To the editor:

In Joshua Potosek's response (May 4) to my Letter to the Editor on April 30 about the Special Meeting of the Sullivan County Legislature on Friday, April 23, he opines that I have no right to insinuate wrongdoing by employees of Sullivan County government.

As a taxpayer, longtime resident and retired county employee, I have every right to publicly state my opinion. Initially, I had only asked “somebody” to explain. Today, I'm not insinuating anything; I'm stating that, whether intentional or due to incompetence, and not necessarily on the part of the ITS Commissioner, a duly elected legislator was unable to cast her vote and represent her constituents.

Mr. Potosek's response denies any need for a public explanation. He would prefer to discuss this in private. Nadia Rajsz, who was present via telephone, was denied the right to vote or motion due to lack of visual image; Luis Alvarez was unable even to participate via phoneline. I don't care that three ITS employees were ineffectually trying to fix the problem, as Mr. Potosek alleges; the problem was not fixed, the meeting was not halted, and multiple resolutions were passed to the satisfaction of an entirely partisan board. Every single one of these resolutions should be rescinded.

How can you have a Legislative Rule that requires a legislator's video image for voting, without securing the technological capacity for it? Ultimately, the County Manager (and Legislature) need to take responsibility instead of maligning taxpayers when they complain.

I'm tired of watching our county employees struggle to access meetings. Members of the public cannot comment remotely, and the meetings are inaccessible for the hearing impaired. These defects in our county's technology have obstructed our community's active participation in lawful government during the last year.