Cold War Veterans Blog

How about some letters guys supporting Cold War vets fighting for their tax exemption

David Baker, D-city of Canandaigua, spoke against the exemptions, minutes before the board voted against the resolution 11-8, with a weighted vote of 2,774 to 1,318. Under weighted voting, supervisors have votes proportional to their towns’ populations.

“What we’re offering here is a very nice thing to do. Sometimes, nice is not the right thing to do,” Baker said then. “Do the right thing. Do the fair thing. This is not a time to do the nice thing.”





letters@messengerpostmedia.com



It is this kind of thing we have been fighting guys all along ignorance of what Cold War service was all about.
I know we have some words for Mr. Baker. His profound misunderstanding of this issue is another example of the second class veteran attitude we must change if nothing else.



Canandaigua, N.Y. —
Ontario County’s Cold War veterans may yet get the property tax exemptions the Board of Supervisors vetoed last month.

Ralph Calabrese, a Canandaigua resident and veterans’ advocate who served in the Korean War, berated the board on the issue — and may have gotten his way.

Calabrese, who addressed the board at the beginning of its scheduled meeting Thursday night, asked the supervisors to reconsider their decision to not allow the tax breaks.

“I’m here to ask you, please, reconsider. Take that slap in the face to every veteran when you said no back and have another vote,” Calabrese shouted. “You are trying to sit there and tell me, because they weren’t shot at, they’re not entitled.”

Board chairman Ted Fafinski, R-Farmington, who voted for the exemptions, asked the Governmental Operations and Improved Methods Committee to revisit the resolution.

But Fafinski said if the committee does bring the issue back to the full board, and the board changes it mind, the exemption wouldn’t take effect until 2010, as the Dec. 1 deadline for granting exemptions in 2009 has already passed.

Calabrese called board members “hypocrites,” saying the reason each and every one of them are able to sit here today is because of the Cold War veterans who were willing to put their lives on the line.

At the last board meeting, David Baker, D-city of Canandaigua, spoke against the exemptions, minutes before the board voted against the resolution 11-8, with a weighted vote of 2,774 to 1,318. Under weighted voting, supervisors have votes proportional to their towns’ populations.



By the numbers
2,774 Votes against Cold War veterans tax exemptions under the weighted voting system

1,318 Votes for the exemptions



“What we’re offering here is a very nice thing to do. Sometimes, nice is not the right thing to do,” Baker said then. “Do the right thing. Do the fair thing. This is not a time to do the nice thing.”

Calabrese would not qualify for the exemption, as he already qualifies for the exemption granted to Korean War veterans.

Shortly after his presentation, Calabrese left the meeting with some other veterans who were on hand.

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Sean P. Eagan
ACWV Chairman



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