Reclaim NY fronts billionaire’s agenda

Dear Editor, Beware Reclaim NY. Their stated purpose, “transparency in government,” is a subterfuge for delivering Steve Bannon’s promise to “deconstruct the administrative state.” They do this by harassing local towns in an attempt to ruin New York government.

Reclaim NY attacks town clerks with Freedom of Information Act requests distracting them, wasting their time, demanding detailed spending information, and suing if they don’t receive it on time and in perfect form. Our town clerks are locally elected. Many of them are longtime, trusted public employees. They deserve our respect and support.

The billionaire Rebekah Mercer funds Reclaim NY. She is not trying to improve government. Instead, she is trying to “reclaim,” that is “take over,” the government by creating disorder, sowing distrust and conflict, creating chaos and division by using Reclaim NY’s public relations machine as a tool to destroy.

Rebekah Mercer doesn’t need the multitude of services and programs (think roads, schools, police, fire, emergency and health care) that our taxes pay for. Reclaim NY is all about more money in Bannon and Mercer’s pockets and at our expense. It is Robin Hood in reverse, with the poor giving to the rich, for when a tax dollar is saved, almost all of it goes to the very wealthy.

When Reclaim is questioned as to who they are, what their real goals are, how they are organized and financed, they become totally opaque, the hypocritical polar opposite of their stated purpose.

Reclaim NY is a secretive group with a nefarious, unscrupulous, lobbying and political action scheme. Be very wary of them. Bob Lidsky Andes, N.Y.