Public Comment
Sullivan County Legislature
Monthly Meeting
Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
My name is Martha Scoppa.
I am from Liberty and I am a member of the Senior Legislative Action Committee.
When I was thinking about the Care Center at Sunset Lake and the decision by the majority of this legislature to close the facility, a phrase came to mind: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I believed it was from the Bible, but I have a lousy memory, so I looked it up.
Yes, those words are from the Bible, from the Old Testament, from the first book: Genesis, from the mouth of Cain when questioned by God about the whereabouts of his brother, Abel, whom Cain had killed. Cain answers, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
I am no preacher, believe me, but this is Scripture’s first recorded attempt to dodge moral responsibility. And I believe that this legislature and the previous legislature have dodged their moral responsibility.
For years, they have dodged behind numbers and somehow have convinced people to believe that the Adult Care Center at Sunset Lake is a money trap. Careful review of County budgets, especially the Enterprise Fund under which the Care Center is covered, have shown discrepancies, huge discrepancies between announced figures and discovered figures.
My comment today is focused on individual legislators who were disinterested in knowing the facts about the level of care at the Care Center, who hid behind budget numbers, and who did not value the lives and well-being of residents at the Care Center. It’s not always about money.
Yes, our current budget is scary, but why don’t legislators put people ahead of numbers? If each one of you is your brother’s keeper, what kind of job have you been doing?
Have you listened to Public Comment describing issues at the Care Center? Have you been over there to see how Infinite Care has fumbled? Do you have any heart? Do you care about your brothers? Or are you part of the attempt, remember Cai...
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