To the Editor:

In Moses’ latest letter, he pleads for honesty in the Family Court Judge race. When called out previously, Moses confessed that he couldn’t actually practice in Federal or New Jersey courts because he didn’t pay his fees. He admitted that he was asked to leave the County Attorney’s Office. He verified that he hadn’t appeared in Family Court much since he left DSS in 2017. After being called out again this week, he finally changed his website, admitting that he also lost re-election to the Canton School Board in May. So much for honesty.

Now he tries portraying himself as a small-town guy by accusing me of “big city politics.” I’ve been open about how I left a Wall Street career in 1988 to take a position with North Country Legal Services in Plattsburgh so I could help children with disabilities. I’ve now lived in Norwood (population about 1500) for 16 years. Before that, I lived in Chateaugay Village for 15 years (fewer than 900 residents when we were there). Hardly “big city.”

Moses forgot to mention that he too came from “the big city,” and more recently than me. In February when he declared his candidacy, he noted that he is “originally from Long Island and moved to the north country in 1992.” This appears in a Watertown Daily Times article dated February 22, 2021.

Moses is also upset because he was caught “liking” a racist post on Facebook. A good Family Court Judge’s decisions will be based on the quality of the evidence, not the color of someone’s skin. If a non-white family comes before my court, I want them to know that they matter to me. Their child matters. Their health matters. Their safety matters. I would strive to treat them just like I would treat a white family. Why does Moses have a problem with this?

Finally, I believe strongly that a candidate’s family is forced to come along for the ride and should be left alone. To intimidate DSS workers, a Moses surrogate tried to twist something my wife said in her classroom. When she posted on Moses’ Facebook site regarding this, he deleted her comment in less than 5 minutes rather than responding or disavowing what had been done.

Moses is upset because he was caught. He sees my fairness, open-mindedness, and experience as some sort of liability. So be it.

Alexander Lesyk
St. Lawrence County Family Court Judge candidate
Norwood