Letter To The Editor: Byrne For Putnam County Executive

Letter to the Editor

To my fellow Republicans, Conservatives and other Patriots:

I have been a resident of Putnam County for 50 years; 35 years in Carmel and 15 years in Southeast.
During this period of time, I have been married for 62 years, raised 6 wonderful children, one a police officer who died in the line of duty and received the Medal of Honor from the City of White Plains. I have 14 beautiful grandkids and 3 great grandchildren. Over the years, I have toured throughout the County over 8 dozen times helping on campaigns for candidates such as Governor George Pataki, Sheriff Don Smith, County Executive MaryEllen Odell, newly elected Sheriff Kevin McConville and many others. My time on campaigns has given me the ability to evaluate candidates and determine whether they have what it takes to hold office.

The position of County Executive will be up for grabs next year due to term limits. I want to take a moment to personally thank MaryEllen Odell for her service to the County. This will bring about a contest that I believe should not end up in a primary because it could ultimately impact and weaken candidates. So far only one candidate has formerly announced their candidacy and that is our Assemblyman, Kevin Byrne.

Kevin has done a remarkable job serving as our Assemblyman up in Albany for the past 6 years. He has taken on the establishment in order to protect our interests. Kevin understands the affordability crisis that many New Yorkers are facing. He stands up for us by fighting the spending culture of Albany by voting against every single state tax increase and opposing all costly unfunded mandates presented to the Assembly floor.

Kevin is an advocate for our Seniors, Veterans and brave First Responders. He has brought thousands of dollars of funding to Putnam County to help these members of our community whether via the STAR program, expanding benefits to combat vets and presenting grants to our local police agencies in order to better protect us and so much more.

Some people would try to say that Kevin is too young for the role as County Executive, but I would disagree. Kevin has been serving the residents of Putnam for years. He has served as a member of the Town of Putnam Valley Planning Board, as the Deputy District Director to former Congresswoman Nan Hayworth and as an EMT for Westchester EMS as well as the Kent Volunteer Fire Department. He earned an MPA from Marist College concentrating in Healthcare Administration and has work experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. His diverse background as well as the accomplishments he was able to fulfill in the Assembly these past 6 years only indicates that he is more than capable to take on this role. Kevin grew up in Putnam and stayed in Putnam to raise his family. This impressive public servant would take office at 38 years old and has everything we need in our next County Executive. He is a man with integrity and is a rising star.

I fully endorse Kevin Byrne and am proud to vote for him in the upcoming election and I encourage everyone to vote for him as well.

With warmest regards,

Patrick W. Perry
Former Inspector General for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Dept.
Carmel, NY