To the editor:

Elise Stefanik’s congressional record lays bare her priorities. From top priority to bottom they are: personal career, wealthy private and corporate donors, Republican establishment and, sadly, lastly, a few NY-21 priorities.

Though she had never lived in our district, she was recruited for Congress claiming residency via a family vacation home. She resists knowing us, rarely holds open forums and ignores constituent inquiries.

Stefanik touts her environmental record, but she makes only the easy votes: protections for waterways and invasive species controls. Otherwise, she readily votes to dump coal waste into streams and lift emission controls on Midwest power plants. Her plan for climate change is to study it. She won’t take any action that might not be good for the economy. (Translation: She won’t oppose her major donors from the oil and gas industries.) Rather than taking bold initiative to move the North Country to the forefront of a new economy based on green jobs and evolving technology, she holds onto her corporate donors during their swan song. This is at the expense of future generations.

Stefanik touts her bipartisanship, but once again only on easy no-brainers. She said she voted against Trump’s tax cuts because it negatively affected New Yorkers, but when asked specifically would she have cast that no vote if hers was the one crucial vote on which passage depended, she refused to answer.

She voted against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act because it wouldn’t pass in the Senate. What kind of reason is that? When asked if she supported closing the “boyfriend loophole,” she refused to answer. She seems to side with a violent abuser’s desire to have guns over the lives of women.

Stefanik repeatedly votes to cut Medicare and Social Security, to cut health care access for 64,000 northern New Yorkers and eliminate protections for preexisting conditions, while accepting contributions from pharmaceutical and insurance Industries.

Stefanik is taking every opportunity to seize the limelight and draw national attention to herself by becoming one of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders. She does not need Trump’s support to win a highly Republican district. She uses NY-21 only as a stepping stone for her own career.

In her recent, taxpayer-funded info mailing, Stefanik mimics Trump’s excuse to blame China for the U.S.’s poor response to the coronavirus. She mentions China 12 times, but not once does she call out Trump’s best friend Vladimir Putin or the Russian bounties placed on U.S. soldiers (some could be from Fort Drum). Stefanik once stated of the Mueller report: “It was stunning to read how systemic it (Russian election interference) was. … That should concern every American.” But now she totally ignores Russia’s current election interference attempts.

Tedra Cobb has lived, worked and served her neighbors in the North Country for over 30 years. A small business owner, legislator, health care advocate, parent, volunteer, she has no personal agendas, no corporate PAC funders. She will represent the people because she cares deeply about her home and her neighbors. Vote Tedra Cobb.

Peggy Wiltberger

Saranac Lake