In the picturesque setting of an open-air barn at Ellm’s Family Farm that exemplifies the rural image of the town of Ballston, candidates for town board squared off in a Meet the Candidates night Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Hot issues included smart growth, traffic on Route 50 and Lakehill Road, open government, and of course, the Saratoga County water system.
Co-sponsored by the Saratoga County League of Women Voters and the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Business and Professional Association, the event drew a large crowd of about 75 people who listened intently as candidates answered questions submitted in advance.
The league never supports or opposes any candidates, we are non-partisan, said the group’s president Barb Thomas. `I realize many people in this audience fiercely support their parties, but we ask that you use this forum in a positive way and eliminate purely personal attacks.`
All the candidates complied with this request, while being clearly at odds on topics dominating town council meetings for months.
Town of Charlton Supervisor Alan Grattidge joked with the crowd that public service requires a `great tolerance for pain and suffering.` Running unopposed, the popular supervisor listed his priorities as working the comprehensive plan, securing grants for farmland protection, and having the new town hall construction completed. The board fired the first contractor and brought in another company for emergency work to shore up the bare bones structure for winter.
Ballston Town Clerk Muriel Swatling, also unopposed, referred to her experience as clerk for 30 years, following in the footsteps of her father, who held the same position from 1941-1971.
Town of Ballston tax collector Anne Hogue made reference to her challenger, Democrat Peter Petrillose, who was not at the candidate’s night.
`It’s not a glamorous job, and to suggest, as my opponent has, that the tax collector has any say in the future budget in untrue,` said Hogue. `I have brought the office into the 20th century by computerizing the system to handle the town’s growth.`
Town council contenders include newcomer Republicans Kim Ireland and Tim Szczepaniak and Democrat George Seymour. Democrat Janet Milos was not at the event.
Seymour tackled the water issue immediately in his opening statement. The town board voted to buy into the county water system despite public requests for more information. Current Ballston Supervisor Ray Callanan served as the water system’s chairman prior to the town signing on as one of the first customers. Others have argued on a county level that the system was initiated as a supplier for the Luther Forest Technology Park, and in particular, the AMD chip-fab company. AMD has been under scrutiny recently for dips in profit margins, and some community members have speculated AMD may not move to Malta.
`I was motivated to run when I heard about the board’s decision made without consulting the public,` said Seymour. `We could end up bailing out the county if this doesn’t go through. Right now, we’re the only customers on the system.`
Ireland addressed public concerns about the safety of water from the Hudson River, which would serve as the source for the county system, and agreed, in part, the issue wasn’t publicized adequately.
`I don’t question the quality of the water, and the decision wasn’t made in secret, but it wasn’t brought to the public enough,` said Ireland. `Hindsight is 20/20. The town council did make a mistake by not being as outgoing with the information, and there should have been town hall meetings where the public can come in and chew on the ears of the public officials.`
The council candidates agreed they need to consult with traffic experts and engineers to draft future plans for keeping conditions safe on Route 50 and Lakehill Road, particularly with school children and buses frequenting the area, and to balance business growth downtown. They also concurred about the need for new and expanded town parks, such as building up Jenkins Park.
`Chances are if your kids play on a sports team, they’re leaving the town of Ballston for a field,` said Ireland. `We now charge $500 per unit in new developments for parks and recreation. Neighboring communities charge $1,000, and we need to look at what’s coming in annually.`
Szczepaniak said his goal is to maintain the rural character of Ballston.
`I don’t want our town to be the next Clifton Park,` said Szczepaniak. `We are out there talking to people, and we have heard repetitive issues like growth, but at lots of doors we’re banging on, a lot of people have no concerns.`
Republican candidate, town council member for 28 years, and local funeral director for 24 years, Harold Townley in his opening statements referenced his lineage in the town, and said he wished a larger group of residents were in the crowd gathered at Ellm’s Farm.
`My great-great-grandfather lived in town, and I followed his footsteps,` said Townley. `I recognize many of you here from coming to the meetings, and often we are on opposite sides in town board meetings. I wish more people were here but a person’s political party doesn’t concern me.`
Democratic candidate for supervisor Patti Southworth, a recently retired full-time managing pharmacist, used her opening statement to jump into issues stirred up in town over the last year.
`I want to see open government, and to do that I will post meeting minutes, publicize office hours, meet with residents at their convenience and get the public input on every level,` said Southworth. `We need to enact strong ethics reform.`
Traffic patterns and burgeoning business development quickly became familiar themes in written questions to the candidates.
`Our master plan and new zoning laws have handled traffic so far, but we’re seeing many people using Route 50 as a go-through to other cities, such as Schenectady,` said Townley. `I’ve already called the New York state people, since it is a state-owned highway, and we’ll be meeting in the near future.`
`To have a walkable community, we need sidewalks there for children,` said Southworth.
Questions on the current board’s handling of the county water system also arose for the supervisor candidates.
`We could have done a better job,` said Townley. `We assumed, and that was a mistake. If anyone in this room can say they’ve never made a mistake, please raise your hands. But I want to make it clear; we’re not responsible for costs for the water system outside our town’s own water use. We pay for only what we use, nothing more. Even if no one else hooks up, the town is buying 325,000 gallons a day, nothing more. Myself, my kids and my grandchildren all drink the water.`
Southworth countered that the issue was more complicated.
`There’s a lawsuit in the works right now because the developers are trying to put pipes on forest preserves in Moreau State Park, and there will be delays and more costs,` said Southworth. `This is a county issue, and our town supervisor should have done a better job representing residents on this.`
Thomas also read prepared questions about the candidates’ thoughts on open government and accountability.
`We’ve tried to have open government this whole time,` said Townley, who glanced at his wristwatch during the debate and quipped, `I have to be in bed by 10 p.m. We used to have board meetings where we’d pray for people to show up. As much as we may not agree, I do listen, and I will continue to do that. I’ve been there working on the council days, evenings; people have called me at home. It’s a $5 million budget, and there’s a lot to learn to run this town.`
`At the start of each board meeting, I will give a recap about what’s going on at the county level,` said Southworth. `We plan to televise and videotape town meetings for people who aren’t able to be there in person. We’ll enact a better e-mail system and newsletter. When I’ve been out knocking on doors, I’ve handed out my phone number and e-mail, and in 24 hours I got about 50 e-mails with questions and comments from residents.`
Rewarding volunteer fire fighters and emergency ambulance responders is also a topic town members are grappling with, and the candidates took different approaches on this issue.
`We are seeing decreased volunteers for the fire and rescue squads, and we need to recognize what they do for us every day,` said Southworth. `We need to enact local laws now to give them real property tax relief.`
`My father helped start the Ballston Lake ambulance squad,` said Townley. `As the years go on, the fire department and ambulance squad may need paid staffing.`
Townley was chastised in many letters to the editor for missing a board event, and the candidates were asked what would be a permissible reason to miss a board meeting. Both listed illness or emergencies as their reasons.
`You must put the town first. The town is your big extended family,` said Southworth.
`They don’t pay much to attend meetings, if you work it out, it’s less than minimum wage,` said Townley, in a joking manner. `There are so many meetings beyond just showing up at town board meetings. I do them every day. I’ve been dedicated to this for 28 years, and if you add up the hours, it’s enormous.`
The candidates were also queried on their thoughts about campaign tactics at the county partisan levels.
`I don’t take any money from the Saratoga County Democratic party, so they’re not doing anything on my behalf, so I’m not involved with them,` said Southworth. `I decided to keep this campaign at the town level and be responsible for my own campaign.`
`The town of Ballston Republican committee handles the county campaign money, that’s the way it works,` said Townley. `I’ve never checked the exact amount, but it can’t be much. That’s the way it works, the county money filters back down.`
After two hours, as the cornfields were obliterated in the darkness and many of the audience had drifted away, the Meet the Candidates night ended with handshakes and scattered applause.“
