Town of Middleburgh 2013 Election Results

The Town of Middleburgh has no Supervisor's race this year, but has two council seats contested. Former Mayor William Ansel-McCabe failed in his attempt to return to the Town Board.

Town of Middleburgh

Clerk

Lawyer, Brenda J

265

100.0%

Councilman

Lloyd, David L	166	31.0%
DeFeo, Brian	163	30.4%
Ansel-McCabe, William	113	21.1%
Masterson, Sara	94	17.5%

Highway Superintendent

Nunamann, Dale C

248

100.0%

Town of Jefferson 2013 Election Results

Tonight's race in Jefferson pits Cassandra Ethington's closest ally Daniel Singletary against one of her victims, Sean Jordan.

Town of Jefferson

Supervisor

Jordan, Sean	245	57.0%
Singletary, Daniel I	185	43.0%

Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Hait, Lynn	361	100.0%

Assessor

Sheehan, Greg

344

100.0%

Councilman


Cole, Ken

313

50.5%

Buck, Charles

307

49.5%

Town of Seward 2013 Election Results

The Town of Seward sees longtime Supervisor Carl Barbic facing opposition.

Town of Seward

Supervisor

Barbic, J Carl	312	59.4%
Bricker, Howard M	213	40.6%

Clerk

Southworth, Brenda

514

100.0%

Councilman

Kniskern, Daniel O	312	30.3%
Davenport Jr., Romine R	309	30.0%
Fletcher, George	222	21.6%
King, Charlene	187	18.2%

Highway Superintendent

Baxter, Bruce	318	59.6%
Chamberlain, Bruce	216	40.4%

Town of Blenheim Election Results

There are four races in Blenheim today, but only one is contested. This is the hotly watched race between Republican incumbent Bob Mann and Democrat Shawn Smith.

Supervisor

Smith, Shawn	70	52.2%
Mann Jr, Robert H	64	47.8%

Justice

Kniskern Jr, William J

90

100.0%

Clerk

Alley, Robin

103

100.0%

Councilman

Mattice-Strauch, Anne	106	52.7%
Graham, Keith	95	47.3%

Town of Schoharie 2013 Election Results

Cassandra Ethington's top rival Gene Milone faces off against her ally Martin Shrederis tonight. There is one Council seat open.

Town of Schoharie

Supervisor

Milone, Gene	591	61.7%
Shrederis, Martin	367	38.3%

Justice

Kennedy Sr, Frederick W

749

100.0%

Councilman

Brisley, Matt	627	37.9%
Tavenner, Alan	522	31.6%
Wolfe, John C	505	30.5%

Town of Wright 2013 Election Results

We see a contentious race after the death of Supervisor Bill Goblet.

Town of Wright

Supervisor

Remmers, Karl	320	50.2%
Bleau, Amber	317	49.8%

Clerk

Herzog, Lynn

577

100.0%

Councilman

Aulita, Thomas	346	29.1%
Karlewicz, George	342	28.8%
Williams, Kristin M	272	22.9%
Lavick, Beverly	227	19.1%

Highway Superintendent

Proper, Jeff

578

100.0%

Town of Sharon 2013 Election Results

The Town of Sharon sees no Supervisor race this year and all uncontested races.

Justice

Falsarella, Evelyn

438

100.0%

Councilman

Cross, David R	379	51.5%
Falsarella, Joseph F	357	48.5%

Town of Conesville 2013 Election Race

With Conesville Supervisor Michael Brandow retiring, there are many races open this fall.

Town of Conesville

Supervisor

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Federice, William Bill	197	65.7%
Noone, Joanne	103	34.3%

Clerk

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Sweatman, Nancy	238	100.0%

Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Merwin Jr., David	239	100.0%

Councilman

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Proudman Sr., Robert	207	35.6%
Tubiolo, Paul A	195	33.6%
Riedl, Catherine J	124	21.3%
Hilliker, Tiffany L	55	9.5%

Councilman (to fill a vacancy)

Young, Gary M	150	51.5%
Sweatman, John	141	48.5%

Highway Superintendent

Young, Stephen M	145	52.0%
Brandow, Larry	134	48.0%

Collector

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Williams, Diane	200	67.1%
Hess, Irene L	98	32.9%

Town of Summit 2013 Election Results

Cassandra Ethington ally Harold Vroman is unopposed. Only one contested Council seat this year.

Town of Summit

Supervisor

Vroman, Harold L

278

100.0%

Justice

Town of Summit Town Justice

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Cole, Ivan D	246	100.0%

Councilman

Candidate	Votes	Vote Percentage
Handy, Brian C	217	49.9%
Kovac, Fern M	210	48.3%
Beller, Richard	8	1.8%

Town of Fulton 2013 Election Results

Longtime Supervisor Phil Skowfoe is facing stiff competition from Councilman Frank Tatten. There are multiple competitive races this year.

Town of Fulton

Supervisor

Democrat                                          - Phillip Skowfoe 50.2% 214
Republican, Conservative, Ind.        - Francis Tatten 49.8% 212

Highway Superintendent

Republican, Conservative, Ind.         - William Jaycox Jr. 100% 383

Town Justice

Democrat                                           - Charles Shoemaker 46.4% 185
Republican                                         - Ronald Jeffer 53.6% 214

Assessor

Sherwood, George	318	78.7%
Avitto, JoAnn	86	21.3%

Councilman

Hodder, Albert	244	30.3%
Rhinehart, Dean	218	27.1%
Kahrs, Janet	191	23.8%
Krol, Deborah M	151	18.8%

Middleburgh Bus Vote November 12

While voters are heading to the polls in Middleburgh today to vote for a variety of town and county offices, residents of the Middleburgh Central School District will head back next Tuesday to vote on whether to approve the purchase of three additional buses at the estimated cost of $270,000.

 

From the Middleburgh Central School District website:

 On Nov. 12, 2013, Middleburgh Central School District residents will vote on a special bus proposition for one 66-passenger school bus, one 48-passenger school bus, and one wheelchair school bus, totaling $270,181.

The district receives 75.2 percent in state aid on both the principal and interest for bus bonds. That means the estimated cost of the bus proposal for a district resident with a home assessed at $100,000 would equal a total of $37 during the five years of the bond.

The vote will take place from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 12, 2013 in the high school gym lobby.

The district currently has 31 buses and has not purchased or leased any new buses for the last four years and has reduced the size of its fleet from 36 to 31 buses. District buses drove a total of nearly 366,000 miles during the 2012-13 school year, down from 416,000 in 2010-11.

"Our maintenance costs continue to increase as we try to keep the older buses meeting very stringent NYS DOT standard," John Waldron, MCSD head mechanic.

Ten years is considered to be the useful life of a school bus in New York State, where the use of corrosive materials on snowy and icy roads accelerates rusting in vehicles. The district currently has two buses older than 10 years, three that are 9 years old, and four that are 8 years old.

"The standards our buses need to meet to satisfy NYS DOT are some of the most stringent in the country. The cost to our district to meet these standards on our older buses increases at an accelerated rate as they age," Waldron said. "There comes a point where the District needs to consider  whether we are putting more money into a bus than it is worth."

Most school districts, including MCSD, operate on a ten-year bus replacement plan. However, as the district has not purchased new buses in the last four years, it will take an additional ten years of annual bus replacement before the district has a fleet of buses that do not include any that are older than the recommended 10 years.

Voting on the proposition is open to anyone age 18 or older who is a U.S. citizen and has been a resident of the district for 30 days.

Absentee ballots can be picked up from the district clerk between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Columbus Day.

Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk by Nov. 6 if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter or Nov. 11, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

State aid is expected to cover 75.2% of the cost, with the remainder averaging $37 per year for a house assessed at $100,000 during the five year life of the bond.

 

Voter Turnout High Across County

Update (6:24 pm): Turnout is reportedly over 800 in Schoharie, which if accurate, indicates they have already 2011's results beat with three hours to go.

Reports of a higher turnout then in 2011's off-year election are streaming in from across the county on the Schoharie News facebook page, although the effects of Hurricane Irene have to be taken into consideration when comparing totals from the Valley.

 

While we have heard reports of it being busy in both Broome and Cobleskill through out the day, one reader commented that over 500 voters had cast their ballot in Middleburgh at three pm, while another said she was #219 in Summit at two pm, both of which are almost two-thirds of 2011's totals with after-work voters still yet to be counted.

The feeling around the political water cooler is that voters are more active and interested in participating this cycle, due to both the fluidity of county politics this year and increasing anger caused by the contents of Fitzmaurice and those accused of wrongdoing in its contents.

 

As we are trying to guesstimate voter turnout, we would appreciate any input from our readership and ask that you either comment on this article or email us at aaaabraves@yahoo.com with your number or stories from the ballot box.

Majority Not Swayed by the Report

The majority of the Schoharie News' readers were not swayed by the findings in the Fitzmaurice Report as they come out to vote today. In our unscientific poll we see a substantial majority not having their vote changed by the findings in the inquiry.

Yes- 102 -- 38%
No- 170 -- 62%
Total- 272

Of course, this is an internet poll and was not formally conducted and as such has no margin of error. However, it does show the temperature of the electorate as it votes today.

Ethington Camp Makes Final Push as Lawn Signs Come Down

The Todd Ethington campaign is hoping to push the candidate over the top today with some last-minute efforts to drive out voters. Mr. Ethington has been defiant, posting on his Facebook profile Friday:

Okay People for Todd Supporters, they just threw in the last hard attack. This is not slowing me down. Win or lose this behavior they are saying is politics can not be tolerated anymore.

Supporters of Ethington have also been pushing back, commenting or liking comments explaining that Mr. Ethington is still the best candidate for Sheriff. High-profile support still comes in from Mr. Singletary of Jefferson and past and current Middleburgh Fire Chiefs Brian and Michael Devlin.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ethington has launched two large initiatives. He's mailed out a new placard to undecideds, hoping to sway their vote. Meanwhile, he has intensified his ground game, visiting thousands of houses himself.

Meanwhile, across nearly every part of the County, Todd Ethington signs are disappearing off of lawns. Since the Report broke the number of Ethington signs has decreased, although hundreds are still across the yards of the County.

Perhaps the most controversial fusillade comes from Mr. Ethington's Conservative Party, which sent out four thousand mailers to the households of voters. The card excoriates Bill Cherry and his allies running for Supervisors, all of whom oppose Mr. Ethington's bid for Sheriff and were supporters of releasing the Fitzmaurice Report.

These last minute moves are sure to move the needle as turnout is now key. However, whether this will be enough for Ethington is likely doubtful. However, the added votes could give his allies running for Supervisor just enough to retain significant power on the County Board of Supervisors.

Cobleskill Race to Determine County Board Future

The Board of Supervisors, with its 2,974 weighted votes divided between sixteen Town Supervisors, could witness a fundamental shift in power today with twelve municipalities choosing between two or more candidates to not only lead their local government but to represent them county-wide. 

None of which could have a greater impact then the race between Cobleskill incumbent Supervisor Tom Murray and Republican challenger Leo McAllister. Today's victor will hold 481 (16.2%) of the board's weighted votes and his vote alone could either pass or sink any measure that comes before county government. This holds especially true with the board's vote to elect a new chairman in January. 

Mr. Murray, who recently appeared in a advertisement with seven other supervisor candidates that make up the conservative faction and if they are all successful would control over half of the board's weighted vote, stands as the bulwark of this coalition: providing almost one-third of their overall support and their control of the county's economic hub. 

As such, the race in Cobleskill not only represents a stark contrast between Supervisor Murray and Mr. McAllister, a local business owner who has served his community in a variety of positions, but it will decide the direction of county politics in regards to the board's handling of Fitzmaurice's recommendations, tax policy and the future of Schoharie County government and whether we learn from the mistakes of the past three years. 

Cobleskill voters have a difficult, yet clear choice to make in today's election: do they stand with the incumbent and his tri-partisan faction that is seeking to regain control of county politics, or do they stand with the opponent that is a soft spoken, polite businessman and who will bring a sense of moderation to a board that has far too long been embroiled in controversy.

Letter to the Editor: Singletary Spearheaded Staten Island Secessionist Movement

To the Editor:

It's been said that all politics is local, so it should be no surprise that when I was up visiting friends in Jefferson, the local elections in Jefferson and the local elections down here in New York City, where I live, were a topic of discussion.

What was a bit surprising was a name that came up in our discussion, and that was Dan Singletary.

My friend shared some of his own observations about Dan and (via the wonders of the internet) a letter from Country Treasurer and some local editorials and news stories. He has since shared with me news of "The Report" and it's many implications, but there was too much there for me to even digest, so I'll ignore that for now.

As a long time Staten Island resident, I remember Dan from his days here, some 20 years ago. And it seems that, although I know little about Jefferson and Schoharie, little has changed about Dan.

In the late 80s and early 90s, and the New York City Government was being revamped, Dan spearheaded a campaign for Staten Island to secede  from New York City, founding a local "Secession Party."

While Staten Island's direct government representation was being reduced, the real impact of that change was a matter of serious debate. What could be of no debate was that every responsible study showed that Staten Island could not -- without gargantuan tax hikes -- possibly support itself as a city.

With fear mongering and grandstanding, Dan made common cause with some of the politicians who feared that their "power" would be reduced to "influence," and Dan recklessly pursued his agenda. (That seems to be reflected in much of "The Report."

Twenty years down the line have proved Dan's fearful predictions false.

Yes, Staten Island has grown, but rather than being weaker, it is now larger and stronger than it has even been. It's infrastructure as part of the City has been strengthened, not reduced.

I understand that Dan has been in charge for several years now, and the accusations I've seen (and heard) leveled against him them carry all the hallmarks of the campaigns that he led here. It seems that long-term sustainability and financial stability are simply not Dan's forte.

Good citizens of Jefferson, I suggest you proceed with great caution.

Alfred Stein

Staten Island, New York

Questions Still Unanswered by the Report

The Fitzmaurice Report certainly has cleared the air around the Schoharie County Civil Service. It has also brought to light many alleged transgressions headed by a group around Cassandra Ethington.

Still, as bad as Ethington's actions were she was not the only one involved. She was aided by Supervisors such as Tom Murray, Martin Shrederis, Harold Vroman, and Dan Singletary, but she was still just one person in the larger food chain and these Supervisors alone could not seize the entire County government or civil service without a wider net.

How could this happen? How did this happen?

What appears to be unsaid throughout all this is how the mechanisms that placed Cassandra Ethington in charge of so much were created. Now we know how she engineered her takeover of the CHHA transfer and the Health Department, but not other vital questions.

How did Todd Ethington receive the Conservative Party nomination for Sheriff? How could he receive the nomination even when challenged by incumbent Tony Desmond without a caucus or primary?

How did the Conservative Party find the money to bankroll major races across the County? The Party is the third largest but is still paltry in size and scope compared to the Republicans and Democrats. The Conservative Party has bankrolled two County Clerk races, two Sheriff's races, and multiple Supervisor races across the County since 2007. Yes, some of the campaign was paid for by the candidates themselves, but we are talking about thousands and thousands of unaccounted-for dollars.

How did Cassandra Ethington's "reign of terror" stay out of the eyes of the Supervisors for so long? Was there an intentional cover up or did the complaints never reach the top?

How could Cassandra Ethington hire multiple allies-- including Conservative Party Chair Bill Hanson-- and her own mother without a review from the Board of Supervisors?

Who set up and paid for the crooked campaigning in the Town of Jefferson? If Singletary did not-- then who did?

There are even more questions than this and the Schoharie News will do its best to get to the bottom of each one. However, it appears that the Report created more questions than answered them. It appears that the corruption in County government had more strings than from Cassandra Ethington.

Opinion: Holmes in Cobleskill

This year's election cycle brings many lynchpin races to our County. One of the largest is for the most powerful executive of all of the County villages. Cobleskill has been mired in economic doldrums since the middle of the last decade and has not had the leadership needed to right itself.

Mike Sellers started the trend, accentuated by the 2008 Great Recession and followed by a term of confusion before Mark Galasso took over in 2010. Mr. Galasso is a smart businessman and has shown in his personal life that he knows how to turn a profit. Unfortunately, he has also shown with his Route 7 water deal that he is able to turn a personal profit from efforts on behalf of taxpayers.

His single minded support for the dissolution of the Village of Cobleskill is unfounded and in poor taste following revelations that Town taxes would inevitably jump in the process. Dissolution can be studied but should not be carried out. As Mr. Galasso has said in the past-- a vote for him is a vote for dissolution. If you do not want dissolution, then holding back a vote for either is a smart idea.

Linda Holmes has served her community for decades in various capacities. Her ability to corral resources and people for many goals is a worthy skill and a great indication of what she would do as Mayor. Holmes' tenure on the Village Board has been one of a pensive, caring individual that has the governmental experience to be able to carry out the job-- and carry it out well.

Mr. Galasso is a smart, cultured man that was clearly out of place as Mayor of Cobleskill and should return to the family business. Linda Holmes has all of the qualities that residents of Cobleskill should want to lead the community for the next two years.

Election 2013 Interview: Cobleskill

The Schoharie News reached out to both candidates in the Cobleskill Mayor's race, but only one reached back. Trustee Linda Holmes was gracious enough to respond and be interviewed for almost an hour. Incumbent Mayor Mark Galasso did not respond to our request.

Trustee Linda Holmes has served her community in various roles over the last thirty years. She currently sits as a Trustee on the Village Board and has assisted in projects youths and community spirit in Cobleskill. She runs her own business and describes herself modestly-- as a "homely grandmother."

She has told voters that she just wants to "give them a choice" in the race between herself and the incumbent. She holds no ill will towards Galasso, who she describes as doing a serviceable job as Mayor. She, however, passionately disagrees with Mr. Galasso's plan to dissolve the Village of Cobleskill, explaining that the she is against it as it stands. There are no significant savings to justify such an action, especially when Cobleskill already has many services consolidated with the Town.

She stressed the need for community involvement and that many problems are not solved by the Village government alone. She would like to see more people involved to assist in Cobleskill's economic and social revitalization.

Opinion: No Choice But to Re-Elect Gene Milone

Simply put: there is no other logical choice for Schoharie residents other than incumbent Supervisor Gene Milone. Since his election  two years ago, Mr. Milone has consistently stood on his principles with complete disregard for party identification or whatever status quo existed on the county board prior to his arrival, instead focusing on the needs and welfare of Schoharie County's residents as a whole.

Mr. Milone, who initiated the Fitzmaurice Report by his motion almost twenty-one months ago, has fought what can only be considered a Goliath sized campaign in not only seeing the report through to its inevitable conclusion but also in its complete and damning release - with the end result being Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington's suspension and the discovery of several supervisors working in collusion with her to assist her takeover of the county Health Department.

After weeks of personal indecision on whether to endorse in the Town of Schoharie, due its contentious nature and the poisonous details of the report's release, we simply could not sit on the sidelines after putting together the final piece of this entire puzzle which pointed towards former Schoharie Supervisor Martin Shrederis as being among a conspiracy of supervisors that worked in coordination with Cassandra Ethington's reign of terror. 

As such, the Schoharie News would like to endorse Mr. Milone's re-election bid and encourage every voter in Schoharie to hold their ballot high for the incumbent's principled, honest leadership in the fight to reform Schoharie County politics, regardless of its political costs to himself... And to remember the words of his opponent in our interview published last week that "amount of money [spent on the report] is a waste," and that the report is nothing more then a "witch hunt."