Did you ever notice there are never pleasant wordsabout anyone

Councilman Darrell C. Curtis 5869 Teuscher Road Verona, NY 13478 (315) 363-2763

Rome Sentinel 303 W. Dominick Street Rome, NY 13478

Letter to the Editor,

If a solution to the Tax and Land Claim issues with the Oneida Indian Nation were “Baby Simple” as stated by Scott Peterman’s editorial the problem would have been solved years ago.

As the only Verona Town Board member remaining in office since the Oneida Indian Nation planted the seeds that have grown into to the economic engine that is now the Turning Stone Casino Resort complex I have a perspective on this issue that Mr. Scott Peterman does not.

I most surely do not always agree with Supervisor Reed. However that being said I know the reason for and do agree with Mr. Reed’s position on this issue. I have sat in the same meetings as him and am informed on the issues – Never saw Scott Peterman at any of those meetings.

Had Mr. Peterman spent the countless hours in these meetings trying to find an answer to the Tax issues as Mr. Reed, myself, the other Verona Town Board members along with Federal, State, County and School district leaders perhaps he too would be able to make more informed statements.

For Mr. Peterman to infer that a resolution to what has been in litigation for twenty plus years as “Baby Simple” is nothing short of being just a little slow on the uptake. We have a battery of lawyers, engineers and accountants in addition to our elected public servants all the way up to our Federal representatives that have been searching for a resolution that is workable for all involved.

While we, as a group of professionals, work tirelessly to solve as enormous a problem as the Town of Verona has ever seen we are forced to bear the brunt of inflammatory pot shots.

Mr. Peterman if you have so much to offer to the Town of Verona, we have several offices up for election this fall, please run for one of the Verona seats in the next election – Oh that’s right, you can’t as you don’t even live in the Town of Verona do you.

Councilman Darrell C. Curtis