After spending two years as deputy supervisor, Mindy Wormuth was ready to step up when Ken DeCerce announced his retirement earlier this year.
DeCerce, R-Halfmoon, retired as town supervisor to pursue opportunities in the private sector. The town board unanimously approved Wormuth to succeed him.
Wormuth was a councilwoman on the board for four years prior to taking office as supervisor on March 1. She was DeCerce’s deputy supervisor from 2005 to 2007.
Ken was a very good teacher as far as letting me handle different things as his deputy, Wormuth said. `He was wonderful to work for.`
Saratoga County Republican Committee Chairman Jasper Nolan said the party was happy that Wormuth filled the vacancy.
`She’s had experience and she’s lived in the community long enough to know what direction the people want to go in,` Nolan said. `I’m very happy with the enthusiasm that she brings to that particular office.`
Wormuth and her husband, Larry, have two sons, Lucas, 10, and Chase, 8, who both attend public school in the Shenendehowa district. She and her husband own Lewis Henry Auto Sales in Clifton Park.
`Being a business owner and having young children in town, I think my focus is on families,` Wormuth said. `I want to provide recreational opportunities for all of the people who live here.`
Wormuth, 40, has been a Halfmoon resident for almost two decades.
`There are so many unique things here as far as a mix of convenient commercial opportunities combined with the rural characteristic of the town. We have so much land right now that is undeveloped,` Wormuth said.
`We have the opportunities to see it develop in a nice way and maintain so many things.`
Before she was elected to the town board in 2003, Wormuth managed three residential group homes with developmentally disabled children and adults for Vanderheyden Hall in Wynantskill. She also volunteered on the Halfmoon Zoning Board of Appeals.
Wormuth said that the town was currently looking into building and connecting riverfront trails to nearby Clifton Park trails.
`I’d like to see some focus on our riverfront development; there are two different areas that we can focus on recreational opportunities,` Wormuth said. `Having some redevelopment in those areas that would provide public access would be a huge benefit.`
Nolan said that Wormuth was at the forefront of open space and recreation, two important issues for all of Saratoga.
`I think those are really top issues in our county and in every one of our towns and even the cities,` Nolan said. `I think she’s following where we’re going as a county to protect open space and also to make sure we have availability for economic development.`
Wormuth is proud that Halfmoon has no town tax.
`The fact that we don’t have a town tax; not as supervisor, but just as a resident, to me that’s an important thing,` Wormuth said. `I think for a lot of our folks it is.`
Wormuth plans to run for another two-year term as supervisor in November. Justin Rathman, chairman of the Halfmoon Democratic Committee, said that Democrats had not yet decided whether or not the party would endorse a candidate to oppose Wormuth.
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