Democrat Meg Stevens promised to donate half of her salary to non-profits, Republican candidate John Olenik detailed his 10-year growth plan and GOP-endorsed candidate John Frolish highlighted the need for communication in town government at a League of Women Voters debate for supervisor candidates in the Town of Milton on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Stevens will appear on the Democrat, Independence and Working Families line in November, while three Republicans will face off in a Sept. 15 for their party’s nod. Also running is incumbent Supervisor Frank Thompson, who had a placard at the table on Wednesday but was not present.
Moderator Therese Lowenthall read a statement from Thompson she said was dropped off by his campaign manager just before the start of the debate.
In the statement, Thompson said he was honored to be invited to the debate but `respectfully declines,` and invited any questions `concerning policy, record or budget` to be directed to his office.
Lowenthall said that Thompson’s last-minute abstention came as a surprise.
`We did think that he was going to be here,` she said.
The three candidates present gave opening and closing remarks and fielded questions from the crowd that filled the Milton Community Center. All took the opportunity to rail against what they said was the town’s unwillingness to save for capital projects, alleged nepotism and favoritism in town hiring practices and a lack of transparency in government.
They were asked about their stance of public comment periods at meetings, which has become a topic of concern for some since the Town Board and Planning Board have imposed time limits for speakers in the past year.
Frolish proposed establishing a half-hour period before Town Board meetings for residents to voice their opinion on the evening’s agenda items.
`I think that would be a good way of allowing people to get their voice across,` he said. Frolish sits on the town’s Planning Board and owns and operates Saratoga Sign Pros along with his wife. He was also involved with the Milton Fire District for 35 years.
Olenik and Stevens said that they are against time limits for comments at town meetings. All three said that the town’s Web site is in dire need of an upgrade to make more information available to residents.
Stevens said her primary motivation in running for supervisor is to bring about ethical reform in town government.
`My biggest issue with town government is nepotism and favoritism in the hiring of town employees,` said Stevens, who volunteers as a deputy clerk’s assistant at the Ballston Spa Village Offices, has worked in Ballston schools and is a regular presence at Town Board meetings.
Stevens cited inaction towards a petition presented to the town in April by the group calling itself Responsible Government for Milton that called for revision to the town’s ethics code that would prevent town employees from sitting on political committees and bar employees from the town’s ethics board. She said she would call for an independent review of the ethics code.
All three candidates also criticized the town’s budgeting practices in years past, saying that no steps have been taken to save money for necessary improvements to town infrastructure.
Frolish said he would institute weekly meetings of department heads to build communication at Town Hall, which would lead to efficiency improvements.
`We have not had any planning for our town’s future in the last six years,` he said.
Olenik highlighted the need to `look outside the box` and pursue grant opportunities to meet the town’s goals.
Stevens said that town government needs to be audited to help bring an end to `dream budgets` and a start to responsible spending.
With the imminent arrival of a $4.2 billion microchip manufacturing facility in Malta, it was clear from questions raised on Wednesday that Milton residents are concerned about how the area’s growth will affect their town.
Olenik said that business development has been long overdue in the town, and said that development of the town center is a pillar of his 10-year plan.
`It will bring in jobs, it will bring in increased sales tax revenue and it will bring people to our town,` said Olenik, who worked for the insurance industry before retiring in 2006. He is a regular presence at Town Board meetings.
Frolish said that the town’s R-2 zones could encourage the development of agribusiness in Milton, which would expand the tax base while preserving its rural characteristics.
Stevens said that it is important to develop jobs and services in Milton, not just so residents can get what they need in town, but to stop the `brain drain` of young people leaving the area for employment elsewhere.
Olenik and Stevens both specifically called for a review of the town’s master plan in light of coming changes.
`If all the lots are built on that are allowed to be built on, we will lose out rural character and will lose our farmland,` said Stevens.
On the issue of water and sewer service in town, the candidates were tentatively split. Milton is served by private providers, and there has been a call from some corners for the town or county to take over.
Frolish noted that while hooking into the county’s sewer system may be possible, buying water from the upcoming county water system would require the town to form a water department.
`Moving private water systems to the county would be difficult, if not impossible,` he said. `If it is not cheaper to the residents of Miltonthen it shouldn’t be done.`
Olenik and Stevens said that the idea of making these systems public should be studied.
Though the candidates said they would be dedicated to improving communication and efficiency at Town Hall, some residents seemed skeptical they could achieve such goals. All said they were willing to keep open an open door and mind if elected, though. That included Stevens, who would lead an all-Republican board if elected.
`I get along very well with people from the other party,` she said. `In fact, I’m married to one.`
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