In one of the first official acts of his return to office as town supervisor, Jeremy Wilber surprised colleagues and other attendees of the Town Board’s January 3 meeting by appointing 18-year-old Liam Kahn, a lifelong Woodstock resident with an avowed interest in public service, to the position of deputy supervisor.
Kahn, an intern in the Kingston office of Congressman Maurice Hinchey and a three-time participant in the annual Harvard Model Congress program for high school students, is pursuing a GED diploma and expects to enroll later this month at Ulster County Community College. In accepting the appointment, Kahn thanked Wilber for what he deemed an “incredible opportunity to serve the citizens of Woodstock” and “the beginning of my life’s goal, which is to be of service to my country.”
In a written statement that concluded with the announcement of Kahn’s appointment, Wilber cited Section 42 of New York State Town Law, which describes the role of the deputy supervisor — principally, performing the duties of the supervisor when the latter is absent or unable to act — and states that any person with the same qualifications as an elective town officer may assume the position. A deputy supervisor who is not a sitting councilmember may preside at Town Board meetings but may not vote on matters before the board. Wilber, 61, recently underwent gallbladder surgery, but reported that he felt fine and was recovering smoothly. He characterized his appointment of Kahn as “a tangible gesture of my commitment to our youth.”
The office was held most recently by councilwoman Terrie Rosenblum, who served for approximately two years under supervisor Jeff Moran, who previously had rotated the post among various Town Board members. The Town Board may set compensation for the deputy supervisor — Rosenblum initially received an annual stipend of $1,000, which was subsequently discontinued — but the 2012 town budget contains no appropriation for that purpose.
(Neither Moran nor Rosenblum sought a new term in the November election — the councilwoman’s bid to become supervisor was unsuccessful — in which Wilber regained the office he held from 2000 to 2007 and Ken Panza secured a seat on the Town Board, replacing Rosenblum. The January 3 meeting, an organizational session, was the first for the reconfigured council.)
“Unaddressed homophobia”
In both an interview following the meeting and a press release issued the next day, Kahn asserted that “unaddressed homophobia” caused him to leave Onteora High School last April. The release described Kahn as an “out gay teen” and the homophobia at the high school as “constant” as well as unaddressed. Kahn had been a charter member and the president of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance.
Phyllis Spiegel McGill, the Onteora Central School District’s superintendent of schools, on January 4 declined to comment on Kahn’s allegations. “I am happy to hear the news about Liam’s appointment,” said McGill in a phone interview. “I can’t comment because I am bound by federal legislation and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). I cannot comment further. I am happy that he’s doing well and am excited about his appointment.”
While the agenda for the Town Board meeting consisted mainly of housekeeping matters, such as routine appointments and renewals of existing policies and agreements, each council member recited his or her goals for the coming year. Wilber, for his part, announced that the board’s deliberations on the 2013 town budget would begin at its January 17 meeting, at which the levels and costs of the services provided by the Emergency Dispatch Department and the Police Department will be detailed. A similar accounting of the town’s other departments and agencies will follow over the remainder of the year.
Taxpayers attending the meetings will be able to compute, “almost to the nickel,” what they pay for a given service, said Wilber, who noted that the dispatch and police services will be discussed first because, together, they represent the biggest share of the general fund budget and, as departments based at Town Hall, figure centrally in the plan to renovate that building.
Costs of services
Said Wilber, reading from his statement: “Once fully informed on the costs for the level of service provided by the town, it I my guess that the taxpayer might call for certain efficiencies and adjustments, but because the level of services and the number of employees hired to perform them have remained almost constant for more than thirty years, calls for radical change would surprise me. Nevertheless, in this climate of falling revenue the conversation between the Town Board and the taxpayer is necessary.”
The supervisor likened the town’s financial condition to “a very short string.” Woodstock’s share of county mortgage tax receipts fell $20,000 short of expectations when the town received its second annual payment for 2011 last month. “If such a trend continues into the 2012 fiscal year, the town will experience a revenue shortfall of approximately $40,000,” said Wilber. “Put another way, almost the entire contingency budget of $50,000 may be spoken for.”
In a sign of belt tightening to come, the board unanimously resolved that all proposed general-fund purchases would require approval by the supervisor, highway superintendent, or water-wastewater superintendent. “Every single purchase, if only for a pen, will be scrutinized,” Wilber said.
Council members list goals
The other board members described their goals as follows.
Councilwoman Cathy Magarelli called for better communication, on the budget and other matters, between the Town Board and the community, and for enhanced cohesion and cooperation among board members. Lauding the new Diamond Mills Hotel in Saugerties as a development that will benefit that town, she expressed the hope that Woodstock would facilitate similar projects in order to attract businesses as well as visitors. She urged the council to proceed with the renovation of Town Hall, budget permitting, and to pursue plans for energy-saving improvements of the Community Center if such a project proves affordable.
[When Panza objected to the renewal of a zoning review subcommittee chaired by Magarelli and Rosenblum, the board agreed to disband the subcommittee, which had been conducting a townwide assessment of the zoning law. The board stipulated, however, that Magarelli may complete the group’s in-progress work on proposed zoning changes for the Gateway Overlay District. See an upcoming issue of Woodstock Times for an article on that subject.]Councilman Bill McKenna endorsed the board’s pursuit of the Town Hall renovation “in some form,” depending on the compatibility of contractors’ bids with the town’s financial resources. Other projects favored by the councilman included a reed-bed system to process sludge at the water-wastewater plant; necessary maintenance work on the municipal water system, particularly the wells and delivery technology; and the possible assignment of town employees and volunteers to apply for grants on the town’s behalf — a task for which Wilber, a writer, might be well suited, noted McKenna. The councilman, who served as a budgetary watchdog in recent years, applauded the supervisor’s vow to get an early start on the next town budget.
Panza said that the town had a “great opportunity” to proceed with the Town Hall renovation, but many people, including the employees of the three affected departments (dispatch, police, and the justice court) remained unfamiliar with the architectural and engineering plans for the “vitally important” project. Jackie Earley, the town clerk, noted that the plans were available at her office for viewing by the public as well as elected officials. Panza’s other goals included increased scrutiny of the town budget, action by the Town Board on zoning changes proposed by the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals, and continued progress on the management of the Comeau property.
For councilman Jay Wenk, “starting and maintaining a (Town Board practice of) consensually working together” was the first priority. Wenk’s other goals included the removal of all remaining buried fuel tanks in Bearsville, near the town aquifer, and the development of a protocol to eliminate underground tanks elsewhere in Woodstock; the conversion, to a paid basis, of the town-owned Mountain View parking lot; an increase in the number of events honoring local artists, which, said Wenk, draw visitors to town; the completion of the Town Hall renovation; greater efficiency and “total transparency” in town government; an analysis of the water system and the disclosure of a plan for action during a water-related emergency; and the distribution, if feasible, of battery-powered radios for emergency use by residents; and the removal of “extraneous” signage around town.++
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