Murray's Tenure Sees Mixed Economic Record in Cobleskill

Cobleskill Tom Murray is running for a third term in Cobleskill, fresh off of both his largest success and his largest failure of his tenure. The two events happened in succession this year: Supervisor Murray and other officials heralded the opening of an expansion of Cobleskill Village water lines towards Howe Caverns. Shortly thereafter, Murray and Mayor Mark Galasso's pitch for Butternuts Brewery to come into the former Guilford Mills building failed narrowly at the County Board.

Water lines will bring in a Stewart's.

No second loan will mean no brewery, and no expansion of 50-60 jobs.

To be sure, Tom Murray took office during a recession after the 2009 elections. He and then-newly elected Mayor Mark Nadeau intended to bring a new style of administration after the fall of past Mayor Mike Sellers. Sellers' indecision killed a deal to bring in Lowe's and other projects for Guilford.

However, Murray's experience as a businessman has translated into a mixed record for the community's businesses.

Primary growth has come from the building and re-building of businesses in town: one new and one improved pharmacy along Main Street and a "new" Stewart's and McDonald's. However, just down the street saw Borst Tire Center closed and in rough shape. Justine's has opened its doors but nothing has been done about the former mattress store near Key Bank.

Beyond this, issues revolving around business moving out of the Village has surfaced. Much as expansion along the Route 30 corridor have changed Amsterdam dramatically, Mayor Galasso and Supervisor Murray's water line idea will, by design, draw business away from the commercial center of town.

Ultimately, both Galasso and Murray have their re-election bids largely based on whether or not this business shift is a good idea. The voters will decide that on Tuesday.

Clear Differences Define Milone-Shrederis Race

The voters of Schoharie have little room for error in November 5th's town supervisor rematch between incumbent Gene Milone and former supervisor of fourteen years Martin Shrederis, as neither candidate shares a modicum of commonality with the other which has created a situation where their differences are clear and the election's victor will have a firm mandate.

 

In a combination of interviews set for publication tomorrow morning, the Schoharie News will outline the issue by issue differences between the two candidates ranging from the report to tax abatement to everything in between, as well as both of their accomplished resumes of community and work experience that offers Schoharie voters with two desirable choices.

 

At this juncture the editor of this publication can readily concede an inability to choose between the candidates, believing both to have skills and ideals that would best serve not only their respective community but also the county as a whole in regards to their position on the board of supervisors. It goes without saying that the residents of Schoharie likely share these misgivings and hopefully tomorrow's interviews will prepare them to make the final decision next Tuesday.

 

Watch Video of the Special 10/24 BOS Meeting

It was only ten minutes but worth a look.

This includes Supervisor Milone's principled stand calling for the release of the total report, and not just the first part.

Schoharie News Poll: 84% Say Charge "Report" Offenders

The next in the line of Schoharie News polls has shown great anger among voters in the County regarding the revelations released in part one of the Fitzmaurice Report. Since last Thursday the latest poll has been overwhelming against those implicated in the Report. The main person implicated thus far has been Cassandra Ethington, with a special appearance by Cobleskill Supervisor Tom Murray.

Yes: 223 -- 84%
No: 44 -- 16%
Total: 267

It must be noted, of course, that this is an unscientific poll and that the question was vague. The next poll is up on the Schoharie News' sidebar. Make sure to make your opinion count!

Larry Travis Picks Up Neary Support

Democratic nominee for Sheriff Larry Travis received another endorsement over the last week. This time it is Richmondville Mayor Kevin Neary. Neary is also the head of the Schoharie County Emergency Management Office.

Credit: Travis Facebook Page

The Report: Ethington Aimed to Fire Curator at Old Stone Fort

There were many incidents surrounding the reported "layoff list" created by Cassandra Ethington. Among the people on the list was the curator of the Old Stone Fort Daniel Beams. One of only three employees-- the Director, the Curator, and a groundskeeper at the volunteer-driven museum, Beams found out that Ethington added him to the list of layoffs. The Director Carle Kopecky was able to save the position by moving money meant to fix windows at the museum. He also had to give up his health benefits.

The Director said that the actions violated Section XI (4) of the union contract. and did not give adequate notice.

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Middleburgh Hosts Haunted Library

The Middleburgh Library has held another Haunted Library over the past weekend. The event was attended by dozens and was set up by volunteers led by Bobbi Fain Ryan. MCS teacher Wes Laraway did a Haunted Cemetery tour to raise money for the Library.

Credit: Bobbi Ryan's Facebook

Just In: Another Heroin Bust in Cobleskill

Not much information has come to light yet, but there has been another bust for heroin in Cobleskill. There is a short story up on Channel 6's website that has just been released.

From their article:

Amber Sager, 21, is charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Invstigators say she had her 2 year old daughter with her when she sold the drugs. Police say more charges are expected. Sager was arraigned in the Town of Cobleskill Court and remanded to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.

Letter to the Editor: Hard Choices this Fall

Dear Editor,

Election day can be one of the hardest for any informed voter.  There are deserving candidates on the all of the electoral tickets, but two in particular stand out this year.

One is Supervisor Gene Milone of Schoharie. For the last two years, Supervisor Milone has been tirelessly fighting not only to bring back the Town of Schoharie from the damage of Hurricane Irene and is also looking out for the entire County. His actions proposing flood mitigation, seeking the truth for the people of the County regarding issues in the Personnel Department, and giving his salary back to the people of the community are just some of many that deserve credit. Mr. Milone is an excellent partner that I respect and enjoy solving problems with. He deserves two more years to continue building up Schoharie.

In Jefferson, Sean Jordan has been a major asset for the people of the community. His experience speaks very well of the man running for Supervisor. His work in the Planning Department would be vital for grant writing and management on the Town level while his knowledge of County government would make him indispensable on the Board of Supervisors. He has a clear mind and a love for his community that is sorely needed.

Sincerely,

Matthew Avitabile

Middleburgh

Introducing Letters to the Editor

The Schoharie News is launching its first round of letters to the Editor. This week we have received one letter that we will be publishing.

From now on, we will publish letters on Mondays. Please send them to us at aaaabraves@yahoo.com with the subject "Letter to the Editor." Include your name and location. We reserve the right to edit for profanity or potential libel.

Board Faces Upheaval at Ballot Box

With over 95% of respondents saying they disapproved of the current board of supervisors in a recent Schoharie News poll, one would expect a county wide upheaval of their elected representatives in favor of new, fresher voices - and they're going to get at least three to begin with heading into next Tuesday.

Citizens of Broome, Conesville and Wright are heading to the polls next Tuesday with no incumbent supervisors on the ballot and three contested races with competent candidates to choose from, due to Mr. Brandow's retirement; Ms. Batz's decision to run for town clerk and Mr. Goblet's unfortunate passing.

Add in the fact that incumbents are facing challenges in Blenheim, Carlisle, Cobleskill, Esperance, Fulton, Jefferson, Richmondville, Schoharie and Seward during this hostile environment towards elected officials and the end results could be transformational: anywhere from three to twelve new individuals may potentially be taking seats on the third floor of the county office building in January.

Residents of Gilboa and Seward can choose from only their respective incumbents, while Middleburgh and Sharon voters have to wait until 2015 for their say at the ballot box, due to lengthier terms of office in their townships.

Of course, not all members of the board deserve political exile at this time, and that includes members from both sides of the Skowfoe-Vroman divide who have legitimate passions for our county government and should be retained while voters begin initiating the process of implanting the next generation of public officials.

Although there is no worth to predicting next Tuesday's outcomes because there are just too many factors in play, it is safe to say that come January there will be a significant number of fresh faces sitting around the table and perhaps we can move past the Skowfoe-Vroman divide that is plaguing the board of supervisors and towards a more unified, productive administration. 

Cherry Denounces "Conscious Act of Deception," Calls for Final Report's Release

Schoharie County Treasurer Bill Cherry, who previously blasted the board of supervisors decision to release only the first portion of Fitzmaurice's findings as a "betrayal," issued a press release this morning that further denounced the board's decision to release only the speculative original copy as a "conscious act of deception," that he "considered to be a betrayal of the public trust."

 

Adding in his conclusion that "I find it disturbing that the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors has intentionally misled the press and the public by releasing an eight-month-old summary of undocumented hearsay and deceptively labeled it as a “Final Report”. Stating in the last sentence that he hoped that the "public and the press will join me in demanding that the actual Final Report, which was delivered to the Board on October 24th, be released immediately."

 

Mr. Cherry's release in its entirety:

We have been told for months now that the investigative report into claims of discrimination and harassment in the Schoharie County workplace was still being investigated and compiled and was not ready for release.  This matter has been brought up month after month at Board meetings throughout the summer and fall of this year, most recently on Friday, October 18th when it was announced by the Chairman of the Board that Attorney Mark Fitzmaurice could not attend the meeting that day as expected because he was still working on the final report.  It is important to note that on the date October 18, 2013 the final Fitzmaurice report was not yet completed, as stated for the record by the Board Chairman.  

On Thursday, October 24th, after a entering into a four-hour executive session with labor attorney Mark Fitzmaurice of White Plains, NY, the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors released to the press and the public a document labeled the "Confidential Final Report Concerning Discrimination, Harassment and Intimidation in the County Workplace".   Note the very important word “Final” in the title of that document.  The Board of Supervisors also promptly posted this 104 page document on the official county website under the title “County Investigation Report”.     

It is no wonder that news sources as well as the public immediately concluded that this was, in fact, the final report that we have all been anxiously awaiting for the past 12 months.  We were lead to believe that this was the very same “final report” that was not ready for release just six days earlier on October 18th.  We believed that because that is exactly the way the Fitzmaurice and the Board have labeled it.  “Final”, by definition, means end result or ultimate conclusion.  But does anyone find it curious that on page 104 of the recently-released report, you will find that the date that it was actually delivered to the Board was on February 5, 2013?  More than eight and a half months ago…  This is NOT the document that was delivered to the Board on October 24, 2013.   

The document that was released and labeled as “Final Report” is actually nothing more than a “preliminary summary” and is more than eight months old.  Why was this stale document mislabeled as the “Final Report” and released on the very same day that Attorney Fitzmaurice delivered the actual final report to the Board?  Can it really only be a coincidence that on the same day that Fitzmaurice delivered the true results of their year-long, $317,000 investigation, the Board decided to release to the public Fitzmaurice’s preliminary report that the Supervisors had already had in their possession for most of this year?   They could have chosen to release this 104 page document at any time during the past eight months.  It seems to me that there is a distinct possibility that the “real” final report that was delivered on October 24th was going to be embarrassing to some members of the Board of Supervisors, most of whom are running for reelection, and election day is now only a week away.  That may be the reason for this conscious act of deception that I consider to be a betrayal of the public trust.  

I submit that this act of deception was not a coincidence.  I believe that the Board of Supervisors intentionally released the “old” preliminary report in an effort to satisfy the press and the public’s outcry for the final report.  They did this despite the fact that they knew very well that the preliminary report would unjustly damage the reputations of some public officials, including myself, because it included unfounded hearsay, rumors, and baseless accusations without any proof or evidence.  On page 5 of the report, Attorney Fitzmaurice says in reference to his questions during the interviews with county employees:  “Regardless of the source of the information, we wanted to determine if they had heard or knew about acts of discrimination, intimidation or harassment in the Schoharie County Workplace.  This part of the question was designed to elicit a broad range of information, including hearsay…  We told the interviewees we did not care where the source of their information came from.  Even rumor, innuendo and hearsay were to be confirmed or dismissed if possible.”  Not documented facts mind you – they were asked to give the interviewers rumors and hearsay.  

I find it disturbing that the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors has intentionally misled the press and the public by releasing an eight-month-old summary of undocumented hearsay and deceptively labeled it as a “Final Report”.  And worse yet, they released this compilation of hearsay on the exact same day that they did in fact receive the actual final report from Attorney Fitzmaurice in a closed-door executive session.  One can only conclude that the Board took this action in an effort to satisfy the public outcry for the report, while at the same time protecting themselves or their friends from the embarrassing results of what Fitzmaurice delivered to them on October 24th.  I hope the public and the press will join me in demanding that the actual Final Report, which was delivered to the Board on October 24th, be released immediately.

Opinion: Four More Years for Sacket

The Schoharie Valley has seen multiple issues with those in public service lately. There have been issues that require a clean break and a new start.

However, there are parts of the local government that are working for the interests of the people and not for the officeholders. There are multiple examples of this across the County-- with Supervisor Gene Milone and County Treasurer Bill Cherry fighting for the taxpayers and people's right to know what is happening in their local government. The same is easily said for District Attorney James Sacket.

Mr. Sacket is a humble man and lets his accomplishments often speak for him. He has prosecuted many of the most difficult chapters in recent Schoharie County history and has done so with a sense of professionalism that is sorely needed at the County level. Mr. Sacket has also done so with a fine staff behind him making sure that those that deserve to be behind bars are there.

Yes, Mr. Sacket is unopposed in this year's race. However, it should be obvious to observers why this should be considering his track record. Here is to another four years for Jim Sacket.

Schoharie County Newsmakers Interview Larry Travis

The Schoharie County Newsmakers recently interviewed Cobleskill Police Chief Larry Travis, one of three candidates hoping to serve as Sheriff after November 5th.

Donate to the Schoharie News

Maintaining the Schoharie News requires a lot of time and dedication, often times over twenty hours per week - in fact just over the past three days that number has soared to near twenty-five - working part-time, going to college and running a website requires just enough to keep the bills paid and the gas tank filled.

As such I have decided to include a "donate button" via PayPal on the right hand side of the website for readers to consider donating a few dollars to help me keep the Schoharie News afloat and not use what wages I earn from a nearby supermarket delicatessen on this increasingly time consuming news project. You can donate from a PayPal account, a credit card, or a bank account. Even a few dollars helps me keep the site up and expand.

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Schoharie News Poll: 72% Say No to Re-Electing Their Own Supervisors

Just a week after the Board of Supervisors registered an anemic 4% approval rating, we see similar waves of discontent across the County. According to the new unscientific Schoharie News poll, the incumbents on the Board have much to worry about. With the long-awaited Fitzmaurice Report implicating incumbents such as Cobleskill's Tom Murray, the current set of Supervisors are not looking very well.

  Regardless of Your Perception of the Wider County Board, Would You Vote to Re-Elect the Supervisor in Your Particular Town?

Yes: 71 -- 28%
No: 185 -- 72%
Total: 256

This poll is closed out and replaced with one asking readers if those implicated in intimidation, namely Cassandra Ethington, should have criminal charges levied against them. Vote!

The Report: Women Discriminated Against by "Good Old Boys"

Another wrinkle has emerged in the Fitzmaurice and Walsh report released by the Board of Supervisors. According to multiple female employees, there were claims that women were "subjected to acts of discrimination." The 14-male dominated body was described as a "good old boys club." Members of the Board and female department heads believed that female department heads made less money for doing the same duties on the Board.

Colleen Fulford from the Emergency Management Office claimed that she was interrupted by Supervisor Phil Skowfoe and Treasurer Bill Cherry after a disagreement at a flood-related meeting. Supervisor Harold Vroman said that Bill Cherry insulted her in the hallway. Mr. Cherry denied this version strongly.

Of those that argued that women were discriminated against were Supervisors Anne Batz, Sandra Manko, Bill Goblet, and Tom Murray. Ms. Batz believed that she was excluded from meetings for being a woman. Later during the interview she said that instead she may have been excluded because she was a new Board member, "does not carry many votes, and is a woman." She added that she thought that some members of the County Board did not believe that women should even be on the Board. She had no firm anecdotes, but it was a "feeling."

Sandra Manko said something similar. She said that the reason for the alleged discrimination was because "I'm a Democrat, I'm a female and I'm old." The worst of the offenders she stated was Cobleskill Supervisor Tom Murray. Murray "went up one side of her and down another" during a meeting.

Mr. Murray himself said that the atmosphere was instead due to others' dislike of intelligent women.

"Every time we get a really smart female-- we have some bright girls-- we have Alicia Terry, I'll just name a few. We have Alicia Terry, Cassandra Ethington's just so bright, Colleen [Fullford] I'm sure is bright. I see these people being, I don't know if it's discriminated against, but they aren't treated like they should be treated. These girls should be wrapped in cotton and put in a glass jar so nothing happens to them."

Murray said that Bill Cherry unfairly called out Cassandra Ethington. Mr. Cherry called for her resignation publicly in late 2011 and it was featured during a Board meeting and on the local news. Several employees, Supervisors, and Mr. Murray believed that it was intimidation. he also said that women in the County should be paid more.

Former Supervisor William Goblet testified before his death that he felt that women were treated poorly in the County and recalled Bill Cherry's call for Mrs. Ethington's resignation. He also said that some women were spoken to disrespectfully in general at meetings. He said, "Some of the way these guys talk to these women, you know, someone should get up and bash them."

Alicia Terry said that female employees not represented by the union contract were targeted. She also claimed to be at the Cherry-Fullford incident. When Ms. Terry was vigorously criticized by Phil Skowfoe at a meeting, no one defended her. She also believed that there was a gender wage gap and that she did not receive enough money for the amount of work she does. She also spoke to other Supervisors about the situation.

She recounted former County Clerk Lee Lacy saying that women should "wear a skirt and make-up if they wanted to improve their relation with the Board" about 15 years ago. She also said that Mr. Cherry questioned her and her staff's competency and that he had come publicly to the press to complain about her job performance.

Perhaps the most controversial comments regarding gender in the County workplace comes from Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington herself. She said that County Republican Party Chair Lewis Wilson said to Mr. Cherry that "she floats into a room, flaunts her boobs and blue eyes and gets the guys to give her whatever she wants." She said that this was told this by three Supervisors. This was confirmed by two.

The majority of female Department heads, however, did not state that they were victims of discrimination.

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The Report's Layoff List Findings; Supervisor Bob Mann's Response

During the initiation of what would become Fitzmaurice's original report twenty months ago, Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone argued previous to filing the motion that set this entire process into what was released last night that there were allegations of both harassment and misconduct within county government, including the creation of a so called list of potential layoffs that sent public employees into a panic in November 2011.

 

According to the original report that was released last night: after the completion of 2012's tentative budget by co-budget officer's Alicia Terry and Paul Brady, the compilation of an additional layoff list to that of the budget's recommendations was conducted by Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington at the behest of then Finance Committee Chairman Robert Mann, the Town Supervisor of Blenheim.

 

Personnel Director Ethington stated that the list was assembled based off her recollections of three years worth of Board and Committee meetings where various supervisors questioned the day-to-day activities of certain individuals and when seniority, "bump" and "retreat" rights were taking into consideration. It was never intended to be anything more then a potential layoff list and would be subject to Board of Supervisors approval.

 

Fitzmaurice concluded that "however well intentioned" the creation of Personnel Director Ethington's layoff list was that Supervisor Mann "may have violated procedures contained in county law." And that its creation "caused a great deal of panic through out county government," although "department heads were able to recover from the surprise... and successfully argue for the retention of their personnel."

 

Supervisor Mann chose not to participate during Fitzmaurice's interview process, but did agree to speak with the Schoharie News and offer his side of events leading up to and after the creation of an additional layoff list almost two years ago.

 

Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene the county's economic picture was bleak: initial projections by the budget officers showed a near 20% tax increase for taxpayers to cover millions of dollars worth of flood recovery costs and loss of revenue. However, the decision was made jointly between both of the budget officers and Supervisor Mann to take flood related expenses out of the budget, reducing the overall tax levy down from 20% but it still remained over the 2% property tax cap.

 

The budget officers and Supervisor Mann further discussed potential paths to reduce the budget without a significant tax levy on county taxpayers - including the elimination of the safety officer position, privatizing the EMS department, laying off jail guards and other items - but ultimately the tentative budget recommendations were left to Ms. Terry and Mr. Brady. Which after its release Supervisor Mann started to press for additional cuts.

 

According to Supervisor Mann he not only pressed Personnel Director Ethington but "other departments as well," and that they had "lengthy meetings with every department head. Many departments, in my opinion tried very hard to work with us and offered additional spending cuts or ideas to reduce costs. Some examples were EMO volunteered to accept the weights and measures responsibility in combination with the safety officer."

 

This was followed by the creation of the layoff list, which Supervisor Mann described as "a sort of worst case scenario" and after learning from Personnel Director Ethington that employees needed 30 days notice prior to lay off, "wanted a list that was larger than the actual cuts would be to make sure we had options while the full board considered the budget." Adding that they "of course could make changes to the finance committee recommendations."

 

As it turned out Supervisor Mann, who stated "the report has provided many examples of how the list negatively impacted many county employees," believed that his course of action was "a poor decision" and that he takes "responsibility for it." He also stated that "the list should have never been released to the public or even the full board at the November 18th meeting," and he been at that particular meeting that "things may have turned out differently."

 

 In summary the Finance Committee that the Blenheim supervisor chaired "never reached farther down the list than what we had originally discussed in committee," and that "we never even needed the list as it turned out." Supervisor Mann concluded his remarks by agreeing with the board's decision to release the first portion of the report and that with it "in the open everyone can see the recommendations and know that the board has done nothing in eight months" to act of them.

The Report: Ethington Accused of Destroying Documents

Cassandra Ethington's time at the Health Department also had her involved with the caretaking of records. Employee A was the Administrative Assistant of the Director of the Health Department until July 2010. She served under Mrs. Ethington.

Ms. A said that she followed the procedures of document removal. When Mrs. Ethington took over she was a "bull in a china shop." Ethington would come in and begin just throwing out documents after going through them. Ms. A cautioned Ethington and labeled what needed to be kept or thrown away. The project took a week. Then Mrs. Ethington came to the office and threw all of the files away because she believed the project was too slow. Ms. A was "disturbed" by the incident. When "A" told the state CSEA they told her there was nothing they could do. Meanwhile, she could not complain within the County civil service because she would be forced to testify to the Personnel Director.

Another employee, Mr. B, has spent dozens of years in the field. He was told in January 2011 by Mrs. Ethington to destroy files showing investigations into public water systems, lead paint, and hazardous waste. When told that the files were not expired, Mrs. Ethington destroyed them anyway. Then she complained that there was not enough room. She then had health staff throw away two filing cabinets worth of files into a dumpster right behind the County building. After being informed, some of the files were shredded. When asked why the employee did not pursue further he said "there was no point since she was in charge and he was afraid she would yell at him."

Mrs. Ethington denied telling anyone to throw away the files.

After the incident Mrs. Ethington took all of Mr. B's personal phone books and threw them away. He took one from the bin and saw Mrs. Ethington next to him. She said that he no longer needed the phone books. If he needed a number, she said, he needed to speak to the secretary. Mr. B placed the book back in the garbage but rescused them later that day.

Ms. A witnessed an event between Mr. B and Ethington. According to Ms. A, she witnessed Ethington "screaming at [Mr. B]. I don't know about what but there were people there that wanted some assistance and we took them out because it was not something that they should witness." Those visitors were looking for a permit. They needed to be led outside because Ethington "just kept going on and on, screaming at [Mr. B]."

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Todd Ethington in "the Report:" My Wife and I Were Harassed

During the course of the investigation into the Fitzmaurice and Walsh report, Deputy and current Sheriff's candidate Todd Ethington was interviewed. He was the only deputy that chose to speak without an attorney.

Ethington stated that there were "incidents of misbehavior in the Sheriff's Department" and handed the attorneys logbooks dating as far back as 2006 to show this. He said that he enjoyed a poor relationship with the last Sheriff, John Bates. On several occasions, Ethington said, Bates did not say hello to him.

He also said that his wife Cassandra was harassed. He showed an email allegedly sent by the Clerk of the County Board to the members criticizing his wife. He presented this to Undersheriff Ron Stevens, who said that he would investigate it. Ethington believed that this investigation was flawed and that Stevens had withheld information, reportedly saying "this is bigger than you think."

Due to this the husband and wife hired an attorney and filed a notice of claim against Schoharie County. After a meeting between this attorney and the County "the harassment stopped for a short period." Both Ethingtons say that they dropped their lawsuit after being assured by several Supervisors that the "harassing behavior would stop."

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