To the Editor:
On Election Day, I urge Canton Village and Town residents to vote for Klaus Proemm and Beth Larrabee for Village Trustee, Mary Ann Ashley for Town Supervisor, and Jim Smith, Martha Foley-Smith, and Dave Nelson for Town Council. There is much to say about each of these candidates individually, but I am going to focus on what makes this the team you want serving you for the next four years.
As a Village Trustee for the last two years, I have come to understand that while the Village and Town are separate municipalities with different functions and issues, they are fundamentally connected. Canton’s residents need public servants who collaborate to provide the most complete, efficient, and fiscally responsible services possible to our residents.
These candidates have a proven record of doing just that. There are many examples. The Village and Town have worked closely to maintain municipal operations throughout the COVID-19 epidemic; to jointly complete the first Comprehensive Plan since 1976; to apply for grant funding to co-locate our salt and sand storage, reducing our environmental footprint; to provide for enhanced recreation opportunities through the joint Re-Imagining Recreation process; to apply for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and other economic development funding to strengthen our business community; to maintain and improve our infrastructure, including making our roads and streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles alike; to strengthen the police-community relationships and provide for public safety; to enhance our parks and access to the waterways; and to improve the municipalities’ use of technology and the public’s access to government.
Canton residents can be proud of the way your public servants are working together for the good of the whole community. Votes for Trustees Proemm and Larrabee, Supervisor Ashley, and Councilmembers Smith, Nelson, and Foley-Smith are votes for responsible, forward-thinking, and collaborative leadership with the community’s best interests in mind. I urge you to re-elect this team on November 2, 2021.
Anna Sorensen
Canton Village Trustee
