I am deeply disappointed that two of my fellow town board members would dignify, by repeating in your newspaper, the libelous statements that were made about me in an advertisement that appeared some time ago in your newspaper. The falsity of the statements concerning the former highway garage property in that advertisement has already been made clear by the town attorney in a letter to you two weeks ago. For our new town board members to repeat those statements under the pretext of reviewing the issue would be astonishing if I had not been in politics long enough to recognize a purely political maneuver.

There is another disingenuous suggestion in the councilmen's letter which is of more concern to the residents of Manhasset. The councilmen have offered to "broker a solution" to the issue. There is nothing to broker. The councilmen know that, if they know their facts-and the most simple and basic fact is that the town no longer owns the highway garage property and has no zoning authority over it. Any future dealings will involve only the Village of Thomaston (which does have zoning authority) and the new owner of the property.

It is important to note that there could not be a more desirable owner of this property than the man who has bought it. His plans for an appropriately-sized, senior assisted-living building and for restoring and enhancing the adjacent open land should be cheered not berated. They are the best plans that anyone presented and can only add to the quality of life of the whole neighborhood.

It is obvious that the councilmen do not understand the value-on every level -of these plans for the property. They also seem to be promising things they are in no position to deliver. On both counts this is a regrettable disservice to the community, to the town and to a responsible and caring new property owner.