Personal Statements from 2015 Town Supervisor Candidates

The upcoming election on November 3 will give Essex voters the chance to choose between five candidates contending for two openings on the Essex Town Council and two Town Supervisor candidates: incumbent Supervisor Ed Gardner and former Supervisor Sharon Boisen. (If you missed the Town Council candidates’ personal statements please be sure to review the post prior to election day.)

For today’s post we invited both Town Supervisor candidates to share their positions, qualifications, and vision for the future of Essex. Supervisor Gardner and former Supervisor Boisen were encouraged to address issue(s) they consider relevant without editorial guidance or revision. Their position statements below offer insight and perspective that should help you elect the best candidate for Essex Town Supervisor. Please take the time to read their statements, and do not hesitate to contact the candidates directly with your questions and feedback. Thank you.

Ed Gardner

My name is Ed Gardner and I am the incumbent Supervisor of the Town of Essex having taken office in January of 2014. I am running again for the Office of the Supervisor of the Town of Essex. It is my home. I have lived here my entire life, having raised a family here as did my ancestors since the 1800’s. My personal experience includes 12 years as a Town of Essex Councilman (three terms), former Exalted Ruler of the Elks Club and then going on to become State Vice President of the Elks, I have owned and operated my own successful heavy equipment business for many years in the Town of Essex, I have negotiated two union contracts with the United Steel Workers for NYCO in the 1970’s and negotiated the first Union Contract for the Town of Essex Highway crew with the Teamsters.

Here are some of my accomplishments since being elected to the office of Supervisor a year and a half ago:

The Wall project was closed out and we worked carefully with the contractors who had to wait more than a year to be finally paid as the project went beyond what was anticipated and way over budget.
The new Zoning Law Revision was adopted after taking many years to gain Town approval, and thanks to Jim Van Hoven for his tenacity in spearheading the revision for the Town.
A Community Garden was established behind the Town Hall affording town residents a garden plot to grow whatever they wished, and thanks to Lou Comeau for his continued dedication to the project.
The Sewer District is finally operating in the black after more than 4 years of operating in the red.
I worked closely with the State Comptroller’s Office and their lawyers to develop a plan to pay back the General Fund monies owed to it by the Sewer District in the amount of $226,022.00. We were able to accomplish this without raising taxes by renegotiating the debt service already on the books.
Taxes went down last year as the Town Board stayed under the 2% tax cap budget. This year our tax cap is only .73% (under one percent!), and it will be a challenge for any town to meet those terms, however, we will certainly do our best during budget preparation.
With regard to the current State Audit of the Town, I have developed a Corrective Action Plan that will be approved and adopted by the Town Board. It will be incumbent upon any future Supervisors and Town Boards to follow through. We have already accomplished much of what the State has asked of us while the audit was ongoing. These corrective plans are not simply something that can be ignored by town governance. We are mandated by the State and beholden to the taxpayers to make the changes as recommended to us by the State Comptroller.
I have been diligently working on finding a new, safe, ground water source for the Town while keeping costs down to a minimum in order to have the least effect on the Water User fees. There are alternatives to wells that we are exploring.
I have been working with Willsboro’s Supervisor as a team to bring Broadband to both of our communities and anywhere there is electricity. We are currently considered underserved in this regard by the State.
We are in the planning phase of installing sidewalks which have badly deteriorated in our town over the years. Funding for this project will be paid for with proceeds from the sale of surplus town property. Thank you to the Sidewalk Committee for their help in this regard.
I am a respected member of the Board of Supervisors at the County level and have been working closely with State, Federal, and Local Officials to do the best job for the taxpayers of the Town of Essex.
I am exploring the possibility of using our state of the art Sewer Plant as a workforce training opportunity for the youth in our area. Schools could offer courses in Sewer Operator development. These are the jobs of the future. This may provide some relief to the operations and maintenance of the plant through grants, which could lower the high cost of maintaining the plant that are passed along to the taxpayers in the Sewer District and afford them some relief.

Since taking office, the atmosphere at the Town Hall has changed for the better. We have made some great strides for the Town of Essex and wish to continue the progress we are making. My staff and I work well together and there is a sense pride and professionalism in the work we do. There are no secrets and my Board is kept informed of everything that I do.

It is nearly impossible to get everything you wish to get done in two years in office. I am asking the electorate to install me for one more term in office so that all of the aforementioned progress may continue.

For the Betterment of our Town, I am

Sincerely yours,

Ed Gardner
Supervisor

Sharon Boisen

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your efforts to educate and inform the public with your Blog. Your unbiased forum for candidates is much needed and highly regarded by the voters. Thank you.

As a former Essex Business owner and past Town Supervisor I bring a current perspective to the table which supports growth for our town and county. Statistics show tourism is a major economic generator in our region. This is a crucial time for local business owners, farmers, professionals and private citizens.

As Town Supervisor I will effectively communicate with the public and town, county and state governments, and regulatory agencies. Opportunities to support issues such as broadband, infrastructure, affordable housing, safe roadways, grant applications for startup companies and recreational activities are available every day. I have the proven ability, experience and desire to communicate those needs to the various agencies and get results.

Following are a few of my accomplishments as Town Supervisor for which I am most proud of:

administered and managed $11.2 million sewer project on time and under budget
initiated and oversaw the completion of the long overdue retaining wall project
secured $3.1 million in funding for water project mandated by the NYS Department of Health
implemented municipal bookkeeping system to help safeguard tax dollars
provided public support during hurricane Irene and secured FEMA funds for residents and the Town
created volunteer committees using resident’s expertise for Town matters

As your Town Supervisor I promise to work tirelessly to meet your expectations with a personal high degree of ethics, believing that all should live and work in an environment that is fair and equitable. I will make it my mission to bring these values to our community every day. I will seek to clear up all audit discrepancies from the past and work toward full compliance for the future, this includes financial accountability as well as transparency and open governance.

Please join me in the Sharon Boisen for Town Supervisor, “Ask Sharon Anything” campaign. Together we can make Essex the best it can be for everyone.

Essex… LOVE IT!

Sharon Boisen