To the Editor:

I welcome the news from last week that County Independence Party Chairman Paul Caputo resigned from the Guilderland Planning Board. I’m glad Paul finally decided to do the right thing, and frankly he should have done it long ago.

This isn’t a question of the time being right as Mr. Caputo states in the article; it’s a question of the time being more convenient.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about Mr. Caputo; it’s about what’s right and what’s wrong. This is about good government and a stronger town ethics law.

Republicans call on the town board to adopt a local law that formally prohibits party chairmen from serving as appointees on any town board or council.

We also call on the town board to strengthen the ethics requirements for all town officers, to require that not only their interests and contracts before the town must be disclosed but also the interests and contracts of their family members and close acquaintances and associates, including any political positions they may hold.

This information should be published on the town website for all to see.

We also call on the town board to reform the membership of the Guilderland Ethics Board to ensure real and not imagined checks and balances, and that the rights and interests of the minority party are not trampled on in the future. The ethics committee must be a true independent watchdog and not a paper tiger.

Transparency and accountability are very important in government and this case provides us with the perfect opportunity to make positive changes to our ethics laws for the good of town residents.

One resignation won’t solve this problem, but it may provide the right catalyst for change. Only time will tell. 

Matt Nelligan
Chairman
Guilderland Republican Committee