set out to do

Once again, the Amherst Bee leads the pack with the bad news that another Town of Amherst department can't possibly do its job with a reduced budget. You take great delight in again painting Satish Mohan as the villain for trying to do the job the people elected him to do. One begins to wonder about the impartiality of The Bee.

The police, town workers and all other groups should be ashamed of telling us that they can't/won't do their jobs unless we maintain the status quo. Now the assessor's office is singing the same tune.

My experience with these "professionals" included someone assessing my $80,000 house at $150,000, an egregious amount that was reduced to merely excessive at $105,000. How any "professional" could even just drive by and make that kind of judgement boggles my mind. Harry Williams' statement that, "The Town of Amherst has been a leader in the State of New York in assessment fairness and equity for over 10 years" is an absolute joke.

Town workers don't realize that there is no unending pot of gold to draw from. Voters elected Satish Mohan because they wanted to return to fiscal stability, like workers have had to do in the real world. Businesses have had to tighten their belt, work harder, smarter, and longer, but the employees of the Town of Amherst think they are exempt from those principles.

Yes, the town is a good place to live, and, yes, maybe to work also. If the current workers feel they are being put upon by working here, maybe they would be happier working somewhere else.

Whitey Nichols

West Royal Parkway

Williamsville Thanks for help in storm cleanup

Just want to thank all my neighbors on Arondale Drive who graciously helped dig us out on Oct. 14 after the storm - people we never met, and some we knew only in passing. And special thanks to Rick for getting NYSEG to come back and finish our side of the street that had been left undone. We were dark for nine and a half days. Carolyn Dorigo Arondale Drive

Williamsville Town is a Macy's, not a Wal-Mart

When I voted for Satish Mohan for town supervisor I thought I was voting for a man who was going to efficiently manage our town government. Unfortunately it appears that Supervisor Mohan's management skills amount to nothing more than cutting expenditures without consideration of their contribution to the quality of life in Amherst. There isn't another town police force in Western New York comparable to ours. Our highway and sanitation departments do a stellar job regardless of the season. Our town tax assessments are the most accurate and fair in New York.

Supervisor Mohan's budget cuts for cutting's sake will dismantle the superior governmental services that have been created with the investment of our tax dollars over the past several decades. Supervisor Mohan is administering our town as if it were a Wal-Mart rather than a Macy's. The taxpayers of Amherst, however, want a quality government, not a discount one. He should spend his time identifying and trimming the inefficient branches of government rather than strip mining the budget. Hopefully, the Town Board will be able to put aside political differences and preserve the historical excellence of our town governmental services from Mohan's machete. Gary D. Borek

Darwin Drive

Amherst

Thank you for support

I would like to thank all of the volunteers, the bakers, sellers and buyers that were at the bake sale held at the Pepsi Center on Oct. 6 during homecoming to support the Diver family. I truly appreciate all of the support that we received and I know that the Diver family will appreciate the generous donation they have received. It is so nice to live in such a giving town and to know that when something happens to a family, we all pitch in to show our support. Thanks to everyone again.

Jill Licata

Clarence

Superintendent extends thank you

On behalf of the Williamsville Central School District, I would like to publicly recognize and thank Amherst Police Chief John Moslow, Assistant Chief John Askey and Detective Sgt. Michael Torrillo; Emergency Response Coordinator James Zymanek; and Amherst Highway Superintendent Robert Anderson, for their outstanding performance during the unprecedented October storm. This significant, widespread emergency demanded an unparalleled response. From the onset, the teamwork, coordination, and leadership demonstrated by these individuals and their staff were incredible.

As early as the first night of the storm, Chief Moslow recognized the potential impact that it would have on schools and contacted each of the three superintendents in the Town of Amherst. He involved us in daily briefings where we received the best information available in order to make important decisions regarding the status of our schools. The Police Department, particularly its Emergency Response Team led by Lt. Jim McNamara and Lt. August Canna, was instrumental in mapping out a plan to reopen schools within the town, with the safety of children as the top priority. The value and power of working together in the best interest of the community resulted in the early decision to close schools for the entire week, a decision that proved to be both prudent and necessary.

I think it is important to acknowledge that our safety and security does not just happen by chance, especially in a crisis situation. It is the result of untold hours of planning by law enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel, working in conjunction with others in the community - including our schools - to keep residents safe.

As superintendent of schools charged with educating our children in a safe environment, I appreciate the dedication of the people who serve and protect our community each and every day. As our schools return to normalcy in the aftermath of the storm, all of us here will continue to work with town officials to coordinate and plan emergency response efforts that insure the safety of our children. We are fortunate to have such dedicated leaders like Chief Moslow serving our community.

Dr. Howard S. Smith,

superintendent, Williamsville Central Schools