To the editor:

Like so many of us who were raised in the Adirondacks and left, I have never lost a sense that my heart still belongs among the wild, free and ancient woods of what we all know really is “God’s Country.” That’s why from time to time I check on what is going on “in the mountains.” As we all know, with the exception of a visit from Paul Harvey many years ago or an Olympic Game, little of what goes on in those deep woods seeps out for national notice. So when I watched Elise Stefanik’s participation during House hearings, I became curious enough to do some research on who this melodramatic person could be. I was surprised to find she “represents” the North Country. How?

What I heard Stefanik say during the House hearings bears no connection to the truth or to an honest effort to address the many complicated problems that have always challenged the Adirondacks and its inhabitants. Industry has always been unpredictable and inadequate to meet the needs of the hearty people who chose to live away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Climate change has threatened the natural balance and existence of its flora and fauna. People have to work extremely hard to ensure their families have the adequate basics of health care coverage and access to good schooling. It is a difficult lifestyle, even if it plays out among some of our country’s most beautiful landscapes.

I remain intrigued by the fact that a young, unaccomplished woman, who by all accounts is a carpetbagger to the Adirondacks and who has had little or no real experience living among and working for the people of NY-21, is in Congress on their behalf. I wondered if it was her intention to merely use this connection as a stepping stone to more glorious national recognition and personal gain. As I listened to her repeatedly lie and try to disrupt one hearing after another, in what can only be seen as an attempt to gain the attention and favor of Donald Trump, I became more convinced that she is not concerned about the North Country; she has demonstrated no attempt to work to alleviate or to address the actual needs of our country or her constituents.

On the other hand, I was greatly relieved when I discovered Tedra Cobb and learned about her background, and her commitment to working for her neighbors and community. While I can’t knock on doors for her, I will do what I can from a distance, as I know many are doing. We love the Adirondacks and believe in the people who live there. We want you to succeed, and we believe you deserve to be represented by someone who cares about you and who is not using her political office as a stepping stone to a job on Fox or with a president who has just been shown to have betrayed his office and our country.

Ann Pecora Diamond

New Haven, Connecticut