Letters to the Editor May 2

Bedford woman appreciates well kept trails at Ward Pound Ridge

To the Editor:

Celebrating Ward Pound Ridge I would like to express my gratitude to the staff at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. I embarked on the 100-mile challenge in celebration of the 100th anniversary of “the Rez,” and in the course of my journey I have traversed almost every section of the 35-plus miles of trails in the park. They are all well-marked and cleared of debris, and new footbridges are being constructed. 

Thank you for maintaining this beautiful natural resource in our neck of the woods! I hope everyone can come out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park on Saturday, May 17. 

Alisa Harrison

Bedford 

Young Bedford reader enjoys ‘Kidding Around’ page

To the Editor:

I have really been liking the “Kidding Around” section in the news. Please keep it up!

George Kunhardt Jr.

Bedford, first grade

Bedford writer urges participation in school district votes

To the Editor:

I want to remind all residents of Bedford, Bedford Hills, Pound Ridge and Mount Kisco how important it is to vote in the Bedford Central School District’s annual budget vote and election on Tuesday, May 20. Our schools and our community’s future truly depend on your participation.

Voting is not only a right — it’s a civic duty. Strong voter turnout shows that we are engaged, care about the success of our students, and are committed to the future of our community. Good schools benefit everyone. They provide better opportunities for students, support local families, and help maintain strong neighborhoods. They also protect and increase property values, attract new families to the area, and keep our community vibrant and thriving — whether or not you currently have children in the district.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by May 20, and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days before the election. You must also be registered with either the school district’s Board of Registration or the Westchester County Board of Elections. If you have not voted in a school district or general election in the past four years, you must re-register. (You can call the district clerk to confirm your registration status.)

Please take the time to vote on May 20. Your voice matters — and so does our community’s future.

Jill Becker

Bedford

Pound Ridge woman questions paper's adherence to letters policy

To the Editor:

Newspapers set guidelines on how frequently they’ll publish letters from the same individual to ensure diversity of voices and perspectives. This past week, The Recorder published a letter from the same writer for the third consecutive week.  

The standard is almost uniformly one letter per month (or no more often than every 30 days).

The list of papers with those generally accepted guidelines is long … Here’s just a few: The Asheville Citizen-Times, St. Cloud Times, The Bulletin, and St. Louis Call Newspapers.

The Recorders’ predecessor, The Record- Review, had and enforced those very same guidelines.

My question is, Why would The Recorder print letters from the same writer three weeks in a row — letters that are loose with the facts and high in personal attacks of the town board? It’s my opinion that the answers include to fill space, try and sell newspapers and fan the flames of controversy.

It’s disappointing that The Recorder failed to fact check a series of “Letters to Editor” that included and preceded these letters. Readers rely on the media for accurate information and allowing misleading and false claims to appear without verification undermines that trust. Several letters in The Recorder have contained incorrect or misleading misinformation or lacking proper context.  Thirty-day policies maintain a balanced and diverse editorial page preventing a single voice or small group of voices (as is the case here) from dominating discourse. We expect better from The Recorder.

Roslyn Stone-Pollock

Former chair of Pound Ridge Democratic Committee

Editor’s Note: Our “Letters to the Editor” policy is published above at left.