Nadeau turns in petitions--but it's not clear what's next

9/19/2018

By Jim Poole

A vote on dissolving the Village of Cobleskill may be coming up.
On Friday, former mayor Mark Nadeau submitted his petition calling for dissolution to Village Clerk Sheila Wilday.
The petition has 234 signatures of village voters; Mr. Nadeau said he needed 200 to have the village board put dissolution on the ballot.
“Of all the people I talked to, maybe only four or five had reasons not to sign,” Mr. Nadeau said. “I respect that.”
When village dissolution was proposed in the past––2009 and 2013––proponents saw savings in tax dollars with one Cobleskill instead of two, town and village.
Mr. Nadeau believes there will be little savings but feels one government will be more efficient and responsive to the public.
Village officials will have to verify the signatures on the petition, and then send the petition to the state for further action, Mr. Nadeau believes.
Mayor Linda Holmes isn’t so sure. Asked ‘What next?’, she responded, “That’s a good question.”
She gave the petition to Village Attorney Shawn Smith “to make sure the signatures are correct, and we’ll go from there,” Mayor Holmes said.
“We’re not sure what’s next. This hasn’t been done before.”