To the editor:
For the past 12 years, I have been a resident of Essex and during this time have written several letters to my state legislators, Sen. Bruce Tarr and Rep. Anthony Verga, regarding various issues of concern to me; mostly these issues have centered around animal cruelty.
Over the course of these 12 years, I had never received a response from Sen. Tarr's office. He has never responded to any letter I have written. This past June, I sent several letters, yet again, to Sen. Tarr urging him to both support and oppose certain pieces of legislation that were currently before the state Legislature. I even wrote sarcastically in those letters that, if I received no response from his office regarding his position on these matters, I would write a letter to the editor criticizing him for ignoring one of the most basic services a legislator can provide; sending a letter to a constituent.
On July 11, a letter from Sen. Tarr's office finally arrived! Of course, there was no apology for having not responded to my letters over the years. He could have simply stated it had been an oversight. Oh, no. The only reason I received this particular response was due to the fact that bill S. 2002 had been cosponsored by Sen. Tarr. He replied to me simply because he could proudly write that he too supported this legislation.
What about the other letters I have sent him this summer and over the previous 12 years? What are his positions on those other bills? There is no way for me to know, because my state senator will not respond.
Past letters have been ignored by Sen. Tarr, and I suspect future letters will continue to be ignored as well.
Rebecca A. Duda
Western Avenue, Essex
