Halfmoon Supervisor Kenneth DeCerce was honored at his last official town board meeting Thursday, Feb. 22, at town hall.
DeCerce, who is leaving to take a position in private industry, has been supervisor in Halfmoon for seven years and has spearheaded various projects, such as building a water-treatment system, a new town hall and planning a new town park.
At the meeting, DeCerce was praised for his endless energy and his open-door policy, but he made a point of giving credit to his fellow town officials for all the work they have done to keep things running smoothly.
I’m a people person, said DeCerce, `I enjoy problem solving and making decisions about issues that affect the people in this community. However, I don’t think that everything that has happened here is because of me. It is because of the dedicated people of the town.`
He also took the time to discuss the future of town projects, including the townwide, multi-use trail system.
`We will someday have a trail that starts in New York City or Westchester County and goes all the way to Canada,` he said.
Halfmoon is under the particular stress of being the fastest-growing township in the state, and DeCerce has faced the challenge of finding a balance between maintaining affordable housing and encouraging commercial development.
`No matter when you left, there would always be a lot of projects because the town is growing so much,` said Councilman Walter Polak to DeCerce after his closing address.
`I will be leading the supervisor’s office in good hands,` said DeCerce. `I am confident that the officials of Halfmoon will carry on as strongly as we have together.`
Deputy Melinda Wormuth will be acting supervisor until a new supervisor is officially chosen by a vote of the town board March 6. “