Schoharie County Faces Cool Days, Cold Evenings in Coming Week

After enjoying a relatively mild late-September and October this Fall, including an optimistic forecast from our smallest forecasters in nature, Schoharie County's string of good weather luck might be about to run out...

With lows dropping down to 40 degrees on both Friday and Saturday evening - and even farther down to 35 on Sunday night - Schoharie County's long term forecast shows our average high decreasing over fifteen degrees from today (61) until next Friday (45) with lows dropping even steeper over the same time period (55>31).

And to make matters worse: the average wind speed varies from nine to thirteen miles per hour over the next ten days, which could result in bone-chilling conditions with the combination of cold temperatures and mild winds. 

Democratic Meet the Candidates Night in Gallupville October 27th

Another meet the candidates night will be held in the Town of Wright on October 27th at 6PM, sponsored by Wright Democrats at the Gallupville House. The Town of Wright Democratic candidates will be there as well as Larry Travis who is running for county sheriff. There will be cider and donuts and all are invited. The Republican event will be October 20th.

Milone Donates Salary Back to Schoharie

Schoharie has been facing many troubles over the last two years, especially on the budgetary level. With the dramatic fall of local property values and dozens of local residents leaving due to Irene, both the Village and Town budgets have been stretched to the max. Thanks to the quick actions of Mayor John Borst and the Village Board and Supervisor Gene Milone and the Town Board the pain has been reduced significantly.

One example is Supervisor Milone's decision not to draw a 2013 salary from the Town. Being a technically part-time position, Milone was eligible for a $8,775 salary this year. He instead donated it back to the budget. $8,950 was budgeted for the 2014 budget, but only due to the fact that the Supervisor's position may be switching hands. The almost $9,000 represents a large portion of the small tax increase this year. If re-elected the money could be placed back into the Town's general fund.

Every Town and Village cannot have their officials give back their small salaries but when it does happen it is appreciated.

New Ethington Ad Highlights Ties to Snowmobiling

Todd Ethington's campaign has launched a one-third page ad in the Cobleskill paper lauding his support of snowmobiling. The former snow patrol deputy is backed by two local snowmobiling groups. The ad explains that Ethington would like to find grants to expand safe local trails.

Carlisle Meet the Candidates October 23rd

There will be a meet the candidates night next Wednesday October 23rd for candidates of both parties in the Town of Carlisle. The event at the Carlisle Town Hall will take place between 7-8:30. All candidates for Carlisle office and all three Sheriff's candidates have been invited. All are welcome.

Desmond Endorsed by Forrest Wollaber

Sheriff Desmond has been endorsed by Forrest Wollaber, who held many positions across the County. The former County Clerk was also the County Republican Chair and Undersheriff. Desmond posted the endorsement on his Facebook page. He writes in part:

I have known Tony for over 35 years and have always found him to be honest, trustworthy, and professional. His dedication and hard work will continue to provide leadership and integrity to the Sheriff’s office.

Across County, Sellers' Legacy Remains

Normally, the legacy of a giant in local politics hangs heavy over an area-- even after their retirement or death. There are still many that fondly remember Arlington van Dyke's tenure as Middleburgh's Mayor and Supervisor, as well as Chair of the Board of Supervisors and Assemblyman. A positive influence of a man or woman involved in local community groups, politics, and business can be a legacy that is tried in earnest to meet.

But this is not always the case.

Take the tenure of Cobleskill Mayor Michael Sellers from 2005-2009. He defeated former Mayor Bill Gilmore and Robert LaPietra. Sellers was elected with under 50% of the vote in the contentious race. Sellers was reportedly surprised as anyone by his victory-- and his governing style showed it. The campaign was heavily dependent on SUNY Cobleskill students re-registering to vote in the local election and was able to secure the victory.

Sellers came into the office with no allies on the Board and no political experience. With no legislative or executive experience, the young mayor was quickly sidelined by a Board eager to pursue different interests. His rival Gilmore carried a 2007 trustee race and appeared set to run for mayor again in 2009 but died early that year.

Mr. Sellers' lack of a firm platform played havoc with his attempted accomplishments. A move that he lauded-- taking out flouride from drinking water-- was overturned by his own administration in 2009. His waffling in regards to the proposed facility at Guilford Mills and Lowe's left Cobleskill's economy rudderless.

Meanwhile Mayor Sellers planted the seeds for future discord in Cobleskill politics. His alliance with then-Trustee Galasso to begin a dissolution study is handicapping the future of the Village. Galasso won in 2009 on the dissolution platform and now that the potential effects are being felt, voters are feeling a bit gunshy. Sellers' reputation of being boxed in was on display when pushing the process forward in 2009. The same was seen in the fact that due to the four year slog of Sellers' administration, the Village of Cobleskill switched to a two-year term system for both the Mayor and Trustees.

The instability continued even after Sellers quietly left office in 2009 without running for re-election. The damage was done as the "law-and-order" candidate Mark Nadeau quickly ruined his career while using the N-word with Supervisor Tom Murray. After a short caretaker administration, Mark Galasso swept into office in 2010 and was re-elected in 2011. Cobleskill has had four different mayors since November 2009 and ten since 1990.

Sellers' legacy is a complicated one but an overwhelmingly negative one. Residents of the County that were willing to take a chance on an inexperienced 21 year old in Cobleskill could be shy to support even an experienced candidate like Shawn Smith of Fultonham, Sean Jordan of Jefferson, or Matthew Avitabile of Middleburgh. This hesitancy is understandable-- but could prevent hangers-on like Dan Singletary or William McCabe from getting the boot after their expiration dates.

Mayor Sellers also muddied the water of Cobleskill's electoral politics-- almost forcing a pendulum shift towards candidates like Nadeau and Galasso. Ultimately, if Sellers' dissolution study forces the end of the Village he would have another notch in his resume. Still, for most Cobleskill residents it is a record that they wish he did not have at all.

Meet the Candidates Night in Gallupville October 20th

There will be a chance to meet with the Town of Wright Republican candidates on Sunday, October 20th at 6pm. The event will be hosted at the Gallupville house.

All are welcome and refreshments will be provided.

2013 Shows Incumbents in Trouble

2011 was a bit of a watershed year. The Supervisor's races, shaped by the flood, a death, and retirements saw a dramatic shift. The seats in Middleburgh, Schoharie, Sharon, and Richmondville all shifted hands.

In 2013 a similar landscape is forming. There are multiple incumbents fighting tough battles, with some not returning for the next County Board.

There are two races where there will definitely be a shift. The death of William Goblet will set up a new Supervisor in Wright, even after all of the wrangling on the Town Board. Come January next year either Republican nominee Amber Bleau or Democratic nominee Karl Remmers will take the seat. In the Town of Broome Anne Batz' retirement to run for Town Clerk leaves Bill Smith as the likely frontrunner.

In Jefferson, Dan Singletary-- although now running as a third-party candidate-- appears to be in major trouble as Republican nominee Sean Jordan has tapped into a vein of the community's populace angry with Singletary's antics.

In Cobleskill Tom Murray is in the fight of his political life. Challenged by Republican Leo McAllister he faces a well-known, generally well-liked candidate. McAllister's business experience matches Murray's and carries no negative baggage that Murray has become known for.

In Schoharie it is round number three between current Supervisor Gene Milone (D) and former Supervisor Martin Shrederis (R). Milone's campaigning seems to have him in the lead and Shrederis' efforts have dropped in recent weeks.

Phil Skowfoe (D) has an advantage in the Town of Fulton, but his 2011 race did see him drop to just below 50%. Frank Tatten does have a base of support in the community and it appears that even if Skowfoe wins next month, it will not be a bruiseless win.

The Board of Supervisors may see nearly half of its number change hands in this year's election. This would mark a large shift in the balance of both the political landscape and policy.

2014 Tentative Budget: Spending and Debt Decreases, Taxes Mixed

The 2014 tentative budget, set to be announced in a press conference by Treasurer Bill Cherry this morning, will show not only the decline of public expenditures but also the overall decrease in property taxes for county residents, while completing flood related reconstruction without indebting county government or taxpayers.

 

Here are the highlights:

• While the county's 2014 tax levy is set to rise 1.98% over 2013 levels, the budget actually decreases the equalized full-value property tax rate by 1.52% despite the lingering effects of economic recession and reconstruction costs. 14 Towns will see tax reductions due to the NYS Equalization Rate, while only two will see increases.
• Expenditures are set to decrease by 7.8% in the 2014 budget, or roughly $6 million, due to the Stream Bank Stabilization project winding down. The budget also doesn't account for Flood Reconstruction Capital Projects because of federal and state reimbursements expected to reach 100% of costs.
• The County government currently has $29 million in Bond Anticipation Notes, which allows the county to borrow needed funds for reconstruction projects on agreement to repay when that project's completed. However, due to FEMA and SEMO programs, the county is expecting near full reimbursement of costs and our BAN debt to decrease to $25.5 million by 2014.

With county government still wrangling with how to proceed concerning both the county jail and public safety facility, which is estimated to cost $14 million to rebuild and $19 million to construct in a different location, this budget goes a long way towards salving public concerns by already decreasing BAN debts;  an overall reduction in expenditures and the county property tax rate while maintaining a high level of effectiveness in the execution and costs of reconstruction.

Cherry on "the Report": "Justice Should be Served"

With "the Report," conducted by the Fitzmaurice and Walsh Law Firm, set for an explosive release Friday afternoon citizen and public official alike are anxiously awaiting its contents in hopes of finally separating the truth from rumors in regards to accusations of corruption and misconduct in Schoharie County government.

Including County Treasurer Bill Cherry.

When asked for his thoughts concerning the "Fitzmaurice Report" earlier today, Mr. Cherry replied that in his opinion "there was a concerted effort by some county officials to bypass New York State Civil Service Law during a dark period that spanned the past three to four years," and that "If the report shows that county officials abused their position and used their authority to benefit their friends or unfairly punish rank and file employees working in county government, the perpetrators should be identified and justice should be served."

Although the contents are rumored at this point, if confirmed the $300,000 report would essentially indict several public and political officials for creating a culture of intimidation in Schoharie, which Mr. Cherry firmly believes that "There is no room in our county government for individuals who place politics above public service, or personal ambition above the law."

And there is no room for disagreement with Mr. Cherry's assessment. 

Remember that if you read this article to "like" our Facebook page and get the word out.

New Schoharie News Poll on Sidebar

With the last Schoharie News poll predicting a large victory for current Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond closed out today, it is time to pick the brain of our readers for their opinion. There is a new question on our right sidebar asking you the readers of Schoharie County: do you support the job performance of the current Board of Supervisors?

Final Poll Results Show Large Lead for Desmond

The final results of the Schoharie News poll are in and they are lopsided in one candidate's favor. The unscientific poll has incumbent Sheriff Tony Desmond winning over his two opponents.

Desmond * (R): 408- 46%
Ethington (C): 242- 27%
Travis (D): 237- 27%
Total: 887
* Denotes incumbent

Desmond's lead has stayed roughly the same over the last month after Todd Ethington jumped into an early lead. Last week's story on the possible revelation of the report seemed to rapidly shift public opinion. All told the poll had an astonishing 887 votes.

"The Report" Followed Multiple Accusations of Misconduct in Human Resources

The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors and the taxpayers of the area wait on pins and needles for what will happen next with the "Report" due out later this week. While there have been denials of the newsworthiness of the process from individuals such as Jefferson Supervisor Dan Singletary, other data seems to point otherwise.

The whole process began early last year-- about the same time as large shifts in personnel in the County. There were multiple layoffs in the County Sheriff's Department and around the other departments in late 2011. While some of these jobs were saved, it was a bitter pill to swallow. County Treasurer Bill Cherry called out Human Resources Director Cassandra Ethington-- saying that if there were any layoffs the first should be "the personnel director."

This also comes as some of the laid off have accused the Supervisors and the HR Department of engineering some actions as direct payback for other actions.

Penny Grimes was among those laid off. In April 2012 she launched a suit against Schoharie County, specifically Cassandra Ethington. The suit was ultimately dismissed with Judge Eugene Devine writing in his August 2012 judgement that the dismissal was "not made out of personal malice." Still, the accusations seem to have resurfaced in the research done for the Report.

For example, Ms. Grimes described her entire relationship with the Personnel Director to be "extremely poor," in part accusing that Mrs. Ethington "went out of her way to verbally abuse me, criticize me and attempted to strip me of the responsibilities that I exercised for many years." At one meeting attended by former Richmondville Supervisor Betsy Bernocco in 2010 Ethington allegedly screamed at the plantiff for two-and-a-half hours, resulting in the prescription of an anti-depressant.

One of the central points of the lawsuit was that actions taken by Ethington were political in nature. Grimes alleged that Ethington attempted to force out the backers of the last Health Department chief Kathleen Strack and that Ms. Grimes' firing was part of an ""illegal pattern of hiring younger, inexperienced employees and eliminating older employees."

In the supporting and opposing documentation, the implications reached a fever pitch. Anne MacCuish from the Emergency Management Office submitted in a deposition that she was present for the alleged shouting incident and that Mrs. Ethington was so involved that "I became concerned because of the length of time that the yelling continued." She also states that this was only one incident of several.

Part of the documentation implied that Mrs. Ethington used her position to benefit her mother. While there was a shake-up at the Health Department, Mrs. Ethington's mother was hired as the Nursing Supervisor. It was alleged that later, when the County was forced to downsize, the supporters of the previous coordinator were placed on the chopping block directly organized in a list by the Personnel Director.

Karen Karker, a Preschool Special Needs Assistant also alleged to be witness to the pattern. She stated that she was berated by Mrs. Ethington for moving her desk. There were other incidents-- to the point that Ms. Karker indicated on a self-assessment conflict with her supervisor-- for which she was "vigorously criticize[d]."

While Mrs. Ethington's office determined that Ms. Grimes simply "handed out pamphlets," as implied in the court paperwork, there are multiple documents indicating otherwise. Kathleen Strack, the immediate prior Health Director stated that during her tenure that was not the case. Meanwhile there were five documents coming from various sources including Cobleskill Regional Hospital, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others, stating that Ms. Grimes was an integral part of supporting their operations.

Mrs. Ethington's deposition denied all wrongdoing. As far as the alleged shouting incident, she stated:

"[Ms. Grimes] was particularly resistant to doing the time logs, saying she felt they were demeaning. Again, Ms. Bernocco and I tried to explain to her that the Board of Supervisors wanted all positions evaluated in light of the difficult fiscal times faced by the County."

She stated that she had "lost a degree of patience" but never raised her voice during the meeting. In addition, a deposition by Betsy Bernocco backs up this version of events, saying that Mrs. Ethington did not raise her voice once. Ms. Bernocco also saw no personal dislike of Ms. Strack by Mrs. Ethington.

Mrs. Ethington also writes that she had a largely "professional" relationship with Ms. Strack, including taking their children to a lake to swim and holding a Pampered Chef party at her house.

In another lawsuit filed in April 2012, former Planning Department employee Sean Jordan alleges in part that Mrs. Ethington mislead him about compensation and advancement in his job. This lawsuit was also dismissed. In a deposition filed, Mr. Jordan states that Mrs. Ethington led him to believe that additional workload would be additionally compensated. Instead, his research was used by the Personnel Director to create a position meant to replace him. Mrs. Ethington stated in a separate deposition that she had followed proper procedure and did not promise anything untoward.

Remember that if you read this article to "like" our Facebook page and get the word out.

Desmond Endorsed by Congressman Gibson

Tony Desmond has picked up the support of Congressman Chris Gibson, who forwarded a letter to him. In part, the letter read that Sheriff Desmond is "a true professional who always put public safety for all the citizens of Schoharie County at the forefront of his decisions."

Photo credit Tony Desmond Facebook page

SALT to Hold Green Shirts Celebration

Come and join in a commemoration of all of the good works done by the Green Shirt volunteers since Irene. SALT is coordinating an event to mark the departure of these volunteers and to thank them for helping to put Schoharie County back together.

County Democratic Party Sees Rapid Ascent Halted

The Democratic Party of Schoharie County seemed to be relegated to minority status forever. It faced large losses in enrolled voters and elected officials in the mid-2000s. Through a shift in electoral strategy it saw a large boom several years ago culminating in several major victories. Now, the party appears to be headed the other way.

Looking at the United States in 2008, you see a broad revival of the Democratic Party nationally. While the party saw gains in this County the GOP still controlled the County Board and all elected officials. A more aggressive strategy would be necessary to change fortunes.

The Democrats received some assistance from an overlap with the Conservative Party. Some Democratic-leaning voters and officials were willing to vote along New York State's multiple-party balloting-- allowing a candidate to run under several different parties at once.

The Democrats made a major push in 2009. They convinced Sharon Supervisor Tony Desmond to shed the Republican Party and re-register as an independent. Desmond was then nominated by the Democrats and the Conservative Party. His dual lines gave him the advantage over Bill Slater-- and gave him his narrow victory.

The effort was tried again in 2011. The Democratic Party nominated another Republican-turned-independent for a County office but this time with disastrous effects. Former Middleburgh Mayor Gary Hayes gained the Democratic line for County Clerk only to lose to Indy Jaycox 64-36%.

However, on the County Board level, 2011 was a watershed year. The Supervisors of Sharon, Middleburgh, and Schoharie all went to the Democrats-- giving them (on paper) the first majority in the chamber since the 1990s. However, legislative infighting has complicated the situation and has resulted in a fractured Board. Whether the Democrats can regain the majority after this year's election is not clear.

However, part of the Democrats' gambit is failing. The party looked for candidates for District Attorney and failed. Sheriff Tony Desmond withdrew his support of the Democratic Party and re-registered as a Republican and was nominated by that party over the summer. The de facto Democratic-Conservative alliance is largely dead, with former Desmond supporter Todd Ethington gaining the Conservative line for Sheriff.

The Democrats certainly have a chance this fall but much of their success of 2009-2011 has faded.

Opinion: We Want Answers on "The Report" Now

Following months of public intrigue and political wrangling, the long awaited $300,000 "report" on corruption and intimidation within county government is set to be released on Friday - when the Board of Supervisors convenes for their monthly meeting - the result of which will be nothing short of the absolute upheaval of Schoharie County's political landscape.

While we do not know the specifics of Friday's pending report, The Schoharie News can confirm it will likely shape the outcome of several of this fall's elections due to names we have heard repeated from multiple sources over and over this past week and that the aftermath could be a "bloodbath."

Although just a handful of days stand between full knowledge of "the report" and what we know now, and we could simply wait for the aftermath, that isn't how this news site works. We work for you and as your response indicates very clearly: you want answers. Now.

And so do we.

We want to know exactly what does the report say about the way our county government operates? And who is named in this report. Why? And why haven't supervisors (besides a select few) been calling for the report's release in a timely manner?

And we want to know now, which is why we're going to keep digging until we get those answers and why we're not content with just waiting for the news to develop... Because we're in the news of developing the news to best inform you, the reader, on the state of public and political affairs inside the halls of power in Schoharie County.

Candidates Sweep Middleburgh Parade

All three Sheriff's candidates were present for the Middleburgh Harvest Parade.

Photo credit Larry Travis and Todd Ethington Facebook profiles. No Tony Desmond photos at the moment-- email us if you have one for publication!

It's Official: The Report to be Released Friday

Sources close to the Board of Supervisors have confirmed that "the Report" that has developed over the last two years is due for imminent release. The $300,000 price tag for the compilation has become a bone of contention at the Board of Supervsiors. The Supervisors have read the transcripts of the interviews conducted but have not seen the final draft of the report. One source has said that the attorneys compiling the Report came to the County Building on Friday to conduct an exit interview but have been turned away.

The Report's contents have not been fully divulged but one official has indicated that the aftermath could be a "bloodbath." Multiple current and past officials will likely be implicated but it is not clear if there will be criminal charges. Judicial code appears to show that immediate charges may not be possible, but firings could follow through civil service.