fforts to dissolve the Village of Cobleskill are moving too fast for most but not as fast as those pushing it had hoped.
What Mayor Mike Sellers dismissed as “just rumors” and Trustee Linda Holmes characterized as “disinformation” being spread by the Mayor and Trustees Bob LaPietra and Mark Galasso, drew questions and concerns during the public comment portion of last Tuesday’s village meeting.
“I’m here tonight because I thought there was going to be a vote on it [the dissolution plan],” said Donna. Lavigne, a Main Street businesswoman and member of Cobleskill Partnership Inc.
“Disinformation is coming from the board.”
“I’m one of the board members and I have no idea what you’re doing,” Ms. Holmes told the Mayor.
Ted Brinkman, a former trustee and a member of a committee named to look into city status for the village, was the first to take the mic—and the most vehement.
“I’m concerned this is a little premature,” he said. “This [the dissolution plan drafted by Mayor Sellers] is a real nice glossing over...”
Mayor Sellers assured Mr. Brinkman there was never any intention of voting to put dissolution on the ballot that night—even though members of the Dissolution Committee said afterwards they’d had the same fears.
“It’s not being rammed through,” Mayor Sellers said.
“It’s just a sketch for them to red-ink,” said Mr. Galasso of the plan.
“This is going to be public the whole way through.”
Mr. Brinkman said he’s concerned someone could rally SUNY Cobleskill students to vote for the dissolution, much as he said they were organized to elect Mayor Sellers—something the Mayor denied.
Mr. Brinkman also said dissolution would give away some $8 million in village assets.
“Nothing’s going to change,” said Mr. LaPietra, who had been vowing to put the issue on the November ballot just days earlier.
“We’re not going to be different people the next day.”
Mr. Kaiser, CPI president, urged the board to “take a deep breath and realize the need to slow this down so people can catch up.
“Given the magnitude of this decision, a fully fleshed out pan needs to be developed and the public fully informed..,” he continued.
“There’s already the impression that this is being done for political expediency reasons. There’s no rush here. There are a lot more details to be sorted out.”
Mr. LaPietra questioned Mr. Kaiser’s use of the words, “political expediency.”
Mayor Sellers is not running for re-election and some are concerned that’s the reason the process is suddenly moving so fast.
“An outgoing administration may be in a position to influence an incoming administration,” answered Mr. Kaiser.
It was then that Mr. LaPietra said dissolution couldn’t be on the November ballot.
Mr. Galasso, who had said he was strongly in favor of the November vote if “all the i’s were dotted and all the t’s were crossed,” said that when he ran into village attorney Ed Wildove that day, Tuesday, Mr. Wildove told him “due to the legal process, the earliest it could be on the ballot is next November,” November 2010.
That still had Ms. Lavigne alarmed, especially after Mr. LaPietra, who doesn’t live in the village, asked developers Alton Makely and Matt Loder to speak about longstanding efforts to extend MacArthur Avenue to their property at the old D&H farm later in the meeting.
“There’s discomfort on my part when I see a trustee who doesn’t live in the village bring forth a developer...It calls into question every decision he makes,” she said of Mr. LaPietra.
Mr. LaPietra is serving as trustee after having been elected last November—despite not living in the village.
Since the precedent has been set, Ms. Lavigne, who doesn’t live in the village but owns a business there, said she and others like her may well consider a run for the board.
The Dissolution Committee was to hold its second meeting last Wednesday.
Mayor Sellers said the draft dissolution plan and more information on the process will be posted on cobleskillfuture.org.
That site, however, hasn’t been updated since February 19.