Letters to the Editor August 15

Writer disputes notion all critics are from Pound Ridge Party

To the Editor:

In response to Joan Hallowell’s Aug. 8 letter, (“Writer says Pound Ridge Party denigrates office holders”) people writing with concerns about financial stewardship and good governance in Pound Ridge are not “members of the Pound Ridge Party.”

In fact, since graduating from Fox Lane High School with one of Hallowell’s daughters, I have been a person who pays attention, who cares, and who has always been a Democrat. I have come to Hallowell’s door campaigning for Democratic candidates. I have been a district leader, treasurer, and chair of the Pound Ridge Democratic Party. I have been the assistant secretary of the Westchester County Democratic Party. My voice was the greeting on Geraldine Ferraro’s Blackberry. Perhaps the only person with deeper Democratic Party credentials in Pound Ridge was Ted Sorensen who told me I drive like JFK — not a good thing.

A flourishing democracy is one in which all people can state their concerns civilly and openly for discussion.

Yes, John McCown asked if he could put my name on his fundraising letterhead and I said OK. I have a lot of concerns, but I’ll focus on the state comptroller’s audit since Hallowell lauded the Supervisor Newsletter.

The Supervisor’s Newsletter of Aug. 8, 2025, speaks glowingly about the state audit, but the audit posted on the New York State Comptroller’s Office website shows $1,099,447 lacking supporting documentation, competitive bids, or itemized invoices and receipts. Two particularly sad quotes from the audit are below.

“The Director and a member of the Board told us that this was done because Board meetings are held the first Monday and second Tuesday of each month, and credit card payments are usually due before the meetings. We reviewed the 23 credit card statement due dates and the dates when the finance department paid the credit card statements, and compared them to the dates of the Board meeting minutes listed on the Town website. Twenty-one of the 23 credit card statements and the corresponding supporting documentation could have been presented to the Board at the respective month’s Board meeting, which would have allowed for audit prior to payment and no late and penalty fees being incurred. We determined eight of the 23 credit card statements totaling $59,348 were paid after their due dates. This resulted in $156 in late fees and $209 of interest being incurred and paid.”

“We asked the Director to provide supporting documentation for the 226 unsupported purchases (transactions) totaling $54,359. He said that the $3,363 of subscriptions are purchased annually and there are no monthly invoices, but while reviewing the credit card statements, we identified monthly subscription invoices attached to the credit card statements.”

Anyone can go to the state comptroller’s website and confirm that what I say is true.

Ellen Kearns Pound Ridge

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Pound Ridge Party responds to claim it denigrates office holders

To the Editor:

In response to the recent letter “Writer says Pound Ridge Party denigrates office holders” (Aug. 8), we feel it’s important to correct serious inaccuracies by the writer, Joan Hallowell. The Pound Ridge Party has no connection — financial or otherwise — to any lawsuits against the town of Pound Ridge or its officials. These legal matters were initiated by private citizens, independent of our candidates, our campaign, and our work.

The editorial page of The Recorder exists so that all private citizens — regardless of political affiliation — can share their perspectives on matters affecting our town. Letters from members or supporters of the Pound Ridge Party are simply the voices of residents exercising their right to free speech and civic engagement.

While we may disagree on the facts or priorities, open dialogue is essential to a healthy democracy. The goal is not to “denigrate” anyone, but to raise questions, share concerns, and encourage informed discussion about how our town is managed. Citizens should avoid making unfounded accusations. 

Our focus has been and continues to be advocating for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and open communication among residents and town leadership. Raising questions about town finances, procurement practices, and long-delayed audits is not “nonsense” — it’s a core responsibility of any engaged citizen or candidate.

We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this and encourage all residents to review the key issues on our website. Informed discussion, grounded in facts, benefits everyone in Pound Ridge — no matter their political view.

John McCown, Peter Avellino and Ron Asaro  Pound Ridge Party candidates

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Lawler uses ‘Project 2025 talking points’ to cut services

To the Editor:

Mike Lawler continues to use Project 2025 talking points to cut services from the poor and middle class of America. On the “Morning Joe” show last week, Lawler not only continued to deny the facts about cuts to Medicaid, but added a new twist — he blamed poor health care on the Affordable Care Act. 

Lawler suggests that the ACA was the cause of private insurance companies being allowed to own private medical practices. He cited our local issue of UnitedHealthcare owning Optum where stories of competing interests and denial of services are rampant. As is usually the case with Lawler, his statements overlook some hard truths that the creators of Project 2025 refuse to see.

The ACA was filled with compromises within a government system that has never seemed ready for Universal health care — a system in which all people, regardless of income, are valued enough to receive appropriate treatment. Instead, a slew of compromises resulted in people receiving better health care but at ever-increasing prices controlled by a handful of insurance companies. And for those locked out of this system, the Big Beautiful Bill will now deny them Medicaid services as well. 

According to The Lever, a nonprofit investigative news outlet, the top health insurance companies in our country had profits that jumped 230% in the last 10 years. The lion’s share goes to UnitedHealth Group, which reportedly denies nearly one in three medical claims from policy holders. Many progressives believe that Universal health care, a privilege given in every advanced country but our own, would solve this problem. To this end, U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell, Pramila Jayapal, and Sen. Bernie Sanders co-sponsored the Medicare for All Act of 2025. The bill remains in committee. 

Project 2025, along with its devotees like Mike Lawler, rejects expertise, institutions, education, and progress. Sadly, what they reject most is the ethos of American society that we speak the truth and work towards better tomorrows for us all. 

Dorothy Venditto Mount Kisco

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Writer says Pound Ridge town pool is mismanaged

To the Editor:

Finally! The leaks in the pool got fixed (I’ve heard that before). After seven years, or maybe it was nine, plus thousands of gallons of makeup water, chemicals and great expense to the taxpayers the pool should be fixed! 

Leaking pools require purchasing water from pool water companies. Their trucks that hold roughly 6,000 gallons of water and delivery costs $475 or $440 if you can find a good deal. When a pool leaks, it throws off the whole pool operation; the water temperature, vacuuming, lifeguard rotation, chemical balancing and usage. The town received a grant to fix the pool. Why didn’t they use the grant money to hire experts to determine the problems rather than self guess and waste money? Leaking pools leak water 52 weeks a year and this one has been leaking for seven to nine years. The ground that the pool rests on, when saturated, may have a tendency to sink. 

Yet another example of Pound Ridge Pool mismanagement. 

Ed Gulbenkian, aquatic consultant Pound Ridge

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Family thanks Katonah businesses and organizations

To the Editor:

As the summer winds down and kids head back to school, we’d like to say “thank you” to the many businesses and organizations in Katonah who provided internships and employed local students. You’ve helped them develop skills beyond the classroom, and they’ve created new connections in our community. A big thank you to Kelloggs & Lawrence, LMNOP Bakery, Katonah Village Library, Weinstein's Pharmacy, Community Center of Northern Westchester and others that we may have missed!

Susan and David Williams Katonah