It’s tough being the opposition, even in my neck of the woods. But the level of discourse has been reduced to a level that would make Don Corleone proud.
Town of Wawayanda (Orange County, New York) Councilwoman Gail Soro, the only Democrat on the town board, has been the subject of small harassing actions for some time. But her harasser has apparently raised the stakes.
Slate Hill – The bent windshield wipers annoyed her. The sex toy glued to her windshield back in June made her furious. But finding a horse’s head in her swimming pool yesterday hit Wawayanda Councilwoman Gail Soro right where she lives.
After the discovery, fear eventually gave way to anger. While considering security devices, Ms.Soro stated her commitment to continue.
Gail Soro sent her own message last night: She won’t be chased out of office. She’s up for re-election next year, and she’s running. Soro’s been right in the middle of tussles over growth and planning that are the hot-button issues in the town.
But when asked if this event would discourage others from running for office, she was less certain.
“Who would want to put up with this?” she said.
In a time where swiftboating has entered the general lexicon of state and national level politics, can we really expect local politics to take the high road? Apparently rigorous debate just doesn’t suffice anymore.