Letters to the Editor and the local ballot
And catch "The Drowsy Chaperone" in Salem; Salem Press added to archives
In tomorrow’s newsletter, we’ll feature an interview with one of the actors in the Fort Salem Theater’s latest production, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” which premieres tonight and runs this weekend and next. Get tickets here.
This troupe always puts on a high-quality show. Winner of five Tony Awards, “The Drowsy Chaperone” is a send-up of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another.
Description: The theater lights dim as a fictitious 1928 musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” comes to life, with two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone. Put all together, you have the ingredients for hilariously toe-tapping evening of madcap delight.
Again, you can get tickets here.
Our Archives
By the way, you can now find both The Greenwich Journal and the new Salem Press in our archives. These will eventually end up in the New York Historic Newspapers archive.
Late Sept. Salem Press: https://cccnews.info/journalpress/salempress-2-web.pdf
Late Sept. Greenwich Journal: https://cccnews.info/journalpress/jp-9-16-24web.pdf
Early Sept. Salem Press: https://cccnews.info/journalpress/salem-press-126-1.pdf
Early Sept. Greenwich Journal: https://cccnews.info/journalpress/jp-9-1-24web.pdf
How to Subscribe to The Salem Press
We also have a new link if you’d like to get The Salem Press mailed to you each issue: https://cccnews.info/journalpress/2024/09/26/subscribe-to-the-salem-press/
Letters to the Editor
Below are some Letters to the Editor we have received since the printing of our last edition. We like letters. Send yours to editor@journalandpress.com. We just ask that you keep them under 400 words and, if political in nature, extol the virtues of your preferred candidate as opposed to tearing apart the other.
Here is the Greenwich ballot:
And here are those letters — they are all about the Greenwich justice race — in no particular order…
Patrick for Justice
To the Editor:
I have lived in Greenwich for 75 years and served as Town Justice for 24 of those years. Greenwich has changed in many ways, but one thing that remains the same is the importance of having a Town Court that provides fair and equal justice for those who appear. I believe that Steve Patrick would preside over such a court.
Steve has served our community in a myriad of ways. He was an outstanding teacher in our high school for 27 years and has mentored many of our students as cross country and track coach. He has served us all as Town Councilman for 28 years, serving on six town committees during his seven terms in office and always using a combination of common sense and humor. Please believe me when I say, from experience, that those attributes are important assets when on the bench.
And mentoring? Oh, yes!
A lot of valuable lessons can be learned by an appearance in court. There are times when a Justice has the opportunity to put a person on the right “track,” so to speak, especially when he is as well respected as Steve Patrick.
I firmly believe that Steve has the combination of intelligence and good old fashioned horse sense, plus the ability to use a stern demeanor or humor, whichever is necessary to get the point across and the job done well.
Please join me in supporting Steve Patrick for Town Justice.
Thank you.
Keith Mann, Sr.
Greenwich
Prefers Clothier
To the Editor:
I am voting for Judge Rachel Clothier on November 5th.
She was the Greenwich Village Justice in 2021 until April 2023. She has been the Greenwich Town Justice from April 2024 to the present and managed the consolidation of the Village and Town Courts.
She has years of experience in State and Local legal positions and is committed to the Greenwich community. She worked in the NYS Attorney General's Office and spent eight years as a Legal Assistant.
Rachel is the Greenwich Village Treasurer and the PTSA Vice-President.
She is the Greenwich Community Garden Manager and a Greenwich Elks volunteer.
She is a Greenwich Athletic Association Coach and a Certified Therapeutic Foster Parent.
She has a BA in Social Theory Structure & Change from Empire State College and a Masters in Public Administration & Minor in Ethics from Marist College.
Judge Clothier has the experience to be Town Judge and already does the job well!
Please join me in voting for Judge Rachel Clothier.
John H. Tedder
Greenwich
Also Likes Clothier
To the Editor:
One of the best aspects of the Greenwich community is that so many people give so generously of their time and skills. From EMTs who save lives to gardeners who plant flowers, hundreds (thousands?) of us volunteer every year. Our local elected officials and Town/Village employees are paid, but hardly getting rich. This culture of stepping up and contributing is part of what makes Greenwich such a great place to live.
Very often, being smart and sensible and willing to learn is enough to make someone the best candidate for these volunteer or paid positions. But, sometimes, the job is much bigger than that. I recently went to a meet-and-greet for Rachel Clothier, our current Town Justice who is running for election in November and got some insight into how complex the position is, why we are lucky to have her and why we should definitely vote for her.
Many of us think that a small town court is pretty quiet and handles nothing more complicated than traffic tickets. In fact, our court is often packed and manages everything from misdemeanors to violent crimes. Making judgements on this wide variety of cases requires a knowledge of the law that goes beyond common sense because, often enough, what seems like a reasonable solution is not a legal solution. These kinds of well-meaning errors can and do come back to bite small towns in the form of fines paid by the local taxpayer. Fortunately, Town Justice Rachel Clothier’s education and experience, both in Greenwich and in the New York State Office of the Attorney General bring a level of expertise that has kept our court running properly.
In addition to legal knowledge, several people who work with Justice Clothier spoke about her other skills that make her a great asset in managing the people and money that pass through our court. Far from relying heavily on her clerk, her accounting and public administration background have allowed her to pitch in and help to keep the system from bogging down. She is also known among her coworkers for her ferocious work ethic and willingness to work across agencies.
The voters of Greenwich are fortunate that Rachel Clothier is running to keep the Town Justice position she is so well qualified for. Voting for her just makes sense.
Annie Miller
Greenwich
Backing Patrick
To the Editor:
Steve Patrick, is a life-long resident of Greenwich, and a graduate of Greenwich High School. His roots are firmly embedded, along with his heart and soul, in the Greenwich community. Many Greenwich and area residents know Steve’s values by his 40 years of coaching, 28 years on the Greenwich Town Council, and three years on the Town’s Planning Board. Steve also taught math for 27 years in Greenwich schools. Steve, as a coach, has consistently urged the members of the teams to never quit, trying to do their best regardless of challenges that one may face when competing or in life. He has continuously stood his ground as he faced many challenges as coach and as a public servant. Steve will follow the tradition of past elected Town Justices, who include Judges Pemrick, Bowen, Blake and Flynn. Each had awareness and keen knowledge of the Greenwich community, and used appropriate common sense when administering justice and the law. The excellent judges named above attended the one-week New York State Justice course as Steve Patrick will attend when elected.
Steve Partick is the right choice for the Fair Justice and Republican ballot line candidate for Greenwich Town Justice.
Louis J Leone
Greenwich
Setting the Record Straight
To the Editor:
I, Rachel Clothier Greenwich Town Judge, would like to set the record straight over a rumor that I heard. I was approached recently and told “you need to remember that you are running for judge in a Republican Town, and they don’t like the fact that you think no one should be in jail.”
My jaw dropped! I could not believe that he would say that to me. My father was a New York State Corrections Officer in Comstock, and I worked for the Attorney General defending the Department of Corrections in Article 78 Proceedings. I realized how little my background is known and that if I want my constituents to have faith in me, they need to hear from me that this rumor is not true.
As a local court justice, I have sentenced jail time for a sex offender that violated probation, a person who endangered the welfare of a child, and a person who drove while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle. Before becoming a town justice, I read a victim’s impact statement at sentencing in Warren County before Judge Hall for a manslaughter case. I was saddened that the defendant grew up with a thug life mentality and had no good role models, but that did not excuse the criminal he turned out to be and the fact that he had killed a well-liked and productive member of society.
As a former foster-parent I have learned the hard way that you cannot use “love” to fix the dysregulated brain chemistry and trauma in people. A parent must ride the roller coaster of experimenting with medication, and mental health therapy; and sometimes institutionalization is the best hope for a situation. I pray for a break in the cycles of neglect and abuse.
I am a realist; I know nothing will change by being a bystander and just hoping things will get better. I want to help my community in ways that can be impactful. When appropriate, I intend to order evaluations through Washington County Alternative Sentencing for people battling with Alcohol and Drug, Anger Management, and Mental Health.
We owe a safe community to people being held accountable for their behavior. A police presence, active prosecution and a tough judge in combination is the best deterrent for unlawful activity. I have experience, legal knowledge and understand that fairness is more than treating everyone the same.
Rachel Clothier
Greenwich
OK, those are the letters we’ve gotten lately. Maybe we’ll get more before press time.
We also have some political ads coming — of course, any candidate can place one. Contact us if you’d like in!
And Now … The Comics
Let’s end, as usual, with a comic. Maybe a political cartoon by Joel Pett?
Don’t be an undecided voter!
OK, that’s it for today. Have a good one!
Look for a “Drowsy Chaperone” post tomorrow. And get tickets here!