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Letter to the Editor

Common sense - it's non-partisan

Thomas Bose
Posted 2/11/22

Past Chief Youngsville FD

Supervisor Town of Callicoon

To the editor:

As I stood shoulder-to-shoulder last Saturday morning with dozens of my brother and sister firefighters and fellow …

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Letter to the Editor

Common sense - it's non-partisan

Posted

Past Chief Youngsville FD

Supervisor Town of Callicoon

To the editor:

As I stood shoulder-to-shoulder last Saturday morning with dozens of my brother and sister firefighters and fellow elected officials, both Republican and Democrat, I listened intently to all of the speakers who were there at the Forestburgh fire station to attend a press conference called for by our State Senator and my good friend Mike Martucci and his colleague in the Assembly, our longtime representative Aileen Gunther.

All of us gathered there in the truck room of Station 66 where the members of not only this very proud fire department but the entire community of Forestburgh, still mourn the loss of their beloved first assistant Chief Billy Steinberg.

Only two weeks before Billy died tragically in the line of duty, while operating at the scene of an alleged arson fire.

We gathered as members of the fire service and elected officials to support the bill being introduced by Senator Martucci that is known as "Billy's Law." This bill, if it successfully makes its way through the State Legislature and then hopefully signed into law by the Governor, will require bail for any suspect who is charged with felony arson.

Had this proposed law been in place prior to the fire where Billy Steinberg gave the ultimate sacrifice, the alleged arsonist would (and should) have been held in the Sullivan County jail awaiting trial for multiple arsons allegedly committed by him just several days before!

Nothing we can ever say or do will change what has already happened nor will it take away the immense loss the Steinberg family and Forestburgh continues to endure, but the elected officials have the ability and the duty to repeal or amend the dangerous bail reform law now in place in New York!

This needs to be done now before our communities and families lose any more people like Billy Steinberg.

As I listened to the speakers that morning every one of them advocated for "Billy's Law" and every one of them spoke about "common sense" legislation.

I couldn't agree more, now let's put those two very simple words to work and do what's necessary, repeal or amend bail reform in New York!

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