Letter To The Editor: Odell Misuses Putnam Golf Club

To the Editor:

Responding to today’s LoHud article on special deals given to MaryEllen Odell and her campaign at the Putnam County Golf Club:

After two terms in office, Odell feels entitled to use public facilities to dispense favors to her political cronies, and, even worse, to give discounts to herself and her campaign. Odell and her allies are getting sweetheart deals at the taxpayer-owned Putnam County Golf Club. If you or I were to rent the facility, we would pay full price, just like the organizations who are not on Odell’s list of favorites. Taxpayers are subsidizing Odell’s campaign. Odell parties, we pay.

Odell’s June 11th campaign golf outing took place on the County clock. While she was collecting her $155,209 annual salary from the tee, I was at work in the Town of Kent doing the people’s business. I am running my campaign cleanly and with the support of individual voters who believe in me—not special interest donors who expect favors in return, and not from the public purse.

Odell is shamelessly abusing her position, and her friends and allies are benefitting. It’s time to shut down Club Putnam for good. I will deliver ethical, responsible governance to our County and I will be accountable only to Putnam taxpayers.

Maureen Fleming