Letters: Hannon leads with objectivity, humanity

On Tuesday November 7th, we in the 5th District, will pick a new county legislative representative and Keith Hannon is exceptionally qualified for the job. We have gotten to know Keith over the course of his campaign and have been consistently impressed with what we have seen.

The first thing one learns about Keith is how deeply invested he is in the future of our community. As a father of three he knows the importance of that future and it shows in his actions. Both Keith and his wife Casey have dedicated not only their personal time but their professional careers to promoting philanthropy and supporting non-profits in our community. The list of organizations they have helped over the years is long and varied.

As you spend more time with Keith you get to see more of his underlying character that drives this commitment to community. In every issue that Keith undertakes, he keeps his focus squarely on the humanity of the people involved, on all sides. His recent reflections on Labor Day and a living wage, entitled “For labor, the past is and isn’t, prologue” is a perfect example. Politics is rife with an “us vs them” mentality and we need representatives who can find the humanity on both sides of such an important issue.

However, Keith’s most important skill lies in his deep commitment to government transparency and his strong communication skills. Since early on in the campaign, Keith has been attending county legislative sessions and reporting back to our district through his county “Cliff’s Notes” series. His campaign website is as much a living resource of the goings on in county Legislature as it is an introduction to Keith and his ideals. Keith has been walking the walk on enhanced communication for months and will only be able to increase this already stunning level of transparency as our representative.

We need more representatives who can find the humanity on all sides of the issues we face. We need more representatives who champion our voice and hold themselves accountable to us by working for transparency in government. On November 7th, I hope you will join us in voting for Keith Hannon for the 5th District county Legislature seat.

Cait & Ben Darfler
Trumansburg