Southern Tier Voices: Effective Legislators Listen

by Ed Bond

I came across this street while on a walk in the town of Erwin a couple of years ago.

Who was Lynn Morse?

When I was a reporter in the Star-Gazette's Corning bureau, Lynn was Erwin Town Supervisor.

He was a dedicated public servant, and I respected him.

One small anecdote sticks in my mind.

At one point, Lynn came up with a plan to build a structure for the town – Sorry I don't remember exactly what, possibly a garage for the highway department.

But this was a very important project for him. To him, it was an absolute necessity and he came up with a plan to fund it with a bond issue. Then he went out and campaigned for it publicly to get it passed on a ballot referendum.

Election day came and I happened to be standing next to him at the town hall as the final votes came in. His ballot measure lost.

"So be it," was all he said.

Even though he knew the importance of his cause and had fought hard for it, he had to listen to the voters and find another path forward.

The fact that they named this road after him is testament to how he succeeded in so many other ways, but I like to think he succeeded at least, in part, because he listened to people.

About the Author

* Ed Bond is running for Chemung County Legislature in the 4th District. Learn more about his campaign here.