To the Editor:

I am writing to encourage Canton voters to elect Mary Ann Ashley, Martha Foley-Smith, Jim Smith, and Dave Nelson, to new terms on the Town Board.

I want to commend Ms. Ashley in particular for her leadership as Town Supervisor. She inherited an office that was the subject of scandal and in financial disarray and brought the Town's Fiscal Stress Score from 15.8 to 0 in just three years. Her recent interview with NCNow gave me a lot of confidence that she has a vision for Canton, understands the financial situation of the Town very well, and is prepared to build on the good work she has accomplished so far.

As a business owner and manager of employees I am very interested in understanding what makes organizations function well, how management can best handle difficult situations, and how to make decision making more efficient and effective.

I've observed several joint Town and Village Board meetings and have always been struck by how well the Boards work together. They don't shy away from difficult topics but always keep their discussions respectful and they accomplish a lot, covering a wide range of topics (one can get a sense of that just from Board agendas here: https://cantonny.gov/government/town/agendas/).

The Board members are focused, prepared, and informed and are ready to ask good questions. We, the residents of Canton, benefit from that in myriad ways. For example, because of that cooperation, the Village and Town share Economic Development, Recreation, and other services, which helps reduce our overall tax burden.

I hope the voters of Canton will join me in expressing their appreciation for the good work our current Board is doing by voting for them either on November 2nd or by absentee ballot (you can request a ballot here: https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingAbsentee.html).

Anna Sommer

Canton