A number of New Scotland Republican Party members have resigned from the committee, and have chosen to endorse candidate Doug LaGrange, who also recently took leave from the committee.
LaGrange issued an e-mail to party leadership stating he will remain a Republican, but will not be an active member of the committee beginning Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Six members joined him Friday, Oct. 2: Kurt Anderson, Chuck Voss, Joe Defronzo, Susan Defronzo, Janna Shillinglaw and Jason Windsor.
The resigning members said there is a schism within the local Republican Committee that cannot be healed.
`The other members of the Republican Committee, as well as candidates Roz Robinson and Mike Fields, have shown that they will not act to limit inappropriate, large-scale growth in our community,` the letter reads.
Robinson, a Republican who won one of two GOP lines on the ballot after a primary election, said the committee had pledged to back the candidates who won the line after the primary, but many committee members are now stepping down.
LaGrange also won a spot on the Republican ticket, but he and Robinson differ over commercial zoning regulations.
Robinson said LaGrange, who is cross-endorsed by Democrats, has been planning to join with the Democratic candidates for months.
LaGrange said he is working with Democratic Supervisor Tom Dolin and candidate Daniel Mackay on a non-partisan team, and said he maintains that local politics should not be about party, but about what is best for the town.
`I hope this doesn’t cause problems with either party,` he said.
LaGrange said he wants to leave emotions out of the decision-making process. He said he is glad to have the support of the committee members who have stepped down.
Robinson said that accusations that she supports `unchecked` retail development is `an absolute bold-faced lie.`
She is campaigning with Tim Stanton and Mike Fields. Fields has the Republican line, and Stanton, along with Robinson, is awaiting a ruling on an independent nominating petition ` the New Scotland First line.
Lance Luther, the town Republican Party chairman, said he was hopeful after the primary that Fields, LaGrange and Robinson could run as a team, but that is unlikely now.
`[LaGrange] has made too many promises,` Luther said. `He’s made his choice. If you pledge your loyalty to everyone, you’re not loyal to anyone except yourself.`
Luther wrote a response to the letter sent by the members of the former Republican committee members, noting as of Thursday, Oct. 1, the committee is withdrawing support for LaGrange.
`This action was taken as a direct result of Mr. LaGrange’s negative actions and his recent decision to resign from the New Scotland Republican Committee. Over the course of the past several months, Doug has engaged in conduct that created a divide between himself and the long-standing members of the committee. And now, he cites that division for the basis to separate from the Republican Party,` the letter states.
Luther’s letter addressed the `big-box` issue as well, and said a size cap is not the only means to control growth in town.
`Mike, Roz and Tim believe that there are less restrictive ways to prevent unwanted development, while also promoting responsible economic growth. Their respective positions are far more similar than different,` Luther said.
`However, rather than work together and reach a shared, common goal, Doug has chosen to mischaracterize the beliefs of the Republican candidates for supervisor and town board,` he continued. `It is absolutely unfair to label candidates as either ‘pro-big box’ or ‘anti-big box’ when that is simply not true.`
Luther noted that all of the members that left had not been in the party for more than a year, except Voss, and many had resigned prior to the letter’s date.
The former committee members said they will remain Republicans and will back LaGrange in the election.
`Those of us that support Doug LaGrange, put the goal of community preservation and limited commercial retail development ahead of zealous and blind party politics. Just like Doug LaGrange, we are all longtime loyal Republicans who have worked hard to promote the conservative principals of our party, and build the Republican Party in New Scotland,` the resignation letter states.
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