By Michael Ryan
MOUNTAINTOP - The village of Tannersville did not evanesce and massive interest is being shown in governing the rural Greene County village with elections for three jobs unfolding, next week. We have a related story on the cover this week.
Earlier this year, a public referendum was held on the question, “shall the village of Tannersville be dissolved? Yes or No?”
Voters answered the administrative query with a resounding “no,” and the reverberations are still being felt in the challenge for Tannersville mayor, remaining to be seen if those shock waves influence the outcome.
Tannersville is also experiencing a plethora of potential politicians in the form of four individuals seeking just two seats on the board of trustees.
Meanwhile, it will be business as usual in the village of Hunter, which, like the village of Tannersville, is geographically indistinct from the town of Hunter, within which both villages are contained.
In the village of Hunter, one position is open, that being a board of trustees spot currently held by Jason DiLeo who is seeking re-election, running unopposed on the Republican Party line.
DiLeo, if successful, would continue to be joined by fellow board of trustees member Benjamin Sommers and longtime mayor Alan Higgins.
It is a different story in the picturesquely painted village of Tannersville where a spirited race has emerged for the office of Mayor
Current deputy mayor David Kashman, appearing on the Republican and Democratic Party tickets, is being opposed by former mayor Dr. Lee McGunnigle, campaigning on the Friends of Tannersville line.
The rejected dissolution has entered pre-Election Day dialogue, fully two months after ballots were cast in what was a rambunctious display of support for the village not vanishing, governmentally speaking.
Voters determined the village should not deliquesce by a whopping 223 to 59 margin, keeping very much alive its 130-year existence.
McGunnigle has claimed Kashman flip-flopped on what became a highly contentious issue, a characterization Kashman strongly refutes.
Kashman, while initially open to the idea, subsequently voted not to put the matter to a public referendum in his role as a board of trustees member, concluding, after deeper research, it would not benefit residents.
The matter was subsequently decided by voters, not left in the hands of the board of trustees, with Kashman saying the majority had spoken.
McGunnigle questioned the timing of Kashman’s switch, suggesting it was done after the writing was on the wall that the plan would be defeated, further stating the possibility should not have been raised at all.
Kashman has been a member of the board of trustees for 6 years. McGunnigle has been in public service for over thirty years.
McGunnigle, in 2023, lost to current mayor David Schneider by two votes, according to the Greene County board of elections webpage.
Kashman, asked why he wishes to be mayor, noted his six years on the board, saying, “I want to be very involved with my community.
“I have a couple of kids in school here. My great, great grandparents first started coming here, so my family has a lot of history.
“Over the past six years, I have enjoyed putting in the service to the community. Tannersville is doing great and could be even better.
“I want to be at the forefront of getting Tannersville to the next phase,” Kashman said. “What that means to me is more business and more infrastructure projects.
“At the same time, I am looking to preserve the way of life we have here,” said Kashman, the owner of Last Chance Cheese Restaurant.
McGunnigle, asked why he would like to return as mayor, said, “I’ve been really disappointed with the performance of the last administration.
“Their ambition to dissolve the village showed they weren’t doing the work of the People. I respect David Kashman. He is a family man.
“But he should have known what the public understood. There was no reason to dissolve the village. There’d be reasons, if there was fiscal instability or lots of duplication of services costing taxpayers money.
“There wasn’t. I’m also disappointed in the job they’ve not done with grants I obtained. They’re blaming the State for things not getting done.
“The squeaky wheel gets things accomplished,” McGunnigle said. “I love this community. I want to get back to being that squeaky wheel that gets things accomplished. If they’d done a good job, I’d have stayed retired.”
A list of persons wanting the two board of trustees positions includes Kody Leach, Gil Adler, Stephen Tuomey and Rebecca Fitting.
Leach’s name appears on both the Republican and Democratic Party lines. Adler represents the GOP with Tuomey on the Democratic Party slate. Fitting appears on the ticket for The Village.
Whoever is victorious will replace Dylan Legg, who has chosen not to seek re-election, and Kashman, who could ascend the political ladder.
The elections will be held on March 18 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 1 Park Lane in Tannersville.
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