To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of Sen. Dan Stec as representative of the newly aligned NYS District 45. This newly formed district is a result of the redistricting that occurred earlier this year which not only includes the southern towns he currently represents, but will now include many towns in the northern part of SLC to include Massena, Louisville, Canton, Potsdam, Norfolk, Waddington and several others.

I had the opportunity to meet Sen. Stec this summer and was very impressed with his personality, background and overall knowledge of the issues facing our county.

We discussed my concerns of the increasing rate of crime and drugs which are infiltrating our small communities and having a direct impact on our youth. We talked about the increasing prices of groceries, home heating fuel and gas prices. Sen. Stec is not new to the north country having graduated from Clarkson University with a degree in chemical engineering and then went on to serve our country by spending eight years in the US Navy.

In addition, he has held the position of NYS Assemblyman and currently as a NYS Senator which affords him a strong working knowledge of the issues currently affecting our county, as well as the challenges of working in Albany. Sen. Stec is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment having voted against the sweeping gun law legislation passed in July.

He understands the new law was a clear violation of the constitution and that the overreaching provisions clearly confused the public. Sen. Stec is also in opposition to the proposal by the NY Farm Laborers Board to lower the overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hrs/wk.

He understands the hardships family owned farms are going through trying to recover from the Covid pandemic while still operating on a tight budget. These are among many tough issues facing the north country, but ones I believe are worth fighting for. I have no doubt Sen. Stec will fight for them as well.

We all have important decisions to make on Nov. 8th regarding who we will vote for. Take the time to do the research, ask the important questions of the candidates and decide whose beliefs align with your own…and then make sure to vote.

Lorraine Salamon
Louisville