Thirty-three years on the Schoharie Village Board is enough for John Borst.
The Schoharie Mayor said last week that he won’t seek re-election this March.
A trustee for 13 years and mayor for 20, Mayor Borst saw Schoharie through numerous municipal projects, the flood, and the changing face of Main Street.
“You know when it’s time to go,” said Mayor Borst, who’ll turn 71 in February. “Since the flood, it’s been non-stop dealing with government agencies. . .the rules and regulations drive you nuts.”
Mayor Borst is an engineer, and as such, he described himself as someone who likes the “nuts and bolts” of being mayor: finances, the legalities, village projects, “something I can get my hands on,” he said.
Mayor Borst is proud of keeping the village solvent and maintaining services without huge increases in taxes.
Schoharie’s critical challenge, he believes, is economic development. Like most small villages, Schoharie has seen a long, slow decline that predates the 2011 flood.
“It’s like dying from 1,000 little cuts,” he said. “We need people who have a better handle on economic development to get Main Street back in shape.”
That can happen, Mayor Borst added, if Schoharie capitalizes on its resources: natural beauty, the creek, agriculture, history, small-town charm and more.
“After the flood, when we had all those volunteers here, some would say ‘What a beautiful place you have here,’ ” Mayor Borst said.
“And they were right. Sometimes we take it for granted. I hope people realize what they have here.”
The village has been publishing an ad in the Times-Journal to let people know there will be openings for mayor and two trustees in the March election.
Besides Mayor Borst, Trustees Larry Caza and Jay Balliett aren’t seeking re-election, though Mr. Caza picked up a petition for mayor, Mayor Borst said.
“And three other people picked up petitions for trustee,” he added. “They’d all make good village board members.”
Mayor Borst won’t disappear after he leaves office. He plans to continue helping with the proposed creek trail and also maintain his Christmas tree business.
“Will I miss it? Absolutely,” he said. “I like the details, working with the county, the school, the people. I’ll miss all that.”