To the Editor:
Over the past year I have FOILed, observed, researched and found Parker Snead to be greatly lacking in the way he has conducted business as Supervisor of the Town of Forestport during his present term.
I believe he has shown himself to be inept in a number of areas and fallen way short in serving the needs of the taxpayers. Continue reading
by Jay Lawson
Robert Seager of Forestport has announced that he will be seeking the office of Town Super-visor in the upcoming November election.
He will be running on the Democratic line.
Seager said he also intends to seek the Independence nomination when party members vote in their primary on Tuesday, September 10th.
Primary voting for all parties will be from Noon until 9 p.m. Continue reading
Bill Corrigan addressed the Town of Forestport Board and community members on Wednesday, November 19, at a scheduled meeting at Forestport Town Hall.
Corrigan spoke in support of Supervisor Parker Snead and the current Town Board, and the recent direction of the town.
He said he has been involved with Forestport a long time and is impressed with its recent path. Continue reading
The Haters are attacking Forestport. We are experiencing their scorched-earth campaign, that includes constant attacks on social media and in newspapers.
On the surface it looks like the perpetrators are attacking me.
But the reality is they are attacking any and ALL of us who want to improve our town, its image, or run for public office. Continue reading
To the Editor:
With the support of my family, I am excited to be running for the position of Supervisor with the opportunity to serve the residents and businesses of the Town of Webb.
The decision to run was not one I took lightly. I had talked to a good cross-section of the community and received many words of support before deciding to announce my candidacy last March.
Since then many summer residents have returned, and I would like to introduce myself and share some thoughts and ideas as I seek this office.
I have been actively campaigning and look forward to seeing as many voters as possible in the coming weeks.
Being a lifelong resident of the Town, I believe this is a great place to live, raise a family and retire.
The past 14 years I have served as a department head for the Town, managing the Old Forge Wastewater Treatment Plant.
During this time I feel I have met challenges and found solutions in the department and shown the ability to be proactive.
The department has been honored with awards from State and Federal agencies and a major industry organization.
We have steadily increased efficiencies, worked within realistic budgets, improved water quality and decreased costs of operation.
Our department developed an asset management plan that included capital improvements through reserve funds. These programs have allowed the district to realize financial sustainability despite the tough economy we’ve all been facing.
I believe this type of approach could benefit the Town as a whole. I feel realistic operation and maintenance budgets, prioritization of major projects and capital improvement programs will help improve fiscal responsibility in all departments.
My past 11 years serving on the Planning Board, seven as chair, have given me the experience to effectively oversee a board and conduct public meetings.
The Planning Board process often involves decisions that would affect the Town as a whole. As such it requires straight facts, attention to detail, and careful consideration of the public’s input.
Our main industry is tourism and we are fortunate to be a desirable destination area.
We need to maintain our existing infrastructures, exhibit environmental stewardship and be aware of clean water initiatives, for our area to continue to attract visitors.
Local healthcare is an increasing concern given the rising costs, complexity of the healthcare system and our location.
Standard operating procedures that have worked well in the past don’t necessarily meet the changing needs of the community today.
I am willing to work together with everyone that has a stake in our local healthcare situation.
I intend to identify and prioritize concerns and make needed changes to better serve our community in the future.
I feel I have worked well with other departments and the Town Board in the past and look forward to the challenges going forward.
Your help and support would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Theodore C. Riehle, Jr.
Candidate for
Town of Webb Supervisor
Stuart deCamp of Thendara has announced he is running as an Independent candidate for Supervisor of the Town of Webb in the November general election.Assessing waste, reducing spending and living within our means are at the top of his list of priorities if elected Supervisor, he said.Born and raised in Thendara, he is a 1982 graduate of the Town of Webb School, a graduate of SUNY Fredonia College, and The Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, where he studied the Spanish language and taught the English language. He is also a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management.In 1987, he was hired by F. Eugene Romano of Old Forge and Utica to work at his Resort Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was responsible for the daily operations and for supervising 155 employees, which included staff and union workers in Reservations, Food and Beverage, Purchasing, Security, Pool and Human Resources. He was also in charge of a $44 million refurbishing project and was responsible for coordinating architects, engineers, designers, imports and exports, contractors and supplies, with full control of all construction materials and payments to contractors based on contract agreements. When the year-long project was completed in 1990, he continued to oversee various departments for quality and hospitality.He was assistant general manager of the hotel when he was called home in 1996 to care for his ailing father. At that time he was hired by Tricor Management in New Hartford, which completed a multi-million dollar home renovation over the next three years.In 1998 he earned his Insurance and Securities licenses, which he still holds today as an Independent Broker. He and his partner, Jimi Ortiz, are co-owners of three businesses in Thendara: Moose River House Bed and Breakfast, Feathers and Boughs, Inc. Pet Centers, and the Thendara Town Hall Wedding and Events Center.“I firmly believe my abilities to operate a 238 room Resort Hotel and Casino, 365 days a year, seven days a week, overseeing hundreds of employees, staff and cost controls, while being hospitable to guests and one another, gives me the unique ability to operate the Town of Webb, with its diverse needs and personalities,” he said.Since returning to Thendara and Old Forge 15 years ago, he has been involved in various construction projects. “I’ve worked with the Zoning Board, the Planning Board and the Codes Department getting projects done, and I feel that the town works very hard, but it could use additional help, and I think I can help the town significantly. “Having run hotels, casinos, restaurants and bars, I think that I could benefit the community as a whole, because we are a tourist community and all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, need tourism.”Old Forge and Thendara used to be a lumber town, he said, until it reinvented itself into a tourist and second home destination. “Now we are at a place where we need to ask: what can we do to better expose what we have to offer?”He has heard comments, he said, from people who are concerned about taxes and where the taxes are going in the next few years. “I want to get involved and help in any way that I can. There are many people in this community on fixed incomes who have lived here for 25 or 30 years who say, ‘Why all of a sudden am I taxed out when I’m 65 or 70 years old?’ That’s not fair. It’s just not fair,” said deCamp.“It’s a huge challenge, but every problem has a solution. You just have to work at it until you find the solution that works best for everyone. I have the energy to do it. I have the know-how, and I hope the community likes what they know about me and will support me for the position of Town Supervisor.deCamp is running on the Independent party line, “Voice of the People.”