Editor's note: The following Dec. 6 letter to NYS Attorney General Letitia James was copied to The Chronicle.
Dear Ms. James,
I live in New York City and have no connection to Chester, N.Y., but I have been following this story and it is obvious to me that your recent decision to intervene and attempt to overturn Chester’s very legitimate concerns is nothing more than blatant political opportunism or quite possibly (and I hope not) quid pro quo in response to major political donations to yours or Gov Cuomo’s campaigns.
This has noting to do with religious discrimination and you well know it. I am sure there are many Jewish families in Chester who believe the concerns of their town, be they land use, water quality, population density, financial burdens, are true and need to be addressed. All one has to do is see how these issues were ignored in the adjoining town of Kiryas Joel to realize there is an all too real pressing and troubling burden that will be placed on these longtime time residents should this extremely dense housing project be allowed to go forward.
But for you and the governor it simply appears to be payback time. I am sure with this intrusion you will continue to get that particular community’s solid block of political and financial support.
It’s too bad you don’t live in Chester or a similar town as you might be able to display a little more human empathy for the longtime residents.
James Murtaugh