At its first meeting of the year, members of the Bethlehem Town Board unanimously voted to appoint former board member George Lenhardt to a vacant seat.
Lenhardt was selected from a group of nine potential candidates who had expressed interest in the position. The board was in need of a new member after Mark Jordan won his bid for Town Justice and left the Town Board at the beginning of the year. The 4-0 vote was made during the board organizational meeting Wednesday, Jan. 11.
“They were all excellent choices,” said Supervisor John Clarkson in an interview the following day. “But there was a consensus among the group concerning (Lenhardt.) He has a background with the board and his roots in the community are very deep. It came down to who folks thought would be the best fit.”
Lenhardt served on the board from 1994 to 2005 and is a lifelong resident of the town. He was commissioner of the Slingerlands Fire District for 18 years and treasurer for the fire district for more than a year, with one year of planning board experience. He currently chairs the town’s Board of Ambulance Commissioners.
`I was shocked,` said Lenhardt about receiving the board’s call on Wednesday afternoon. `I’m honored and very humbled by this. I’m very happy to see that politics didn’t prevail. I never expected this to happen and I’m very proud of the board that they could put politics aside for the community’s well being.`
The list of potential appointees included Kevin Crawford, John Hudacs, Donna Giliberto, George Lenhardt, Ted Putney, Michael Burgess, Loretta Simon, and Christina Kidera, and Jeremy Martelle, who ran for election to the board last fall.
Former supervisor Jack Cunningham had put his name on the list as well, but he ended his bid before a forum on the appointment held by the League of Women Voters, explaining, “It has become apparent that placing my name into consideration to fill the Town Board vacancy has become an impediment” to solving the town’s problems.
Lenhardt will serve for one year, and a special election will be held in November.
The newly appointed board member is currently a registered Independent, but was a member of the Republican Party while previously serving on the board.
Clarkson said he thinks it’s good to have diversity on the board. “I think the approach should be non-partisan and if the appointment helps enforce that point, I’m glad.”
Lenhardt has stated he will not be seeking reelection in the fall, so the public will have the opportunity to select who they wish to fill the position for the remaining year of the four-year term.
“That was part of the agreement to serve and my word is my bond,” he said.
The issue of seeking reelection was a matter of contention among some.
Bethlehem Republican Chairman Fred Di Maggio said making it known that someone who intended to run for re-election would not be chosen for the position “set up artificial barriers to prohibit someone from running.”
Both Cunningham and Martelle intend on running for the vacant seat in the special election.
The board thanked all of the candidates for their willingness to participate in the process and held the potential appointees in high regard for their qualified backgrounds.
Clarkson said some candidates have volunteered their services to the town in the future. With backgrounds in government policy, the supervisor has asked both Crawford and Hudacs to help craft the town’s new ethics law and they have agreed. Clarkson would also like to create various citizen’s groups in the future, which he envisions several of the candidates will be asked to help form.
In addition, Lenhardt has volunteered to help with the negotiation of several police and public safety contracts that will need to be agreed on this year, since he has served as the board’s representative at previous contract negotiations.
Clarkson said the more help, the better.
“I can only speak for myself, but that may have been an important issue for others on the board when making this decision,” he said.
