Kindel true friend of Amherst Police

Amherst ranks as America's safest community in its population category, and second safest compared to all 371 communities in the United States. Bill Kindel, Amherst Town Board member who deserves our vote for another term, has much to do with this success.

Virtually every town in America struggles with how best to allocate funding, balancing the need to cut costs with the desire to maintain the highest quality of life possible. Amherst is no exception.

For some time the debate raged as to whether or not to provide the Amherst Police Department with essential funding and a minimum number of officers necessary to do its job. And occasionally, it became dangerously clear that our police department would lose - along with Amherst's families who are able to walk our neighborhoods without looking over their shoulders.

Fortunately, Bill crafted a financial solution that gave our police department the necessary funding to keep Amherst safe, without increasing the town's budget one dime. This is leadership at its very best!

Instead of basing decisions on misinformation, Bill does his homework.

He realizes that we face more calls for service and gang activity that is increasingly penetrating Amherst's boundaries. And he is aware that Amherst only has 1.6 full-time law enforcement personnel per 1,000 residents, well below the average suburban rate of 3.7.

Bill has studied our crime prevention strategy and knows why patrol officers need to maintain quick response times and high visibility, how attention to minor crimes keeps the lid on bigger crimes, and the importance of officer training and community programs.

This fiscally responsible policymaker fights to maintain the delicate balance of keeping costs down while retaining our quality of life. These are reasons why I support him in his bid for another term on the Amherst Town Board.

Ed Guzdek

president, Amherst Police Club