Amid off-the-record allegations of backroom politics, no-mask grudges, and campaigns to ignore the law, supervisors voted not to reappoint Amy Gildemeister Public Health Director Tuesday.
“They don’t know what they’ve done,” Phil Skowfoe, who chairs the Public Health Committee, said afterwards.
Supervisors gave no explanation for the vote—which would have likely gone differently if two missing supervisors were there; it followed a long executive session that included Roy Korn, president of the Schoharie County Board of Health.
The Board of Health had previously voted unanimously to reappoint Dr. Gildemeister to a second six-year term.
Afterwards, Dr. Korn said the Board of Health would be disappointed by supervisors’ vote; he tried to make a strong case for reappointing Dr. Gildemeister during the executive session, he said.
Missing Tuesday—the Friday meeting was postponed by Friday’s storm—were supervisors Wes Laraway of Middleburgh—who left before the executive session to go back to work--and Jeff Haslun of Richmondville.
As chair of supervisors’ Rules & Legislation Committee, Mr. Laraway, had seconded the resolution reappointing Dr. Gildemeister; Mr. Skowfoe, of Fulton, had moved its adoption.
If Mr. Laraway had continued to support the measure Tuesday, it would have passed.
Mr. Skowfoe tried to force a vote before Mr. Laraway left by asking to move supervisors’ resolutions out of order.
That failed, 2,053-670.
After the executive session but before the vote, Cobleskill Supervisor Werner Hampel asked for a vote on postponing the decision until all supervisors were there at the January 3 reorganizational meeting; Mr. Skowfoe seconded the motion.
That resolution went down, 1,287-1,094.
The resolution reappointing Dr. Gildemeister failed, 1,358-1,029.
“Yes, with reluctance,” said Don Airey of Blenheim voting in favor of reappointment; “No, with no reluctance,” said Earlin Rosa of Seward.
The vote followed a straw vote in executive session in November with the same results.
During Tuesday’s executive session, Dr. Gildemeister said she was aware of what had been going on between the Board of Health and supervisors, but “I haven’t been included in any discussions.”
It’s happening all over the state,” she said, of Public Health officials losing their job because of decisions made during COVID—one of the reasons Dr. Gildemeister believes she’s out. “It’s not a ‘me’ thing.”
It’s also likely that the Health Department’s enforcement of water and wastewater and fire protection regulations played a role, she said, even though “we did our damnest to work with everyone.”
Dr. Gildemeister has no deputy so it’s unclear how supervisors will fill the post.
Afraid the writing was on the wall, Dr. Gildemeister said she’s already been interviewing for other Public Health jobs.
“It is what it is,” she said.
“We did our best. Im proud of the work we did during COVID and of everything else my staff has done for the people of Schoharie County during an extremely difficult time.”

See the paper T-J for the vote.