To the editor:
Since taking office as the newest Chester Town Councilman in January, I have done my best to work hard on behalf of Chester residents. I want you to know exactly what I have been up to these past eleven months. Here is my first report to you, the people of Chester:
· 33 Constituent Cases Completed/Investigated, 4 Currently Active – Includes every day issues like connecting an individual to the Highway Department to get their curb fixed or gathering information for residents on specific issues so they are kept up to date on info that’s important to them
· 18 Community Issues Completed/Investigated, 3 Currently Active – Includes attending/promoting events in town as well as planning & assisting with events or improvements to the town. Examples: Assisting with the Golden Age Club BBQ, promoting the Chester Food Pantry, and working on a future dog park for the town
· 20 Town Policy Improvements Completed/Investigated, 3 Currently Active – Includes fighting for reform in town activities/procedures. Examples: Getting public comment moved to the beginning of meetings, pushing for town departments to give monthly reports, and fighting for ethics reforms
· 22 Town Issues Completed/Investigated, 7 Currently Active – Includes advocating for issues that affect the town like pressuring state legislatures to pass our Land Preservation bill in Albany (which passed the Senate & Assembly) and fighting for our roads to be fixed like the dreaded 17M bridge
· 45 Grants Applied for/Investigated, 9 Currently Researching – As the Town Grant Liaison, I’ve worked closely with our grant writers to apply for and research multiple grants. These don’t always end in an application or award, but it’s important to work towards an opportunity to bring money back to Chester
If you want more specific information on my work as your councilman or if you would like to bring an issue to my attention, I’ll be at Bagel Girls in town from 9AM-12PM this Saturday & Sunday (November 19th & 20th). I hope to see you there!
I plan to make these reports to the town annually while I am one of your elected officials. I believe transparency is important and you deserve to know what I’m doing with the office I was elected to, regardless of whether or not you voted for me.
Brandon Holdridge
Chester