The Bethlehem Town Board on Wednesday, Feb. 8, appointed members to its three newly formed citizen advisory committees and gave each group its official charge.
Some board members previously expressed reservations about having the Governance Options Committee investigate splitting the town into wards. However, all said they would keep an open mind concerning the committee’s findings.
“I think it’s an interesting idea and one that should be looked at,” said Supervisor John Clarkson, previously explaining the notion had come from residents he met during his campaign who felt underrepresented.
The Governance Committee will present its findings in June and will research governance options within the town, including a “regional or ward system for Town Board members, term lengths for supervisor or board and other options, including any updates on the 20/20 governance options previously presented.”
On the recommendation of Councilwoman Joann Dawson, the Budget Advisory Committee will start meeting this month and continue into 2013 to help with the budget process. Dawson was not at the Wednesday meeting because of a family matter.
The Budget Advisory Committee will help evaluate specific budget issues and help the comptroller form a multi-year financial plan and a capital investment and financing plan. It will also help to develop a policy to “guide use of reserves and maintenance of fund balances.”
“We really have an extraordinary group on all three committees,” Clarkson said.
The town’s Ethics Committee had been previously created, but is being reinstated under Clarkson’s administration. It will work to update the current Ethics Code and Board using the state comptroller’s Model Ethics Policy as a “starting point.” It is to complete its work by April.
Other committees to be discussed in the future include an Economic Development Committee and a Comprehensive Plan Assessment Committee.
Upon a prior request from Dawson, the board noted that all previously formed citizens’ advisory committees have been disbanded, except for the PaTHs4 Bethlehem Committee. On March 12, that group will be presenting information on sustainability initiatives and new bike paths to improve the use of roads for pedestrians and bikers. The group will eventually be seeking two new members.
“I think all three of these committees and the individuals on the committees will be good. We have some great people on the list,” said Councilman Kyle Kotary. “We have some great people with a tremendous amount of professional experience and these are in related fields of budget, governance and ethics.”
Also selected were new members to the town’s Industrial Development Agency, Pat Bulgaro and Victoria Storrs. At a previous meeting, the Town Board elected to not place a board member on the IDA, as has been commonplace in the past, since they appoint its members anyway.
Bulgaro served in Department of Taxation and Finance and the Division of the Budget, where he was director under former Governor Mario Cuomo, and Storrs is currently obtaining her Ph.D. from the Institute of Financial Market Regulation from the University at Albany. She specializes in transaction management and new business development.
“Both of them are very capable and skilled in the type of choices and issues the IDA must deal with,” Clarkson said. “There were many people with good qualifications who sent resumes and were not chosen. It should not be viewed as a negative to any of those people.”
Bethlehem Republican Chairman Fred Di Maggio said he was thrilled to hear the committee picks, since three of the people selected were nominated by the his party. Di Maggio said the GOP had put Jeremy Martelle forward as its pick for the IDA openings, but may now nominate him for the forthcoming economic development committee. Martelle ran for the Town Board in November.
“(The research performed by the three committees) will be a good overview of what our government is now and what it can become,” he said.
Budget Advisory Committee:
Co-Chairs Michael Cohen and Chris Kidera
Tom Clash
Dan Cunningham
Joan Gavrilick
Tim Maniccia
L. Arturo Palmer
Kim Phelen
Bill Reinhardt
Sandra Sharpard
Nick Smirensky
Governance Options Study Committee:
Co-Chairs David Liebschutz and Patricia Salkin
Charlotte Buchanan
Michael Burgess
Stephen Elliot
Donna Giliberto
Susan Hager
Chris Hanifin
Linda Jasinski
Marge Kanuk
Rich Mendick
Richard Reeves-Ellington
Saul Seinberg
Peggy Sherman
Frank Zeoli
Ethics Advisory Committee:
Co-Chairs Kevin Crawford and John Hudacs
Michael Fallon
Peter Lauricella
Sandy Powell
Theresa Schillaci
Mary Tremblay-Glassman
Industrial Development Agency appointments:
Pat Bulgaro
Victoria Storrs
