Return to Editorials Home

Guest editorials can be submitted by sending an
e-mail to editorials@jeffberkman.com or by sending your letter to Friends of Berkman
P.O. Box 787, Middletown New York, 10940.

You can also send a fax to (845) 343-9158

* This article first appeared in The Times Herald-Record on May 28, 2001. Used by permission.

Thanks to Berkman

Residents in this area who will now be able to check materials out of the Thrall Library come Jan. 1 owe a special debt of gratitude to Orange County Legislator Jeff Berkman.

He [Berkman] initiated the idea of creating a library district and worked on it over the years to make the necessary changes which would ensure its passage. He had nothing to gain personally from all this hard work since his constituency already had library privileges and indeed are the folks who undertook the financing of the bond which paid for the construction of the beautiful library we are blessed with. He is a person with vision and we need such people if we are to continue as a democracy.

Thanks also are due to Sen. William Larkin, who obtained the necessary financial support, to Assemblyman Jake Gunther and also to Robert Hubsher, the new director of the Ramapo-Catskill library system, who helped resolve the conflicts in the bill and pushed for a referendum date.

The affected communities were fortunate to have the devoted help of mothers whose children could not be assured of continued library services. Two who come to mind are Rosanne Sullivan and newly elected library trustee Joan Hutchinson. Thank you all.

Josephine Bayne
Town of Wallkill