Adequately Fund the Office of, and Appoint a, Dutchess County Historian NOW

WHEREAS, the Dutchess County Charter states [Section 30.08 states] "There shall be a County Historian, who shall be appointed by the County Executive, subject to confirmation by the County Legislature. He shall be directly responsible to, and serve at the pleasure of, the County Executive. He shall have all the powers and perform all the duties now or hereafter conferred or imposed upon him by law, and perform such other and related duties required by the County Executive or County Legislature."; and

WHEREAS, the position of County Historian has not been adequately funded for a period of more than twelve (12) years; and

WHEREAS, the position of County Historian position has been vacant for more than 12 years; and

WHEREAS, Dutchess County Local Law No. 3 of the Year 1986 established a Records Management Program and a Records Advisory Board on which shall sit the County Historian and a County Archivist; and

WHEREAS, we the undersigned residents and/or taxpayers of Dutchess County recognize that:

- Dutchess County is an "Original County" with a long and significant history,

- Our history ranges from 1683 when Dutchess was created by an act of the Colonial Assembly, through the Early Patent Holders Schuyler, Beekman, Livingston, Native American Settlements, Dutch Fur Traders, on through the Revolution to where we are today, today is tomorrow's history. What is not preserved today is lost to tomorrow.

- From 1778 into the 1780's Poughkeepsie served as the Capital of New York State. Between 1787 and 1788 federalists and anti-federalists debated the merits of the US Constitution in their homes, on the streets, in the courthouses, inns and taverns as well as in the fields. From the aristocrats in their mansions to the farmers in the fields.

- if we are cognizant of our history and historical resources and protect them with a high degree of stewardship we assure a gift to those who follow us;

- part of what this County has become today is a part of all those that have gone before us;

- it is important for our history to be preserved for future generations and for the Public to be serviced in regard to accessing the public records pertaining to the history of this County in order that we can learn from them and thereby see into the future;

- the importance of preserving our history is PRICELESS to future generations;

- our neighboring Counties put us to shame with their County Historians and archival facilities;

- a County Historian serves to unite local historians into a cohesive unit that will present and promote an overall coordinated County History and serves as a focal point that promotes tourism for the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area;

- neglecting history is a form of ignorance; and

- that our elected officials have been NEGLIGENT in appropriately funding the office of County Historian and appointing same over a period of more than 12 years.

Therefore, we the undersigned implore you our County Executive and Legislature to appropriately fund the office of County Historian in the 2005 County Budget and actively pursue appointing a qualified person to fill the position of County Historian in 2005. We also implore you to enforce the County Records Management Law/Program to insure that our Historical Records and Sites are appropriately preserved, archived and made accessible to the public. The Citizens and Taxpayers of the County are restless, hear our cries! We PAY, our ancestors PAID, our descendants are PAYING and will PAY. NOW is the time to correct more than TWELVE (12) years of mistake.