Schoharie County supervisors and Treasurer Bill Cherry pulled back from their angry words last week, agreeing to put their dispute over the 2009 budget behind them.
The patched relationship means Mr. Cherry will continue as county budget officer.
Mr. Cherry two weeks ago blasted Board of Supervisors Chairman Earl Van Wormer and supervisors Sue Loden of Wright and Larry Phillips of Seward for their part in getting higher funding for tourism promotion in the ’09 county budget.
Supervisors responded angrily, and Mr. Cherry vowed he’d quit as budget officer, which carries responsibility for developing and managing the annual budget.
After calming down, the two sides reconciled.
Mr. Cherry and Mr. Van Wormer met last week, and the Treasurer praised Mr. Van Wormer for making the first move.
“I was going to talk to Bill Thursday, but I saw the light on late in the Treasurer’s office [Wednesday night], so I decided to knock,” Mr. Van Wormer said.
“Earl knocked, so he has to take credit for being the bigger man,” Mr. Cherry said.
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to unlock the door,” Mr. Van Wormer answered, laughing.
Mr. Cherry and Mr. Van Wormer credited an editorial in last week’s Times-Journal, “Shake hands,” for helping them get together.
“It had the clarion ring of truth,” Mr. Cherry said, which urged officials to talk through their differences.
Mr. Cherry and supervisors argued over the tourism money because they failed to communicate effectively, Mr. Van Wormer said.
Supervisors wanted to spend more on tourism promotion to generate economic development, while Mr. Cherry wanted to save money in difficult economic times.
“Sometimes we get stuck in our roles and get pulling in different directions,” Mr. Van Wormer said. “If we meld those views, we’ll have something. We both want the best for Schoharie County.”
He added that he “never thought of having anyone else as budget officer,” and in separate interviews, Ms. Loden and Mr. Phillips agreed.
“I think it’s great,” Ms. Loden said. “We work well at the county level, and we get a lot more done when we work together.”
Although agreeing this time, Mr. Van Wormer and Mr. Cherry both noted that they have different philosophies and will disagree in the future.
“That’s one of the good things,” Mr. Van Wormer said. “We’re going to diverge, but those debates will be good.”
“Especially now, we have to put personal feelings aside and work together,” Mr. Cherry added.