In December, I asked my friends and my fellow parishioners of Christ Church if they wanted to participate in a cookie drive for my brother, Sgt. Michael LeBron, and his team, who are assigned to the Special Forces in the U.S. Army stationed in Afghanistan.

I held a cookie drive dubbed Operation Cookie Drop two years ago when Mike’s wife, Sgt. Esmeralda Lebron, was stationed in Iraq. The response was overwhelming and the soldiers couldn’t thank us enough.

Well, Operation Cookie Drop II was just as successful. These wonderful people baked cookies and brownies and added lots of candy and popcorn as well. Mrs. Cole and her second grade class made Christmas cards and ornaments with very touching messages for the soldiers. My children Megan and Brendan sent most of their Halloween candy for the children in Afghanistan as well. My large box filled up quickly.

Mike sent an email saying that they received the box right before Christmas, and were very thankful to all of the wonderful people who thought of them. They ate lots but also shared their sweets with the local Afghan children. They said that eating those delicious treats were well worth all the extra sit-ups they had to do.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make Operation Cookie Drop II a success, and thank you for your prayers and support for our soldiers.

Liz Lohan

Cooperstown

We need a

county manager

If there was ever a situation that calls for a county manager, the current board is it.

Political decisions from the board were like amateur night _ giving MOSA a blank check, lifetime health care for board members who don’t or can’t do the job, and who are no more than part time help, pouring dollars into things like the Chestnut Street office building, which was junk when they started, and still is.

Now we have the new board plus a numerical genius handling the county tax dollars.

When I voted in the last election, I actually believed that the people elected to office would take the time to read the budget. What else _ are they rubber-stamping?

They’ve followed in the footsteps of the old board, like they were cloned. It’s scary.

But then again, no one ever said you had to be qualified for anything to be a politician.

If you have some free time, go down to the new county home and take a look at the million dollar flooring job that they signed off the warranty. The tile is bubbling. Guess who will pay to replace it?

Another goof by the gang of goofs.

Maybe the gang could join the Village of Cooperstown Gang, and hold a rock concert. Then the bumpy floors will match the worst village streets in the State of New York.

Bob Laduke

Cooperstown

Burleigh’s thank community

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

This is a small attempt to acknowledge great kindness. For the past four months, you have carried us through our difficulties with your thoughts and prayers. Added to those were the many generous gifts of work opportunities, cards, creative care packages, visits, and amazing, unselfish financial supply.

We are also indebted to all of you who have put your efforts into powerful and touching letters of reference and support. We are keeping a journal of these experiences to retell a story that will include the overwhelming riches of friendship.

So many blessings have come anonymously that we thought this letter might reach you with our heartfelt thanks. It is our prayer that your kindness will be returned to you, "pressed down, shaken together, and running over ..."

With gratitude,

Doug, Alyson, James, and Christopher Burleigh

Fly Creek

Time to shelve school project

Perhaps CCS district residents can find a silver lining in the county tax miscue. With the recent tax increase, it is unlikely that the $7 million CCS capital project will be approved. That doesn’t mean the district must forgo improvement. Simply put, if the school board and administration are concerned about their legacy, a less costly, more meaningful direction must be pursued.

Unbeknownst to many is the fact that there are literacy issues within CCS. Recently, I exchanged correspondence with a CCS faculty member and an administrator. I was troubled by their responses. It was difficult to interpret the teacher’s letter. And, while reading the administrator’s correspondence, I felt I was being dragged over every inch of the county with his 38 and 61-word sentences. Furthermore, the administrator revealed that he has significant comprehension and/or honesty struggles.

A $7 million dollar capital project can improve the physical attributes of a school. A program to achieve greatness can create an uplifting image. However, faculty and administration literacy deficiencies will always hamper education. Sound teaching is based on communication, which is rooted in literacy. Furthermore, administrators and faculty with literacy deficiencies serve as weak academic role models.

I have provided the Superintendent and President of the Board of Education with copies of the referenced letters. Therefore, they know there are literacy concerns with at least one CCS faculty member and administrator. How wide does this problem reach? Are the Superintendent and Board of Education addressing these issues? I don’t know.

What I know is that the Board of Education is attempting to increase the local property owner’s tax burden. I know that CCS district property owners already devote significantly more tax dollars to education than do property owners at any of the other 11 area school districts. I know by regional standards, CCS’s facilities are not obsolete as the Board projects. CCS facilities rank in the middle when compared to their regional counterparts. And, should one compare the physical campus to the aged classrooms at Ivy League schools, CCS appears modern.

It is time for the Board of Education to shelve their $7 million dollar project. It is time for the Administration to pack away their program for greatness.

With the gene pool and corresponding values for education that feed CCS, the district does not need updated facilities and convoluted plans. Greatness will be obtained by eliminating the human obstacles.

Eric Rheinhardt

Cooperstown