Polls are open 12 noon to 9 pm
Statements from the candidates:
[private]Robert (Bob) Downing
Current Village Trustee
Running For Re-Election
I am a lifelong resident of the Village of Hoosick Falls and graduate of Hoosick Falls Central School. I am proud to have raised my two sons here with my wife Cheryl. Over the years I have volunteered as a Scout Leader and served on a variety of boards at the First Baptist Church. I have been employed for the past 41 years at Price Chopper Supermarket.
Through the years I have seen many changes in our community. As a Village Trustee I have used my experience and knowledge to try and make the best choices to benefit our community. Currently we are facing a difficult time with the water contamination. Having lived here all of my life and raised my family here, I have the same concerns as every other resident. I am not a scientist, so I am learning about this process the same as others. This contamination did not happen overnight and it will take time to correct. Our Village needs to continue to work together with all of the local, state and federal agencies to find a solution. I would ask all residents to review the reports that are available, research any questions you may have and take advantage of the resources that are available from the experts. While it is easy to get caught up in the fear and uncertainty, it is important that we remember to work together.
Our Village has a lot of great things to offer families who live here – Youth Center, Skating Rink, Town Pool, Miller Museum and Armory, to name a few. The community is made up of a lot of very good people who have worked hard to make these things possible. If we work together we can continue to offer these same opportunities and more in the coming years.
Hoosick Falls needs economic growth in order to maintain this village. We must find ways to increase our tax base and make it affordable to live here. I have always tried to fight for the taxpayers in this community and I will continue to do that. Our village needs to look for ways to cut expenses and consolidate services when possible in order to keep taxes affordable for the seniors and others who live on fixed incomes.
Over the past few years as a Village Trustee, I have served on the Recycling and Solid Waste committee. We have been able to negotiate a contract that allows us to keep our curbside service at a nominal fee. I have also worked hard to keep many of the services available at the Transfer Station.
I am proud to serve the Village of Hoosick Falls and look forward to having the opportunity to continue to serve.
Ben Patten
Current Village Trustee
Running For Re-Election
EP: What in your background, professional and/or personal, qualifies you to to be on the Village Board?
Patten: I was appointed by Mayor Borge and the Village Board in 2013 and won election to a full 2 year term in March 2014.
EP: The Hoosick Falls community has been fractured by rancor over the water issue. What actions would you take to bring the community back together?
Patten: I think as a current Village Board member we are doing everything we can possibly do to bring the community back together, by continuing to relay as much information as quickly and accurately as possible and trying to complete the interim and the long term agreements with St. Gobain. We hopefully all want the same thing: clean, drinkable water. Having lived on McCaffrey Street for several years just yards from the plant, I too worry about possible health implications for my family, but I also have faith in our current Board to get the job done and that is what I would ask the residents to do as well. Unfortunately, there are some inside and outside influences that have made things very personal through verbal and written attacks and they are not interested in bringing the community back together. We all have to try and rise about that negativity for the sake of our future Village.
EP: In light of the setback due to the water contamination, what ideas do you have to get Hoosick Falls back on a track to economic growth?
Patten: I think the issues are tied together and the water issue needs to be resolved and then we can start that conversation on how to get back on track. I would look to our legislators, County Chamber of Commerce and the state for help. Our Hoosick Rising group has been working to bring positive energy and results to Hoosick Falls. I would like to see that continue with involvement from Village Residents. I’d also like to see a tenant make a solid commitment to the corner property on John and Main Streets.
EP: What issues besides the water and economic development do you see as the biggest issues facing the Village, and how would you deal with them?
Patten: I think absentee landlords are an issue, but we continue to work to make them accountable for their actions. I would also like to see more shared services with the Town of Hoosick and also with Rensselaer County.
Karen Sprague
Current Village Trustee
Running For Re-Election
Karen Sprague is running for her first two year term as a Village Trustee on the Taxpayers Party ticket. Karen was officially sworn in as Village Trustee on January 13, 2015, filling the vacancy of former Trustee Jeremy Driscoll. She was elected in March 2015 to serve out the remaining one year term of Mr. Driscoll. Mayor David Borge had asked Karen to fill the vacancy, because of her financial background. Karen is a graduate of Hoosick Falls Central School and attended Hudson Valley Community College for Banking. After 38 years in banking, Karen has recently retired from Trustco Bank in Hoosick Falls.
Karen is married to Richard Sprague. They are both lifelong residents of Hoosick Falls. Together they found Hoosick Falls an excellent place to raise their three children, Keith, Amy and Kevin. Sprague said, “Our community is outstanding in all that it offers to both Village and Town residents. Excellent schools, churches, music, art, recreation programs, youth clubs, sporting events, bicycle trail and let’s not forget our parades, just to name a few. It has always been a very caring and giving community with most of us knowing each other for a very long time. I am very proud to be part it.”
Trustee Sprague said, “The water contamination issue has been the biggest concern for all of us for months now. Now that DEC, DOH, EPA and NYS are finally regulating PFOA as a hazardous substance, we will now be able to get the help needed for clean water faster. With the temporary water filtration system in place and our search for another water source, we are definitely headed in the right direction. The final goal is that we all want and deserve the healthiest drinking water in New York State.”
Sprague added that she is very interested in the health monitoring for family reasons. Also once our water issues are behind us, it will be a great opportunity for some to buy a home.
Brian Bushner
Candidate For Village Trustee
EP: What in your background, professional and/or personal, qualifies you to be on the Village Board?
Background: a decade in radio broadcasting and media, then marketing and public relations. Our village could use some professional marketing help, and that is what I hope to organize. Also, I am the fourth generation of my family to live here. I grew up here, moved to other places and came back. That gives me a unique perspective having observed how other places solve problems. That life experience makes it easier to help Hoosick Falls grow.
EP: The Hoosick Falls community has been fractured by rancor over the water issue. What actions would you take to bring the community back together?
I see only a handful of people that are rancorous, and unfortunately, they outshine the greater spirit of Hoosick Falls. I think there is considerably more anxiety and fretting than rancor. You can’t force a community back together. However, you can start with a handshake and an apology, then go from there, which would do everyone some good. It’s important to focus on our positives, but at the same time avoid trying to silence those who are still upset – let them have their say, and more importantly, listen.
EP: In light of the setback due to the water contamination, what ideas do you have to get Hoosick Falls back on a track to economic growth?
We need to prove to the outside world that we find solutions to problems. We need to turn our trouble into strengths (ex: water so good we can sell it). We need to have a solid, forward-facing community branding in place that is the basis for a professionally developed marketing plan for the village. This is a major goal for me if elected.
EP: What issues besides the water and economic development do you see as the biggest issues facing the Village, and how would you deal with them?
There are no more significant issues than those two things. There are a lot of associated issues, though, such as health concerns. Once PFOA is out of our water, it’s still in our bodies. We always take care of one another in Hoosick Falls, and this is one case where that skill is going to be paramount to our future. We need to clean up our environment too and look at green initiatives.
Keith Cipperly
Candidate For Village Trustee
As Town Supervisor, I had worked hard to keep taxes down for Hoosick’s property owners. My efforts resulted in placing over two million dollars of new property onto the tax rolls combined with a property tax reduction of 2.4% in 2013 and 5.7% for 2014. My pro-business, pro-development approach had a direct impact on attracting six new businesses to the Town during my tenure as Town Supervisor. Under my direction as the Town of Hoosick’s Chief Fiscal Officer I took the Town’s fund balance from just over 151 thousand dollars to over 1.4 million dollars in just three years. Because of these efforts, major repairs needed to the Town’s pool, skating rink and courts were all made without borrowing money or putting any additional burden on our taxpayers.
If elected I will bring the community back together by allowing access to the village records, without having to jump through hoops. As before, I will be readily accessible to the public to help no matter how minor the issue, for no problem is too small for a solution. As taxpayers we should all be on the same team!
First and foremost, the only way to have economic growth is with a clean eco-system. Without a clean (non-filtered) water source there will never be economic growth in our community.
The single most important issue besides our water and economic development in our community is the current administration’s plans to conduct a community-wide revaluation. Spending over two hundred thousand dollars for this is a waste of money which would lead to an economic collapse! The raising of our property values is not the way to fix our administration’s poor budgeting skills and our taxpayers cannot shoulder yet even more burden. If elected you have my word that I will never vote for the completion of a revaluation. [/private]