Letter from Lester A. Sittler
Basile Only Real Choice for Clerk
This November, there is an important election coming up that requires every Otsego County voter to go to the polls. And it has nothing to do with politics, or being Republican or Democrat, and it doesn’t involve any of the things people get worked up about these days. It’s the race for Otsego County clerk, and everyone needs to be very concerned about who wins that race.
Never has the choice been so stark—between one candidate, Jennifer Basile, who has the experience and acquired knowledge that the job demands, and the other candidate, MacGuire Benton, who does not.
The position of county clerk is not a job you can walk off the street and do correctly. It requires a detailed understanding of the records that are maintained there, and how they are indexed and cross referenced. It demands an encyclopedic knowledge of the fees and taxes that must be collected to record or file a particular document, and an understanding of what each document must recite before it can be accepted for recording or filing.
Jennifer Basile has worked at the Otsego County clerk’s office for 14 years and held the position of deputy clerk for nearly eight years. She can step into the position of county clerk and the office will continue to run at the high level people of this county have expected and gotten through the years.
As an attorney who has had the privilege of working with that office for nearly 40 years, I speak from experience. I have worked with Jen on a daily basis, and I know she can do this job, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She has dedicated a substantial portion of her life to it. Her opponent, who I understand to be a likeable young man, and I certainly wish him well, simply doesn’t have the qualifications that this job demands. He has never worked at a county clerk’s office in any capacity. He has no legal training or experience.
As I said, the choice is stark, and I think the correct choice is an easy one. I hope you will join me in supporting Jennifer Basile for the position of Otsego County Clerk on Election Day. Thank you.
Lester A. Sittler
Cooperstown
