Sometimes it helps to have a little help from your friends.
And neighbors.
Thursday, Royce Gage, Esperance mayor since June, and Howard Burman, who’s running for trustee in the November election, sat in on the Village of Sharon Springs’ meeting to get a first hand look at how other municipalities handle business.
Mayor Gage joined the Esperance Village Board as a trustee earlier this year after Mayor Chuck Johnston died unexpectedly and Trustee and Deputy Mayor Valerie VanAller stepped into the top post.
Mr. Gage was also named deputy mayor, and after Mayor VanAller took a job in Florida, on June 11, he became mayor.
Along with Deputy Mayor Alyssa Lowell, who’s also new to village government, Mayor Gage was at the Village of Cobleskill’s meeting as well.
All villages share similar problems, Mayor Doug Plummer told the Esperance delegation.
And while sometimes larger villages and larger budgets mean more headaches, “In small villages, we’re the ones out there doing the stuff.”
Sharon Springs’ Deputy Village Clerk Linda Feuz is also a former Esperance Village Clerk and suggested the visits.