Supervisor Teal Resigns
Board Plans To Appoint Replacement
By Doug La Rocque
The New Lebanon Town Board met in a special session on Monday, July 29, to formally accept the resignation of Town Supervisor Colleen Teal. Ms. Teal is moving south to accept the position of Chief Financial Officer of a Northern Virginia town. She told those gathered for the meeting, the primary reason for the move is to be closer to her daughter, who also lives in Virginia.
Supervisor Teal had already decided not to seek re-election, and said she didn’t realize a new position would open up this fast. She had planned on finishing her term of office.
Ms. Teal’s resignation left the board with two options. The first is to allow Deputy Supervisor Doug Banker to serve as acting supervisor, but since he is not an elected official, he would have no voting powers and could not represent New Lebanon on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. The Board unanimously decided to opt for the second option, which is to appoint an interim supervisor, who would serve until December 31, with full voting rights. It set a special meeting for Friday, August 9 at 12:30 pm, the day Supervisor Teal’s resignation takes effect, to name her replacement. They could appoint Mr. Banker to the position, or anyone else they deem qualified to take the reins of government.
The November Election
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, New Lebanon’s current Town Clerk, Tistrya Houghtling will face Bud Godfroy to succeed Supervisor Teal. Ms. Houghtling has the Democratic, Independence, Working Families and Green Party lines. Mr. Godfroy appears on the Republican and Conservative Party lines.
Making Zoning Lines Changes
The Board also agreed to spend up to $1,500 for the Town Engineer to develop a system to make changes to the computerized town zoning map, a simpler and less costly option to what already exists.