Letter appeared in Journal News Sept. 26

I moved to Ramapo six years ago, sharing with my wife the desire to raise our family in a suburban, semi-rural community where we could enjoy the best of all worlds: a reasonable commute to Manhattan, schools for our children, synagogues and kosher shopping for our religious needs. But most of all, it was the fabulous property and the beautiful surroundings. In these six years, we have seen a disturbing amount of residential overdevelopment. Time and again, the town has caved and cooperated when faced with developers looking to make a quick buck while subverting existing laws and turning our bucolic town into a city, complete with traffic lights, housing crammed on to inadequate property and traffic, lots of traffic.

One would expect our elected leaders to stand up to developers and protect our lifestyle, but it has simply not happened. I would like to invite Mr. St. Lawrence to take a drive around his own Wesley Hills, Pomona and New Hempstead. Take notice of the "Save Our Town" signs dotting so many yards; take a look at the homes where your constituents live. We deserve better than to find ourselves living in the shadow of large developments like the one on Grandview, the large-scale building down on Route 306 near Kaser, whatever the new owners have in mind for the New York Country Club property and a massive housing development planned in Pomona masquerading as a yeshiva with a 15-year course of study, long enough to vote in a completely new village government. Please leave a legacy of responsible leadership, not blatant partisanship.

David Barg
New Hempstead