I have been on teams all of my life. I played high school and college football, coached high school football, and help with youth sports in Cornwall. Every season taught me the same thing: no team wins because of one player. When the team wins, the players get the credit. When it loses, a good coach owns it. Coach Vince Lombardi said it best: “Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work.”

Cornwall works the same way. Our firefighters, police, teachers, shop owners, youth coaches and parents all carry this town. Community is never perfect. It is always a work in progress. And it is never the work of one person.

That is why I have been so vocal. Our Town Supervisor tells a different story, one where every good thing happens because of him. His campaign website says he led the charge on the $4.5 million NY Forward grant. But in 2023, his own statement with Mayor Gagliano thanked two residents by name, the paid grant writers, and our leaders in the county, Albany and Washington. The Village co applied, standing arm in arm with the Town. In 2023 it was a team win. In an election year, it is a one-man show.

When things go wrong, it is someone else’s fault. His mailers have blamed Helen Bunt, for our taxes. That same mailer admitted spending rose more than 7 percent on his watch. Our tax rate is up 136 percent since he took office, and our reserves have been drained more than under any other Supervisor. If he wants credit and a picture for every ribbon cutting, he owns every tax bill too.

When neighbors disagree, he ignores them, or says they only care because it is an election year. When hard questions on his official Town page are presented, he blocked us. A neighbor with a question is not an enemy. A different opinion is a chance to find common ground and learn. A leader who shuts people out is not leading us. He is dividing us.

That is why I got involved. Every voice in Cornwall deserves to be heard. Helen Bunt and Angelo Schembari know the job is to listen first, share the credit, and own the results. This November, please vote for Helen and Angelo.

Always remember, there is no ME in WE.