To the Editor:

This has been a very difficult campaign. Running against an incumbent is like running up a hill with your hands tied behind your back, but I’m an old Marathon runner and I know where my strength is and how to get to the finish line.

The Town of Webb has been my home for forty years and if I am elected as your County Legislator on November 8, I am determined to make a difference in District 15.

I will set my goals and work hard to achieve them. I have always been a hard worker. I believe you have to work hard to get the job done. Continue reading →

To the Editor:

At last night’s Meet the Candidates Night at View, Patrick Russell said that if he lost the election for Herkimer County Legislator, the Town of Webb would lose the Ways and Means Committee Chairmanship, but the truth is as follows, according to an e-mail from County Legislator Helen Rose, of District 2:

“For Mr. Russell to mislead voters, to assume he has a lock on the Chairman of Ways and Means, is just more arrogance and misinformation.

“According to the Rules of the Herkimer County Legislature: Continue reading →

To the Editor:

If elected as your Herkimer County Legislator I will represent all of you in District 15 with a high level of integrity. My platform is that You the People are important and I will keep you informed on all that is going on in Herkimer County affairs with newsletters and question and answer meetings. I will make myself available to all of you in District 15. I want to work for you, but more important I want to work with you. We can accomplish so much more by working together. Remember, You the People are the government. Continue reading →

New Jail: So many facts county legislators don’t have or don’t know

To the Editor:

One of the hotbed issues of the November election in Herkimer County is the new County Jail. This has been a long, slow and very expensive process. The problem is the Legislators don’t know if they are going to have sewers or a sewer plant or a septic system. Continue reading →

To the Editor:

When I decided to run for Herkimer County Legislator in the 15th District I knew it was not going to be easy, but I was overwhelmed by the support I received from so many people in the towns of Ohio, Russia and Webb who signed my Republican Party petition.

Their signatures were more than three times the number that was required to put me on the ballot.

Unfortunately, my opponent, Patrick Russell, who has never been challenged before, evidentially felt threatened and he decided to deny, you the voter, a choice in the upcoming Republican Primary by contesting my petition because of a minor technicality in my address.

My P.O. Box number was not included in the address line at the top of the petition.

It was a cheap shot. But I don’t roll over easily.

Rather than spending time and money to go to court to have his challenge overturned, I am putting all of my time and efforts into running as an Independent Candidate for Herkimer County Legislature in the 15th District in the November election, and I pledge that if elected I will dedicate myself to this job and represent the three towns in the district: Ohio, Russia and Webb, fairly and equally.

My goals are to work one-on-one with the people to make it easier to live and work in Herkimer County, and to help create jobs.

In 2007, I addressed the Herkimer County Legislature with a proposal for the county to provide taxpayers with the opportunity to pay their taxes quarterly.

My proposal was never acted on by the Legislature, but if elected, I will work hard on this legislation, knowing that homeowners in our district are having a hard time paying their property taxes, and this would give them a welcome break that might help them keep their homes.

Also, if they owe back taxes they would be able to make payments.

Mr. Russell’s interests are much different than mine. As a career politician he seems to be more concerned about his welfare and what he gets out of the job, than about the concerns of the people in District 15 who need the support of their legislator, the majority who have never seen him or spoken with him during his 12 years in office.

His position as Legislator is to keep the power. And to keep on spending your tax money.

It is time for a change. If elected, I will always be available to discuss your problems and to work on your behalf. I will not let you down. My word is my bond.

You will find my name on the ballot in the November election as an Independent candidate for Herkimer County Legislature in the District 15. I am ready to work hard for you.

Jon Hansen

Thendara