The personal side of Mike Plochocki
To the editor:
We are longtime residents of the Town of Marcellus and wish to share with you our thoughts on the personal side of one of the candidates this year whom we know particularly well: County Legislator Mike Plochocki.
We have literally known Mike Plochocki since he was a toddler playing at our house with one of our daughters over 40 years ago. Mike’s parents are wonderful people and dear friends of ours. Thus, we have watched Mike grow up, become mayor of the village of Marcellus, and go on to become county legislator.
We recognize that many of your readers have met and/or know Mike and have dealt with him professionally over the years. They also may well know of his solid fiscally conservative voting record, including his leading role in the effort to cut county property taxes for six straight years that has resulted in a historic low tax rate in Onondaga County, and his votes against such things as all of the proposed pay raises for county legislators and the county executive. In addition, they may also know of the countless other things he has done for his district.
Your readers may not know, however, the personal side of Mike as we do. We can say without a doubt that Mike is a person of high moral character who was raised by parents of high moral character. Mike’s parents have spent their lives as extremely active volunteers in our community. Mike’s dad founded an annual youth fishing derby here in Marcellus nearly 30 years ago that is still going strong and in recent years has been named after him. Mike’s dad has attended every fishing derby, even in recent years in spite of being afflicted with advanced Parkinson’s disease. Mike has followed in his parents’ footsteps and continues their legacy by volunteering his time with nearly all of the activities in which his parents were involved.
In addition to his job as a county legislator, his law practice, and his volunteer work, Mike visits his parents on most days, and for years, has been helping his mother care for his father. In fact, until a few months ago, it was not an uncommon sight around Marcellus to see Mike pushing his father in a wheelchair at local stores and events, as the family wanted to keep Mike’s dad active in the community as long as possible. Early this summer, however, Mike’s dad suffered a serious stroke that, when combined with his advanced Parkinson’s and dementia, has left him bed-ridden and under the care of Hospice. The family is determined to keep Mike’s dad living at home as long as possible, and Mike continues to visit his parents on most days. Those who know Mike only through politics have no idea of this other side to him.
In short, we just wanted to let your readers know that we need more people in government like Mike Plochocki and urge them to cast their vote for Mike on Nov. 7.
John and Carolynn Longuil
Marcellus
Paduda for legislature
To the editor:
In March a study ranked the Syracuse area as dead last in economic opportunity. Dead last! Out of 100 cities in the county! Even in our region, other cities are seeing economic growth while we remain stagnant or lose ground. This is simply unacceptable. We have to hold our current leaders accountable for this failure.
Joe Paduda, candidate for county legislator in the 6th district, has talked at length about economic development. He calls for increased scrutiny on corporate tax breaks for hotel building or luxury student housing, streamlining the process for small businesses to get up and going, and investing in sectors that will bring in high-paying jobs like healthcare and technology jobs. He also calls for a renewed emphasis on helping farmers through promotion of locally growth food in county facilities and increased access to reliable internet.
Meanwhile, his opponent and six year incumbent has continually skipped economic development committee meetings and believes “There is no better way to promote economic development in the district, and throughout the state, for that matter, than to lower property taxes. Period.” While everyone wants lower taxes, people want good paying jobs and the ability to create their own business more. With such industrious and hardworking people making up Onondaga County strong business and job creation are the key to economic development!
We have given Mike Plochocki six years to promote his plan for economic development and what do we have to show for it? Dead last in economic opportunity. It is time for new blood, fresh ideas, and someone who will actually show up to work for us. For those reasons, I firmly support Joe Paduda for county legislature.
Nancy Bunn
Marcellus
Plochocki responds on attendance record
To The editor:
I was very disappointed to read in last week’s paper that my opponent, Joe Paduda, has resorted to negative attacks that are grossly misleading and clearly designed to deceive the public.
My opponent stated that “[Mike Plochocki’s] attendance record is … appalling … Mr. Plochocki missed two meetings of the Environmental Committee this summer, just before the toxic algal bloom in Skaneateles Lake – and he’s the Committee Chair. This is completely unacceptable.” Well that sounds pretty bad doesn’t it?
What my opponent fails to mention is that – according to the official records of the County Legislature – in six years, with the exception of those two meetings, I have a 100 percent attendance record on that committee! More precisely, I have attended 59 of 61 meetings! And why did I miss the two meetings? In one case I had a car break down and in the other it was due to health complications my father was having from his stroke this summer. Bear in mind, that Mr. Paduda is well aware of the facts of my attendance record, but he is intentionally presenting the “facts” in the most selective way to possible to be deceptive to the voters about my record.
Moreover, my opponent also conveniently omits that my attendance record on the Legislature’s Facilities Committee is 100 percent. He further omits that, barring one exception in six years, my attendance at all Special Sessions is 100 percent. He yet further omits that in 87 General Sessions over six years I have an attendance record of approximately 95 percent. He also entirely neglects to mention that out of all of these more than 150 General and Special Sessions and Environmental and Facilities Committee Meetings I’ve attended that the official records reflect that I was on-time for over 99 percent of the meetings! Even three months with having a leg with two broken bones did not hinder my attendance.
What my opponent does not omit to say is the selective “fact” that I have supposedly missed or been late to more than half of the Legislature’s Economic Development Committee meetings. And here’s the shocker … he once again is being deceptive. I’ve actually attended over 80 percent of those meetings! Over the six years, it was rare for any alleged “lateness” to be more than several minutes.
An irony in all of this is that I am currently the only legislator serving on three (as opposed to two) Legislative Committees and, thus, maintain an overall solid attendance record despite having more Committee assignments than any of the 17 legislators. Furthermore, none of all of this even scratches the surface of the countless caucuses and other meetings that legislators attend where attendance if not officially taken.
Why is my opponent trying to deceive you like this? Maybe he believes he can’t beat me in a campaign based on facts, but only one on distortions. I will leave that for you to decide.
Mike Plochocki
Onondaga County Legislator
