Saugerties voters will choose two of three candidates for the town board in the June 27 primary. The three candidates are former councilman Paul Andreassen and incumbent councilmembers Michael Ivino and Leanne Thornton.
Michael Ivino, seeking his second term on the town board, has been a volunteer firefighter for more than 13 years and an officer for the last six in the Centerville/Cedar Grove Fire District. He has been a fire commissioner for two years.
Ivino, an owner of J&J Tree Service and Stress-Free Lawn Care, has been known to leave a meeting if a fire call comes in. He is now more selective, waiting to see how serious the incident is, and will only go if it seems that he will really be needed.
While he said that things move more slowly than he had expected, his first term on the town board had been “pretty much what I bargained for.” He says that he’s been impressed with the way the board works together. “The chemistry of the board is excellent,” he said.
Leeanne Thornton is running for her sixth term on the town board. She has served as deputy supervisor for the past five years.
She is married to Larry Thornton. They have one grown daughter and three grandchildren.
Thornton attended Mount Vernon College in Washington, DC and finished at SUNY Albany. Her graduate work was at Russell Sage College. She is a retired teacher, having taught social studied in junior high school for 48 years.
Like Robert Redford’s character in the movie The Candidate, Thornton did not expect to win her first bid for the town board. She wanted to show her students through her direct experience what an election was like. “The furthest thing from my mind was that I would win, because there were some very credible candidates that year.” New York State offers courses for newly elected officials, and Thornton attended the course for council representatives several times.
Paul Andreassen, a lifelong resident of Saugerties graduated from Saugerties High School and attended several colleges, but did not complete a degree. He is a certified code instructor, and has taught at Columbia-Greene, Onondaga and Dutchess community colleges. Andreassen is married to Claudia Andreassen. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Andreassen served three years of a term on the town board, leaving at the beginning of the fourth year of his term. “I had some health issues that contributed to that,” he said. He is running now because he believes uncontested races are not good for democracy. “I do believe in term limits. Our founders said, ‘Put in your time and then go back to your farm.’ The founding fathers were all farmers.”
Andreassen said that a council member should be willing to vote their beliefs and not go along to get along. “I abstained on a vote on the ice arena because I believed we should have considered a larger, bigger picture.”
While a councilman’s votes may influence some voters, “People don’t pay that much attention on the local level. People are stuck on watching the national news. People call me and text me, ‘Did you see what happened in Washington today?’”
Andreassen doesn’t watch the television news channels because they are too political. “I’ll listen to NPR, I’ll listen to the BBC. I was going to write a letter to the editor: ‘Bring back Walter Cronkite.’ Dan Rather was one of my heroes.”
Each of the three candidates answered similar but not necessarily identical questions, One question asked of all three was what they saw as the main issues facing the Town of Saugerties, Here are their replies:
Mike Ivino: The Covid epidemic: Right along my first year here, I pioneered right alongside [town supervisor] Fred [Costello]. We led the town from his office. While the disease has been reduced from the public health emergency that it was, it will probably never go away completely. Herd immunity and vaccines have reduced it from a pandemic. It will probably be with us, like the flu.
Leanne Thornton: The main issue is trying to keep within the tax cap, putting a working budget together that balances; staying within the tax cap, but not having to cut a lot of services. It’s a tough decision when you have to tell every department head, ‘You’ve got your wish list here, but that’s going to put us at a rate that we can’t possibly expect people to pay.’
Department heads have understood that. Years ago, when we had a separate police department, equipment was not funded from grants. When the chief [Joseph Sinagra] came on board, he and several of his staff members were very savvy about the state has money for law enforcement; we need to apply for it.
When people see their tax bills, they are sometimes shocked. One person asked whether the town really needs a pickleball court. They may not realize that the pickleball court was funded through volunteer fundraising from people who play pickleball. While town crews will do the final leveling and blacktopping, most of the cost has been raised through individual donations.
Paul Andreassen: Rapid development, traffic, cost of housing, assessment, imbalances in assessment, Some people are getting assessed at $800,000 and others with similar holdings at $300,000. Certainly, affordable housing. Retention of jobs. But these are what every candidate says.
Another question was about the future of the Winston Farm. Here were the responses.
Mike Ivino: “The plan is viable, but everything in the plan will not be viable. The water park is a little far of reach; I like the amphitheater because I’m a huge fan of the arts. I play the piano and the saxophone, so I love music. I think there’s going to be something that comes out of Winston Farm. We’re doing the review part of the project, and that will be really telling about how this project will move forward. I don’t think we could have gotten any better developers.” The investors in the project are Tony Montano, John Mullen and Randy Richers, all of whom grew up in Saugerties.
Leanne Thornton: People should not expect any actual development soon. It will be years in the making, she said, Studies need to be done on transportation, water supply and other aspects of the proposed development. The project may not include all the housing, entertainment and recreation in the proposal. “I think the vision map included everything that anybody said they wanted for the last 25 years that they would like to see happen with the property. Some environmental groups have proposed buying part of the property and keeping it as open space, but that’s their [the owners’] decision.”
Paul Andreassen: “I’m going to recuse myself on this one, only because I haven’t followed every bit of information, and one of my brothers was an employee working with the superintendent on several other projects. Not here, but I wouldn’t want to …. But I would say, we need to follow the rules, do the planning, and as a building inspector who has issued thousands of permits for plans, it was our job to make sure they followed the site-plan approvals and the special-use permits. But I will say I’m glad it’s not a landfill or a casino.”
Here, in question-and-answer format, is what else each of the three candidates had to say about other issues in Saugerties:
Mike Ivino:
Is the dog park a good amenity for the town?
“I did the initial land clearing pro bono for the town; we saved thousands of dollars. The septic system will be going in, and all that has been off the fundraising the welfare fund has done, and the staff that devotes all their spare time to fundraising.” Ivino is the liaison to the animal shelter, currently in development. “To change liaisons in the middle of a big project like this with someone who might not have the same outlook for the animal shelter could be detrimental.”
What are some other accomplishments on the board?
“The animal shelter, we pushed way far ahead; we’ve landed grants through senator Hinchey’s office. We’ve landed grants for the Kings Highway water infrastructure, a grant for the animal shelter through Chris Tague when he was in office. We’ve earned multiple grants that I was either directly responsible for or working with others.”
On zoning, “We accomplished rezoning Malden Turnpike and Kings Highway, so the zoning is more appealing.” The board is also working on regulation of lights at night, “the so-called dark skies; that was something that people wanted.”
Ivino cited the services that he has performed for the town, such as “probably $50,000 or $60,000 in pro bono tree service.” Ivino also cites his hands-on approach. “I’m the liaison to water and sewer, and I found myself one Saturday working on a septic system, on a sewer tank on a Saturday afternoon, working with our water and sewer and parks department.”
Does Saugerties spend too much on recreation?
Much of the improvement in recreational facilities comes from contributions of interested citizens, not the town government. As one example, Ivino cited construction of pickleball courts. “I donated my services to remove trees that were a danger not only to the pickleball courts, but to the softball field and the tennis court. A lot of the site plan and preparation was paid for by Albert Riozzi. Shared services with the highway department and supporters, which is a large group of residents, made that happen.”
While some Saugerties residents may say that the town spends too much on recreation, which is not a government function, Those comments come from people who aren’t involved, and who don’t want to be part of the process in a positive way.”
What are your thoughts on the town budget process and taxes?
“Greg [Chorvas, buildings and grounds director] and police chief [Joseph] Sinagra always find money to give back. In each budget process that I’ve been a part of, I have found at least $300,000 that’s been given back to us, that they cut out of their budget.”
As an example of savings that Ivino achieved, he cited the town’s plans to buy three investigators’ cars, but “I was instrumental in saying we should keep those three cars, and buy them out of their lease instead of leasing new ones.”
If someone were to give the town a million dollars to spend on anything it chose, what would you spend it on?
“A million doesn’t go far any more, as we see that the water line extension to the Kings Highway water district is a million-one. To use it in infrastructure would be great, but it doesn’t go far. To spread it out, and rid the town of some of its debt, I think would probably be the most beneficial use. Ridding the town of its debt or infrastructure improvement would be to spend unaccounted money.”
Leeanne Thornton:
Is a dog park a function of government?
A dog park, something people have asked for for at least ten years, is close to becoming a reality. The park, on a section of Cantine Field, is nearing completion, The site offers beautiful views of the Catskills and the Berkshires. The park was essentially fully funded by an anonymous donor. “It’s far enough from a residential area where the dogs could be a nuisance. Probably within the next few weeks, when they have the grass down, they will have an opening.”
What are some of the other accomplishments of the board?
“What makes this town so special is that we have people who volunteer to serve on our various committees, and they put a lot of hours in attending meetings, but they also do their homework. An example is the sign law, which the town board is now revising. Citizens have proposed various provisions for the short-term sign section, which is now being rewritten to make it more enforceable.
“Lifespring, an adult education program in which citizen volunteers teach, is in its 14th year, and we are the only community, as far as I know, that sponsors an adult learning program.”
What development do you see taking place at Bristol Beach?
“We acquired Bristol Beach in 2016, in May, and we have a 20-year lease. Part of that contract lists about 20 different projects that could be proposed for the development of that area. One of the ones that the former committee members wanted was some kind of a historical kiosk to explain the history of the brick manufacturing and the history of Malden. Hopefully that’s something we can get them to sign off on. Members of the community have come forward with ideas for the park, including some who have offered to pay for them. Some improvements, such as picnic tables, could be done at very little cost. We’ll know more after the meeting [with state officials] next week,” she said.
What are your thoughts on the budget and taxes?
“Towns across New York State are squeezed between increasing state mandates and a two-percent cap on tax increases. The state says we have to do certain things, but where’s the funding?”
Citizens increasingly come to the meetings and take an interest in how the problems are worked out, and not just in the budget process. The town’s short-term rental process, for instance, generally attracts people interested in seeing how the law develops. People feel they can come to meetings and speak; “We encourage it because we want their input.” Sometimes a committee will draft a regulation and think they’ve done it all, then it comes to a public hearing, and people will ask about details, and it may lead to revisions.
If someone donated a million dollars to the town, what would you spend it on?
“My first priority would be to have a handicapped-accessible playground. Developing the Bristol Beach site. A lot of people would like to see a community pool. Another option might be to just put it in the general fund and reduce the cost of operating the town. A million dollars could go into a reserve fund for special problems that you don’t anticipate.”
Paul Andreassen:
What are your budget priorities?
“I would look at the police department. They are apparently understaffed. They are inadequately staffed to cover 24/7. It’s not their fault; but some of these officers are forced to work overtime, and that overtime adds to the budget. Some employees have made close to $200,000 per year.
“Money should be spent on infrastructure, repairing roofs properly, not ‘cheapening out’ on a one-year fix. As a building inspector, I would list heating systems, boilers, that kind of thing.”
A suggestion Andreassen attributed to former councilman Michael MacIsaac was to project documents onto a screen so that everyone in the audience could see them. During the height of the Covid epidemic the town planning board projected site plans onto a screen so people watching the meetings at home could follow them.
“I’m a big fan of Diaz Ambulance; they’ve taken me on a few rides. I’m behind any of these first responders, but that’s a one-shot deal. I think we need to scrutinize, and maybe some more transparency in the discussions that go on.”
Water has become a major issue as new development. Should water sources be part of any approval of new development? Would you favor a moratorium on new development until the question of where the water will come from is resolved?
“Yes, we have to have water. We need water not only for supply; we need water for firefighting, sprinkler systems — every multiple dwelling you see has to have a sprinkler system. They have to have tanks, jockey pumps, possibly even towers. It isn’t just drinking water.
“Moratoriums are a big thing. I would speak with an outside counsel on that, because moratoriums are only permitted in a five-year shot, so I would consider it only if necessary. It would have to be discussed, and if it is being used as a stall tactic by someone …. It should be a legitimate purpose.”
Several large projects are before the planning board, possibly a 50-unit development. “Yes, plus sprinkler systems and other uses. They should have engineers determining that. Simulaids came in. They were a huge plant and needed water. They undersized it a little bit, and they had to put some tanks in. Things need to be done properly, and one of my arguments with the ice arena and some of the other things the town has benevolently tried to do, but saving money in the front end, to not design adequately can cost.”
While Andreassen acknowledged the utility of these recreational facilities, he said “The town should not sponsor them. The financial responsibility should be to whoever sponsors the project.”
Saugerties recreational facilities attract people from around the area and are great amenities. Does Saugerties put too much into them, not enough or just right (e.g., animal shelter, pickleball, new ice machine for the arena)?
“I’ve been the lone voice that’s been scrutinizing those expenditures for years. They do attract people from all around, and we do want these great amenities for the town. We went to a ball game there the other day, but it’s expensive. We went to a food-truck festival in Hudson last night and it’s run by them, not by the town. I’m all for pickleball; anything that gets us old folks up and moving around is good.
I worked on the animal shelter with other volunteers.”
While many of these projects were supported by volunteers, “We also need some good accounting. We’ve had some bookkeepers and accountants that came and went. The upfront costs don’t include employees, their pensions, the legacy costs. Put all of that cost in a nutshell, not just piecemeal. I’ve always believed some private entity should be the ones to invest in something like an ice arena.”
Merging government services, such as the courts, could also make sense. People get confused going to two different places. You won’t lose any staff, but hopefully by attrition you will.”
The town board is considering changes to the sign law. Does the town have a problem with excessive signage? What measures need to be taken to control signage if you believe this is necessary?
“I had to deal with four municipalities with sign laws. It is one of the most difficult zoning issues. For instance, in most statutes you’re not allowed to have a sandwich board. Can you imagine the zoning officer going around busting these people’s chops? I have political signs out. I wouldn’t put one out if I didn’t have to. I don’t like signs, I think it’s sign pollution; but I have to. I’m a firm believer that signage should be controlled like Rhinebeck.
“But we don’t live in Rhinebeck. We live in Saugerties, and we have blue-collar, white-collar, every kind of collar here. People don’t want to change quickly; they don’t want to become the Hamptons. There’s a strong flavor of property rights. This is America, and I understand that.
“I always try. When I was the building inspector and zoning enforcer, I tried to face that reality. How much effort can you spend fighting this stuff? Signage is very difficult. Whoever is bringing it up again, or however it surfaced, it’s a problem. But I will tell you this, you can change the sign law to anything you want, and it will never be enforced.”
If the town were to receive a no-strings-attached grant of a million dollars, what would you spend it on?
“If it was a million dollars, I would put it into any infrastructure we need. I’d hire more personnel. I’d hire more vehicles. I would put it into infrastructure, new piping that needs to go in. New sewer-plant operations. Or would it be okay to take a million dollars and put it against the budget and reduce our taxes? You’re essentially giving the money back to the constituents.”
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