All Three Sheriff's Candidates in Conesville

All three Sheriff's candidates descended on little Conesville tonight to visit the most reliable voting cohort. Sheriff Desmond, Chief Travis, and Deputy Ethington all spoke to an assembled crowd of seniors. Travis thanked the group on his Facebook page and called the event a "great time." Candidate Ethington called it a "great day."

Sheriff's Department Sees Healthy Budget Figures Over Last Three Years

Governments across the county have been trying to cut back costs, but with increasing health care premiums, insurance, and other factors, this is not always the case. Overall, spending across many governments have seen an increase in both nominal and inflation-adjusted dollars.

One exception to this has been the Sheriff's Department since Tony Desmond took office in 2009. The Sheriff has had much to deal with over the last three years, but the budget has remained steady under his term. The Department has acquired new equipment, such as the tactical response van seen around the County recently, but this purchase was set in motion by the last administration. Beyond this, there have been further budgetary constraints, such as the cost of moving prisoners and an office switch due to Irene.

Still, the numbers are healthy on the surface. Despite a reduction in the overall staff of the Department, Sheriff Desmond has fought against excessive cuts, especially due to the strains of Hurricane Irene. Overall, the Department has shrunk significantly. The law enforcement arm of the Department remains largely intact.

Year	Sworn Personnel	Civilian Personnel	Total
2010	25	18	43
2011	22	19	41
2012	23	12	35

This comes as even higher costs are eating away at the margin. Between 2010 and 2012, the gas and oil costs of the Department have jumped considerably-- from $57,259 spent in 2010 to $88,000 budgeted in 2012. The Department has also significantly increased its spending on investigations.

Sheriff Desmond has been creative in utilizing the resources given to his office. The Department also has been able to step up road patrol with overtime pay. Desmond has also instituted a new sweep to keep marijuana out of the County. One area that he will not use Sheriff's resources toward is enforcing the NY SAFE Act, which he believes to be unconstitutional. Desmond has even given some back-- his own salary has been reduced by over $1,000 to $69,000 a year.

Sheriff Desmond has also been influential in garnering grants. His office received $25,000 from a line item of Senator Jim Seward earmarked for the TAC Force, which has been increasingly useful since Irene.

Overall, these changes have had an effect-- the Sheriff's budget is nearly the same as it was in 2010. It spent $1,250,522 that year and saw a dip for both 2011 and 2012. The 2013 budget is a scant 0.41% higher at $1,255,696. Still, the 2012 budget request that Sheriff Desmond submitted is in fact lower than the amount the County granted. Desmond's request was $1,221,452, 2.3% below the 2010 level and $18,000 lower than the 2012 budget.

Supervisor Rematch in Town of Richmondville, Bennett's Third Run

While the candidacies and dynamics of many Town Supervisor races have changed since 2011, in one town not only have the issues pretty much remained the same but the candidates are squaring off for their second consecutive bout against each other and for the challenger - his third straight run.

I am talking of course about the Town of Richmondville Supervisors election this fall between incumbent Republican Richard "Dick" Lape and Democrat challenger Scott Bennett, who previously served on the Town Board and is involved in local community groups such as RVES.

They first squared off two years ago when Lape won a lopsided 417-165 victory to claim the top job for himself after being appointed to the position following longtime Town Councilman and two term Supervisor John Barlow's resignation that spring due to health issues that eventually claimed his life.

But it wasn't always lopsided against Mr. Bennett, who fought in a tightly contested race between himself and Mr. Barlow in 2009 and lost by a single vote (346-345) in an election cycle that saw four races decided by 50 votes or less, although Mr. Bennett's one-vote defeat has to sting the most.

With Richmondville traditionally one of the hardest electorates to gauge, any prediction or guess as to who's leading or has the best odds of winning are rather foolhardy, although based on past results I would give a slight advantage to Mr. Lape due to his incumbency and popularity without counting out Mr. Bennett, who knows how to make an election unbelievably close and nerve wracking.

Schoharie Sees Mixed Bag on Recent Property Crime

One of the most unfortunate parts of Hurricane Irene's aftermath was the string of theft, vandalism, and burglary that affected many of the flood damaged communities up and down the Schoharie Valley. Local police forces were tasked to the max as high-profile cases hit Middleburgh, Schoharie and Esperance-- even reaching the Mayor of Middleburgh's house in 2012 and one owned by Assemblyman Pete Lopez this year.

The perceived rise in property crime actually was significantly lower than that of just a few years prior. Since Sheriff Tony Desmond has taken office, the year over year rates have dropped since 2009, but the three year average is higher.

Overall, comparing 2009 to 2012, we see the property crime rate down almost 15%. If we average in the prior three years, however, the numbers tell a different story. Average the prior three years brings in the dramatically low rate of 2007. The average of 2007-2009 is 1,325 per 100,000. Averaging the three years of Sheriff Desmond's administration, the rate is 1,388 per 100,000. Overall, the difference between the two periods is a 4.8% increase. This comes as the violent crime rate dropped precipitously during the same period.

Desmond, Sacket Co-Hosting October Fundraiser

District Attorney James Sacket may be running unopposed, but that is not stopping him from assisting fellow Republican Tony Desmond with a fundraiser next month. Set up by the committee to re-elect Sacket, the two will be highlighted at an October 16th fundraiser at Justine's in Cobleskill.

The 5:30 to 7:30pm event is a big push for the Sheriff, who hopes to build momentum into the November 5th polling.

Middleburgh, Schoharie See Home Values Over Pre-Flood Values, But Sales Drop

It has been a long slough for the people of the Schoharie Valley to rebuild after 2011's devastating flooding. Fears of new flooding, taxation, and property damage have all played roles in damaging the local economy. Unfortunately, much of the damage continues to haunt sectors of the County, especially for real estate.

With the real estate markets re-emerging in the surrounding Counties, Schoharie has seen much of the worst behind it, but still faces an uphill climb.

One of the issues includes home values that are rebounding, slowing sales. The average list price of a home in Cobleskill today is about $155,000, while Middleburgh clocks in at $159,000 and Schoharie a much higher $193,000. Of course in negotiation these prices will recede, but for many prospective buyers it is just too much.

Both flood damaged communities have seem collective home values re-emerge even above the summer 2011 levels.

All of these figures come from the real estate site Trulia.

Middleburgh saw prices bottom out at just $55,000 in late 2011 as a wave of foreclosures and flood-damaged properties saturated the market. As the market corrected itself and some of these parcels were sold, the price rebounded strongly. Sellers responded by placing more, largely undamaged, properties on the market-- bringing the asking price well above 2011 values.

The surge in median prices also caused a decline in sales, followed by another dip in the values. As of the last figures, the sales prices have rebounded again just as sales have slumped.
Schoharie paints a very similar picture. Supervisor Gene Milone's tax credit plan may mitigate some of this effect, although prices are still significantly below early 2011 levels.

Still, we see a decline in the sheer number of sales. Schoharie had far more individual sales than Middleburgh, especially after their median sales price dipped near $42,000.

These numbers show the sheer scale of the recovery left to go. Still, many of the houses that have changed hands have been fixed and some are back to their pre-flood condition.

Allegations of Political Opportunism in Wright Supervisor's Race

The Schoharie News has learned an interesting tidbit concerning Karl Remmers, the Town of Wright Democrat candidate for Supervisor, from a citizen of Wright who thought we might want to follow up on our article last week that mentioned their town's upcoming contended supervisor race.

According to the tidbit, Mr. Remmers allegedly registered as a Republican this Spring and pursued the GOP nomination along with his opponent in the general election, but after losing the caucus battle to current deputy supervisor and elected councilman Amber Bleau, quickly reregistered as a Democrat and successfully captured their nomination just last week.

Although nothing in the tip is illegal or politically a major mishap (Sheriff Desmond switched from Republican to Democrat in 2009 to seek the sheriff's office and then again this spring), it does bring into question both the principles of the nominating caucus and the political opportunism displayed by Mr. Remmers. Does he hold public service to be his highest priority... Or that of his own interests?

In a race to finally fill the long vacant position held by the late William Goblet, which featured a rather dysfunctional Town Board that couldn't even agree on an individual to cast Wright's vote on the Board of Supervisors between Goblet's death in March and November, the electorate will have to look long and hard at the personal characteristics of both candidates seeking their town's top job.

Middleburgh Holding Wildflower Fundraiser

The Village of Middleburgh's wildflower project has drawn many visitors from across the County. The brainchild of Village Trustee William Morton, it looks to expand into a second year.

From the Middleburgh Facebook Page. Credit Sharon Aernecke Aitchison

Middleburgh is trying to raise $600 for the project. For more information or to send a donation, send to:

Village of Middleburgh Wildflower Fund
c/o Bill Morton PO Box 789
Middleburgh NY 12122

Schoharie County Violent Crime Rate Plummets During Desmond Admin

During this fierce election season, Sheriff Anthony Desmond has asked voters to support the "change they know." During Desmond's three and a half years as Sheriff, there have been varying crime statistics that point to his job performance.

One of which is the fact that the violent crime rate has dropped dramatically under the current Sheriff. The three years of his term has seen the rate of violent crime at 52.7 per 100,000. The three previous years saw the rate at 70.6. This represents a total of an over 25% drop during this period. Similarly, the violent crime rate for all of New York State less NYC is down 9.2% comparing 2009 to 2012.

Schoharie County's fall also compares quite favorably to the rest of the state. 2012's rate of 54.5 is far lower than the state total of 405.1 and the non-NYC of 233.0. In fact, Schoharie County's rate is now so low that is is the second lowest in the state, behind only sparsely populated Hamilton County.

SUNY Cobleskill Designated a "Military Friendly School"

Fitting into the mold of Schoharie County perfectly, SUNY Cobleskill was recently awarded their second consecutive Military Friendly Schools designation by Victory Media, a veteran owned service that compiles various military friendly lists and is widely distributed in mass media.

The designation is due in part to (a.) SUNY Cobleskill's commitment to "providing a supportive environment for military students," according to Victory Media vice-president Sean Collins and (b.) the campus' proactive Student Veterans Association that has worked with national veterans groups and in the community to bring awareness and support to our nation's past, present and future servicemen.

It goes without saying that SUNY Cobleskill's designation only further compliments the pro-veterans backbone of Schoharie County - from our heart warming leatherstocking flights to our many residents who volunteered and served in the War on Terror - this is truly and uniquely a patriotic, military friendly community.

You can read more about the designation and other SVA activities on the SUNY Cobleskill webpage. 

In Campaign Intensity, Different Approaches for Sheriff's Candidates

Ethington Camp Leads in Enthusiasm

It would have seemed hard to believe, but this year's Sheriff campaign has already reached a higher pitch than the closely contested 2009 race. The 2009 contest gave Democratic and Conservative nominee Tony Desmond fewer than 50 more votes over Republican Bill Slater.

Today, the election calculus has been turned on its head. Desmond received the GOP's blessing in June, again crossing parties and leaving caucus opponent Todd Ethington to take to the Conservative and Independent lines. Cobleskill's Village Police Chief Larry Travis was a late entry in the race, nabbing the Democratic nomination after party chair Clifford Hay called Desmond an "opportunist."

The campaign itself began outside the design of the three candidates. In the spring, a recycled 2009 Desmond sign appeared at the corner of Route 145 and Schoolhouse Road between Middleburgh and Cobleskill. In response, candidate Ethington launched a barrage of hundreds of campaign signs across the County-- before Desmond could formally launch his re-election bid.

The tactic appeared to stir the campaign. Desmond announced on May 22 that he would begin placing his own signs up, but only at the end of the summer. Still, Ethington's gambit appeared to accelerate the campaign clock-- Desmond signs began cropping up by July. As reported in a Schoharie News exclusive, Mr. Travis unveiled his sign design last week.

Meanwhile, Ethington kept the early part of the race focused on his challenge to Desmond. While the two were still facing each other for the GOP nomination, Ethington eschewed much of the political kingmaking in exchange for time on the stump. The populist approach was a major gamble for the campaign, gaining him significant public traction but allowing Desmond time to hone his time with the Republican Party's County Committee. Deputy Ethington missed the annual 2013 Lincoln Day dinner while his intra-party opponents shook hands and took account of the committee members.

Desmond's approach to the GOP committee worked. On June 5th he amassed more weighted votes than Duane Tillapagh and Ethington put together. Ethington did not attend the event and declared that his campaign would persevere.

Meanwhile, Ethington's campaign began building a large influx of notoriety. His sign strategy certainly raised his profile, although the wording ruffled feathers in the Desmond campaign. In the July 17th issue of the Cobleskill paper, Desmond pushed back against what he considered a poor sign design, leading people to confuse who was the elected Sheriff. Desmond wrote: “Personally, I do not know of a “Sheriff Todd.” At this time I am the Schoharie County Sheriff.”

Meanwhile, Ethington's barnstorming exceeded that of both candidates. The Deputy's campaign visited just about every parade in the 2013 season. He and Desmond were featured in the 125th Middleburgh Fire Department Anniversary parade-- with Ethington balloons reaching dozens. The month prior, both candidates were represented at the Schoharie Memorial Day parade. While Desmond attended as the Sheriff, Ethington arrived with his campaign float. This led to several letters to the paper criticizing the candidate, including Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone, who wrote that he “has now used Memorial Day to shamelessly promote himself.”

Ethington's door to door campaign is the only one of the contesting nominees. He has focused on the less-populated parts of the County, seeming to build a substantial base in the Southern part of the County. His surprise barnstorming in Sharon Springs will not win him the township in November, but clearly gained momentum in Desmond's strongest location. The Deputy has also lifted a page from Desmond's 2009 playbook, currying favor with many of the local fire departments. Desmond carried most of the support from these volunteers in 2009, but has lost it since. Ethington can now count on the open support of the Chief of Middleburgh's FD, with several others likely to follow.

Absent at many of these events has been Larry Travis, whose last-minute entry into the Democratic primary process left him several weeks behind both of the other candidates. Travis has taken a bit of a middle ground between the others. While Desmond has been appealing to County officials and Ethington the larger crowds, Travis has been attending Town Caucuses and speaking with some of the most involved members of local political circles.

Online, only one candidate has a significant presence. All three have functional campaign websites, with Desmond's the best design, Ethington's the worst, and Travis' somewhere in the middle. Despite this, it is the Conservative Party candidate that has successfully utilized the power of social media. As of Sunday, September 15th all three had Facebook groups. Larry Travis has 129 "likes," Desmond 110, and Ethington an impressive 659. Ethington is the only candidate that has regularly communicated with supporters through this method, successfully pushing for his allies to get in as many absentee ballots and voter registrations for November. Following an election that was decided by a hair, this is a clear advantage even if it is only one of many split between the troika.

Of the three candidates, these approaches appear to have different effects. While Tony Desmond's support among the GOP establishment appears rock solid, discontent over some policies have led to murmurs of aloofness. Meanwhile, Ethington's scattershot approach has lacked the discipline a more experienced candidate could forward. Travis' middle road has resulted in his having the lowest profile of the group but the least negativity focused against his campaign.

With Fall Fast Approaching, The Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail Is a Must

All across the county there are painted blocks on display - at the Middleburgh Hardware store, the Apple Barrel in Schoharie and outside of Diana Cooks' art studio in Richmondville - all beautifully hand painted in community spirit as part of the Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail.

 

This quilt was painted by the Century club and is on display at the Dr. Best House and Medical Exhibit in Middleburgh

The Barn Trail, which has an incredibly enthusiastic promoter in Ginny Miller Schuam, has over thirty of these artistically amazing blocks (that range from all sizes) on display - with another twenty or so planned to go up within the next year. Ms. Schuam, who Chairs the Barn Trail, hopes to add twenty of these to the Trail annually.

 

Diana Cooks' block in the background and she talks with Suzi Parron, author of the Quilt Barns and the American Quilt Trail Movement

While the Quilt Barn Trail is relatively new, being founded just last year, it has spread like wildfire and engaged a sense of community spirit to bring people together to paint these beautiful blocks that unite the tight-knit community we are and that of the closeness and warmth a quilt so appropriately symbolizes.

The Quilt Barn Trail also has painters with a cute sense of humor.

And with the beautiful colors of Fall fast approaching in almost perfect coordination with cool, crisp temperatures, I would recommended a trip around the Quilt Barn Trail to appreciate the beauty of both our county and our county's people who came together to create such beautiful images in a sense of artistic and community pride few places have anymore.

 

I encourage you to visit and like the Barn Trail's facebook page and view their brochure to see where these blocks are next to you and perhaps plan an afternoon of delicious locally made Apple Cider and artistically magnificent blocks in our community quilt.

Ethington Whirlwinds in Summit, R'Ville

Todd Ethington has retained his early enthusiasm for the 2013 Sheriff's race, continuing his aggressive campaigning outside of the heaviest populated areas of the County.

On Saturday, the candidate swept through both Summit and Richmondville. Picking up these smaller communities would be crucial to any Ethington victory in two months. The candidate was a guest at the Richmondville Fire Department's clam bake.

Seward Pushes for Bath Salt Ban

State Senator Jim Seward has issued an email letting the constituents of the 51st Senate District know that he is pushing for a ban on controversial bath salts. The salts, which garnered national attention after a man had his face bitten off in Florida by another hopped up on them, are on the New York law docket. Seward writes in part:

The new law adds more chemical compounds—the type of compounds used to make these bath salt drugs—to the state's banned substances list. It imposes criminal penalties on those who sell, use and/or possess these drugs, and also makes it a felony to sell the substances to a minor or on school grounds.

Schoharie Democrats Set Picnic for 22nd

The Schoharie County Democratic Party has set its fall picnic for later this month. Formally known as the Fall Garden Party, the event will take place at 337 Barneville Road in Cobleskill. All are invited and tickets are $10 for adults, with children getting in for free.

Cobleskill Tops Interesting Slate of Supervisor Races

Although the Schoharie News has primarily been focused on the sheriff's race since our launch earlier this week, we also have to take into account the other pivotal elections set to take place this fall - such as the Supervisor contests in Cobleskill, Jefferson, Schoharie and Wright - all of which are contested and will have a significant impact on county government policy.

Take the Cobleskill race for example: incumbent Democrat Tom Murray versus Republican nominee Leo McAllister. Although both candidates are close politically (Murray caucuses with Republicans and so will McAllister) and their differences are primarily in the way they will govern, this election will have a profound effect on the county board/political arena for two reasons.

One because the Republican Party has fielded two consecutive strong candidates for the seat and fell twice by small margins (falling short by ten votes in 2009 and 150 in 2011) and another strong candidate failing to prevail in the county's largest town would start to raise questions about the party's effectiveness, which brings us to the second reason-- Cobleskill holds the most power on the county board due to the weighted vote system, meaning the town's Supervisor can instantly hold the balance on almost any issue brought up to a vote and the man who holds that position essentially plays political kingmaker during his term in office.

But Cobleskill isn't the only race worth watching. The rematch between former Supervisor Martin Shrederis and current Supervisor Gene Milone in Schoharie will be an interesting contest, as will the race to fill the Town of Wright's top spot after William Goblet's unfortunate passing earlier this year and let us not forget the Jefferson race between Bill Cherry's hand picked candidate Sean Jordan and incumbent Dan Singletary who lost the Republican caucus last month because of the County Treasurer's activism, but will continue to fight on the Conservative and Independent lines. 

I hope everyone brought some popcorn, because Schoharie County's political theater is just getting started.

Schoharie News Preparing Sheriff Candidate Interviews

As part of our coverage of this fall's sheriffs election, The Schoharie News is planning interviews with all three candidates to better inform our readership and help you ultimately reach a choice at the ballot box.

We have already sat down with Mr. Travis, are planning to with Mr. Ethington next weekend and have emailed Sheriff Desmond as well. Although one interview is complete, we have decided to wait until completing all three until rolling them out on the site.

Desmond Highlights Military Roles

Sheriff Desmond looks to build upon positive press following his announcement that he would not enforce the NYS SAFE Act. His latest push highlights his family's role in the United States Military.

Mr. Desmond spent time in the U.S. Air Force, after which he was honorably discharged. Now he has passed the role down to his family. His son Michael is a Commander in the Navy while his granddaughter has joined the NJROTC. Sheriff Desmond presented that his family has been "proudly serving their country since 1777." Desmond has also buffeted this experience in the armed forces with over 30 years experience in the Sharon Springs Fire Department.

His son Michael and family

Mr. Desmond highlights these roles on his facebook page, including two photos. This also comes after rival Todd Ethington is launching an anti-bullying push while Larry Travis has been on the caucus circuit.

MCS Nears Weight Room Rehab Completion

Middleburgh Central School has taken another step in healing the scars of Irene. In one of the most vulnerable parts of the high school the weight room underwent a large amount of damage two years ago. Now, in an announcement on its facebook page the school has closed in on finishing touches.

From the MCS Facebook page

State Offers New Irene Grants for Small Businesses

Separate from $12 Million Announced by Cuomo

New York State has announced another lifeline for businesses affected by Hurricanes Irene and Sandy and Tropical Storm Lee. For this area, it is a welcome sight for commercial interests crushed by Irene two years ago. The new program, separate from the Community Reconstruction Zones offered by Governor Cuomo in his visit to Cobleskill Tuesday, offers another option.

The New York State Small Business Storm Recovery Program is offered to all small businesses with fewer than 100 employees affected by storms Irene, Lee, or Sandy. While much of the money is expected to travel Downstate, it is available to a total of 30 counties, including Schoharie.

The grants, which could total over $50,000 per business are meant to cover losses and expenses not covered by other sources. The program also offers low-interest loans of up to $1,000,000 for other costs. The grant costs are not capped, except for 100% of loss estimates, making this potentially one of the most generous that the state has offered in two years.

This program takes place under the wide umbrella of the NY Rising series of projects. This includes the $12 million in CRZ funding announced by Cuomo.