To the editor:

“Americans want accountability and transparency out of their lawmakers in Washington. … One of my most important commitments to families across the North Country is to be accessible and transparent.” Quoted from our congressional representative Elise Stefanik’s house.gov website on Feb. 2, in a release about her EDIT act, this is a hollow, in my opinion, attempt at transparency but a measure I support nonetheless.

I do not wish to push partisan narratives. If you support Ms. Stefanik and the Republican platform, that’s fine with me. I do wish to write, as I have before, in regard to my belief there are certain things most, if not all, of us in the North Country can support. And transparency is one of them.

I think the Affordable Care Act is seriously flawed legislation. However, the governor of New York, a politician I despise, estimates full ACA repeal will result in 85,000 constituents of Ms. Stefanik losing health care. Yet Ms. Stefanik has come out in support of ACA repeal. How will she keep these individuals from losing health care once the ACA is repealed?

Her position, as stated in a Jan. 4 press release, is to “increase access to quality, affordable health care for North Country families.” Yet every time I have called Ms. Stefanik’s office since Jan. 4, I have only been told things she will repeal. Not once has a staff member been able to tell me what policies she supports that will expand affordable health care, her stated position.

This is not my definition of transparency, something Ms. Stefanik has claimed she values. Citizens of the North Country, is this your definition of transparency?

My gut tells me ACA repeal is about repeal of the two progressive taxes passed to fund the ACA, taxes on individuals who earn over $200,000, $250,000 for families. How many North Country individuals or families fall into those tax brackets? Repeal of those taxes would lavish $7 million tax breaks on the 400 richest families (source: Congressional Budget Office). The median income of a family in Franklin County was $47,923 in 2015 (source: U.S. Census Bureau); does repealing those two taxes help the average North Country family or rich 1 percenters? I have called Ms. Stefanik’s office numerous times to inquire her position on these taxes. Not once has the office been able to inform me of Ms. Stefanik’s position.

I urge you, beg you, regardless of party affiliations, to hold Ms. Stefanik accountable. We all deserve to know her policy positions.

Additionally of note, Ms. Stefanik’s office refuses to inform constituents the next time she will be in the district. Citizens of the North Country, I ask, outside of party affiliations, do these four actions, taken as a whole, indicate Ms. Stefanik values transparency? Or do these four actions indicate Ms. Stefanik values appearing to be transparent?

Peter Garnsey

Saranac Lake