Is there no such thing as conflict of interest in politics? If there is, would someone please answer this?

The new mayor of Copenhagen, Kenneth Clarke, signs his own check with his partner who is the town clerk and treasurer. They each sign their own paychecks. If this is not a conflict of interest, what is?

Also, why did the mayor and his trustees spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the looks of the village hall and create one office and meeting room for the board and mayor, with new furnace and central air? It is not large enough for many more than 10-plus people. Why would anyone want to go to a board meeting if they cannot speak unless the board is notified ahead of time about what you want to talk or ask so they have time to discuss how to answer you?

Why do Mayor Clarke and the trustees still circumvent the law by doing jobs by the hour with friends and relatives and prisoners with no guarantees or bids?

In response to Robert Cooper, thanks for standing up for your son. Mr. Cooper did live in the village, but he no longer does or pays village taxes, and the 50 cents per $1,000 tax increase is partially correct since it was based on the new assessment of 2007. That went up over 30 percent over 2006, and the village gained 34.9 percent over last year in actual money.

If Copenhagen is such a great place to live, how come he moved out of the village? Copenhagen used to be a thriving village 50 years ago with four gas stations, milk plant and cheese plant which both hired employees from the village but the village board drove out of town. Also bank and several businesses. If so great where did they all go? Maybe Mr. Cooper should read my husband's letter again and not praise the one who helped get us in all this debt. Look for more if continued at present rate.

Maybe Steven C. McElwain should get a copy of the EPA drinking water criteria document for brominated trihalomethanes and get the truth about causing cancer when there has been no human data. Was the data used to get state and federal funding by Mayor Mike Shew and Matt Cooper of Bernier & Carr factual? Mr. Shew said in an interview with the Watertown Daily Times the water was not deemed bad enough to get state or federal funding.

Joan Sullivan

Copenhagen