Letters to the Editor — Oct. 2, 2026

Conley will restore prowess of military

To the Editor:

Cait Conley is a 16-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a West Point graduate. She knows precisely how our military must be organized and managed to be effective and efficient. 

Donald Trump and his incompetent lackey, Pete Hegseth, our secretary of defense, are doing their best to destroy our military — to render it ineffective in the 21st century. Hegseth has fired numerous civilian and military officials with decades of experience, including highly decorated senior military officers. He has blocked the promotions of competent officers because they were female or people of color. Many of those fired were focused on modernizing our armed services to meet the challenges of modern warfare. Conley is totally appalled by all of these actions. When elected to Congress, she will vote to ensure that our military leaders are people of experience and integrity, whose promotions are based solely on merit. She will promote a military strategy in keeping with our times, not one that focuses on culture wars.

And where is Mike Lawler in all of this? Has he voiced one word calling for the ouster of the inept Pete Hegseth as defense secretary? Has he publicly opposed the endless war in Iran? Of course not! Why? Because he is scared! He is a coward! A pathetic, craven coward who knows that if he says or does anything that displeases Donald Trump, his political career is over. So do not vote for this sorrowful individual who has only a single constituent that he will do nothing to anger. Rather, vote for Cait Conley for Congress! She will not only restore the prowess of our military, but she will faithfully represent you and me and all of our neighbors in New York’s 17th District. You will never regret that decision. 

Joel Gingold Croton-on-Hudson

Conley will safeguard against ‘adversarial AI’

To the Editor:

Recent statements by AI company CEOs regarding the potential dangers of this powerful technology have brought this issue to the forefront. Additionally, the ongoing debate regarding data centers — which affect both the environment and our utility costs — is front and center.

Understanding the backgrounds and positions of Cait Conley and Mike Lawler, candidates for Congress in New York’s 17th Congressional District is vitally important as they relate to these issues.

Conley’s military career included six tours of duty in war zones and three Bronze Stars.

She also served as a senior executive at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, working to safeguard our infrastructure and election systems, conferring experience relevant to these issues. 

Her campaign website policy statements include “ensuring the US leads in AI innovation while strengthening safeguards against adversarial use of AI,” “regulating Data Centers” and “passing clear data privacy laws.”

Since being elected to Congress in 2022, Lawler has voted for federal tax breaks that include $80 billion targeted at AI and tech industries, which can be used to finance heavily subsidized local data center projects. Five data centers have been built in Rockland County since he took office, and three more are planned. He also voted for a federal framework that would override state and local AI moratoriums. One of his first votes as a congressman was for H.R. 1, which expanded drilling and fracking on public lands and cut environmental protections.

Prior to his election in 2022, he was a registered lobbyist for the utility and energy industries, as well as a political consultant.

When considering the individual who will work in the interest of this district and fight for our safety, the choice is clear. Cait Conley will work to protect and defend us, as she has for over 20 years.

Judith Mason Katonah

Pay attention to Lawler’s votes, not his rhetoric  

To the Editor:

Since I paid $6.25 for premium gas recently and had to buy it, and because Congressman Lawler has backed Trump’s policies 100% of the time since he was reelected, it behooves Republicans, independents and Democrats to watch how Lawler votes, not what he says … and don’t buy it! 

Lawler’s made a career of sponsoring bills he knows won’t pass and then using that sponsorship to trumpet his bipartisan bona fides. He voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, cutting almost a trillion dollars from SNAP and Medicaid and eliminating subsidies for the ACA, making it unaffordable for millions. All to provide tax breaks to corporations and billionaires. 

He backs the Iran war. He refuses to support an Epstein investigation. As a former lobbyist for gas and coal, it’s laughable to hear him talk about reopening Indian Point. Now he’s sending mailers and running TV ads accusing Cait Conley, his moderate Democratic opponent, of doing the very things he has a record of supporting. 

It’s simply not true. We’ve seen this playbook too often. We’re tired of lobbyists and career politicians lying and getting rich off the backs of the middle class. 

Then there’s SALT. Instead of letting the SALT deduction cap expire in 2025, he voted for the OBBB, making it a permanent tax on working families to fund tax breaks for the wealthy. Prior to Trump in 2017, everyone in New York could deduct state and local taxes. Here’s the reality. Lawler says 90% of his constituents “could” deduct $40,000 through the OBBB. But you must have the income to itemize and only 20% to 40% of his constituents have that income level. 

Don’t buy it! Come Nov. 3, I’m voting for affordability, lower taxes, ending wars and political accountability. I’m voting for Cait Conley. Please join me! 

Alan Levy Brewster

Conley will fight for her constituents

To the Editor:

The upcoming election is our chance to make a difference, make a change, and get America back on track. Please take your responsibility to vote seriously. 

My hope is that you’ll vote for Cait Conley because she is a fighter — and she’s going to fight for us, her constituents in the Hudson Valley. 

She’s worked very hard, and will work even harder in Congress, and you can count on her to represent us. And while you’re at it, vote for Pete Harckham, Chris Burdick and Erika Pierce as well … because they’ve been working hard and fighting hard for us for years. I believe that if you do your job well, you deserve to keep it and they’ve done their jobs well.

Remember: if you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain about anything for the next two years! So mark your calendar for Nov. 3. Or better yet, vote early. Thank you.

Bobbe Stultz Goldens Bridge

The state did not close Indian Point

To the Editor:

Alexander Goldfarb’s letter of Sept. 25, 2026 (“Lawler has record of bipartisanship, lowering costs for Hudson Valley,” Page 6) is inaccurate — to put it kindly — in several ways.

For one thing, “Democrat-controlled Albany” did not close Indian Point. Over 15 years ago, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, as mandated by the federal Clean Water Act, ruled that Indian Point violated the law because its water intake was killing nearly a billion aquatic organisms a year. DEC gave the utility the choice of making upgrades to address the problem but the utility, Entergy, made a business case decision to close the plant because it reckoned the upgrades would be too costly. Entergy closed the plant, not the State of New York. The State of New York merely applied the federal law as it was required to do. 

Would cheaper power come for consumers by reopening the plant? The estimated cost for reopening Indian Point is $10 billion. Not only would consumers be on the hook for that but so would taxpayers as the present owner, Holtec, would not proceed without considerable financial support from the state. That $10 billion would go a lot farther and a lot faster being devoted to new wind power, new solar power, advanced geothermal, batteries and decentralized energy. 

Bill Hewitt Bedford

Lewisboro Land Trust opposes Reynolds plan

This is an open letter to the Lewisboro town supervisor and Planning Board, published here at the organization’s request.

The board of the Lewisboro Land Trust would like to register its opposition to the overdevelopment of 831 Route 35, Cross River (The Reynolds property).

This parcel is of significant conservation value, abutting Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, the Cross River and the reservoir. As part of the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor, it serves as an important habitat for our abundant wildlife. Building a gated subdivision of 14 homes, each with a pool, long driveways and new access roads, will mean the entire site is developed, leaving absolutely no open space for quiet enjoyment. Neighboring existing properties all enjoy large parcels and plenty of open space between the lots, enhancing the rural community of Lewisboro.

It is encouraging to see the Planning Board raising concerns about overdevelopment and we urge them to demand a full environmental impact assessment as soon as possible. It is also important to confirm whether the site does indeed have wetlands, regardless of any lack of mapping documentation.

This parcel of land presents a wonderful opportunity for local residents to access Ward Pound Ridge either on foot when sidewalks are installed, or with possible parking at Cyrus Russell House. Lewisboro Land Trust is very interested in helping the Town of Lewisboro preserve this land as conserved open space as we have done in the past at Leon Levy Preserve and Old Field Preserve.

We welcome any opportunity to assist with the preservation of this land.

Catherine Downs President Lewisboro Land Trust, on behalf of the board