Town Quiet......The County........??????

With all quiet in the Town of Ulster, this election may not bring many new names to the forefront of local politics.

Town Supervisor, Jim Quigley will most likely put on his walking shoes and visit residents in their homes reminding them of the job that still lays ahead.

"We've accomplished a lot, but there is still much to do. We've got to replenish the General Fund Balance and aggressively explore economic development", insists Mr Quigley.

Both daunting challenges in bad economic times, and both a necessity if the town is to remain on sound financial footing.

The real challenge for next year will most likely be County. The latest reality check, a $25 million gap between Tax revenue and expenses, (a result of the Governors 2% Property Tax Cap), in fiscal 2012 will be hard to fill without major layoffs. To increase the 2% cap it would take more than a 60% approval by the Legislature, (unlikely at best), after a 'public hearing'.

Whether it is shortsightedness on the part of County Exec Hein or just bad management, expending the $14- $16 million Fund Balance to deliver a 0% tax increase to residents in his pre-election year budget is proving to be his biggest blunder. Granted Hein had expected to sell Golden Hill in 2012 to fill that gap although he is meeting stronger resistance than he had anticipated. These issues usually arise when politicians manipulate resources to enhance their political positions, sometimes it backfires.

Challenges from the Legislature aside, we've got a big problem on our hands, one that might make the Golden Hill issue problematic.

All things being equal, cutting $25 million in expenses represents a lot of jobs even when the average county salary & benefit package exceeds $90k per job, it's still a lot of jobs.

Finally, the County is done redistricting and the 23 seats remaining are sure to provide interesting races.

All in all the coming elections will contain the usual amount of drama, we can expect every political issue to be a crisis and every politician to have a solution.

It seems we've heard that song before!

Challenge Anyone.........Anyone?

Well August 2011 has arrived and there is surprisingly little noise from opposing parties considering mounting a challenge in the Town of Ulster's Supervisor race. More than likely a testament to the job done by current Supervisor Jim Quigley. No one entertaining a career in politics, local or otherwise, desires a difficult campaign, or to be labeled a loser his or her first time out. A more than likely possibility as sentiment toward Mr. Quigley's performance seems positive.

It is possible the only Democrat seriously considering a challenge for the Supervisor's position has moved out of town, Nick Woerner had continually threatened to regain his former position despite criticism regarding his tenure as Town Supervisor. His 2 terms lasted from January 2006 until he was unseated by current Supervisor Quigley in the election of 2009. Nick is now running for an Alderman seat in the City of Kingston, his latest residence. Ulster is Your Town Too wishes Mr. Woerner and the City of Kingston the 'Best of Luck'.

Although Jim Quigley's first term is considered a success by many residents, there will always be those loyal to party, for these disgruntled residents, no Republican will satisfy. For the majority of Town residents, the financial recovery initiated by Jim's Administration will be reason enough to re-elect him.

In the face of a dismal economy, the challenges of public office are daunting. The Town's Departments have struggled with budget reductions and staff shortages brought on by the reckless spending policies of the former administration. As seen in programs like the Summer Camp and Biddy Basketball League, and facilities such as the Senior Center, the town's Parks and the Transfer Station, all have learned to do more with less.

As the Town's financial position is strengthened, Mr. Quigley can better focus his energies on economic development. Again, the current economic landscape will be his toughest opponent should he decide to seek re-election.