NORWICH – Though Democrats and some Republicans have yet to caucus in several towns, at least three new faces will make up the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in 2012.
In addition to Richard B. Decker of North Norwich’s news last week and Afton’s Robert Briggs previously reported decision to retire, the supervisor from the Town of Smithville will also step away from public office.
Allan I. Johnson has supervised this small, rural town (pop. 1,330) located in south central Chenango County for the past six years. Now is the right time to retire, he said, so as to free up time for travel and to allow someone else to take over.
“Jobs like this ought to be rotated among the people. I’m in favor of self-imposed term limits; in my mind, you do the job for a while and then you let someone else do it.”
During his tenure, the town council began updating its comprehensive plan (a task Johnson hopes is complete before he leaves office at year’s end) and made improvements to the town hall, its grounds and the community park. An 11-acre parcel of land between the town hall and fire station was purchased for future municipal use.
“We’ve just tried to keep a little progress going and keep the peace,” said Johnson. “The only real challenges on the town level have been dogs and roads. We’re just trying to keep people served well and satisfied. You know you’ll never satisfy everybody, but you try.”
A number of Smithville property owners have leased their land to energy companies for natural gas drilling, according to Johnson, and many issues surrounding the industry have come before the town board. He said he would have liked more leadership from the county regarding road use ordinances and leasing town-owned land.
“I’ve tried to keep an eye on that to determine when would be the right time for a municipality like ours to take specific action,” he said, “ but I’m not convinced that I’ve seen the best solutions. I was hoping to see something at the county level that would try to coordinate things for all of us.”
Two Republicans vying for Johnson’s seat will face off in the primary Sept. 13: Fred J. Heisler, Jr. and Councilman Roger J. Connelly. Heisler is also running on the Conservative party line. Democrats must caucus in Smithville between now and Sept. 23, which is the last day for candidates to accept or deny a nomination.
Johnson said he was not supporting any specific candidate.
In Afton, Republican John H. Lawrence, a current town councilman, filed his party’s petition to run for supervisor. Briggs has given him his vote of confidence.

Possible supervisor races setting up in Columbus, Coventry
In Columbus, incumbent Supervisor Pamela Weidman, a Democrat, could not be reached for comment on whether she will be her party’s nominee at caucus on Aug. 17. Town Clerk Brenda Weidman said she “believed” there would be at least one Democratic candidate for supervisor.
Former Columbus Supervisor George G. Coates has returned a designating petition showing his intent to run under the Independence line. Coates was elected supervisor of the town for two, two-year terms in 2006 and 2008. He abruptly left office at the beginning of 2009, however, following his board’s decision to proceed with a building project for the town hall, a decision opposed.
Coates said numerous townspeople asked him to run in the last election and again this year.
“When I went around collecting signatures, a lot of people remembered me, and it’s been favorable helping me to make this decision,” he said.
Incumbent supervisors in the towns of Smyrna and Coventry also face challenges, both from their own and opposing parties.
In Coventry, Supervisor John Phelan, who filed a petition to run for a second two-year term, has objected to the designating petitions filed by three candidates for office, two for supervisor and one for clerk. Phelan, who was also supervisor for three terms in the 1990s, had until last Friday to return his objections to the Board of Elections office, after which time the commissioners are required to do legal investigations of the petitions, checking names, addresses, party affiliations and possible duplicate signatures for candidates.
Phelan’s opposition for supervisor are Republicans George L. Westcott and Larry G. Clark, of the Independence party. The latter ran against him and lost in a three-way race in 2009.
“Anyone is permitted to object to a person’s petition, notify them by certified mail, and then look through them. Then we get them and go through them one by one,” said Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Carol Franklin.
Phelan said the effort “buys us time to make sure they were completed accurately and honestly.” He also said he expected to face opposition after the Democrats caucus in his town.
“This is my fifth term around and I have been challenged at a primary or the general election every single time,” he said.

City of Norwich Ward Alderman McNeil so far unchallenged
All designating petitions have been filed. In addition to the Republican Party petitions, there were three Independence party petitions, Heisler’s Conservative party authorization in Smithville and one Democratic petition filed by James J. McNeil for Wards 1,2, and 3 Alderman in the City of Norwich.
McNeil’s Republican challenger for the past two elections, Scott M. Sutton, did not file a petition.
Democrats caucus to select their candidates, as do Republicans in the towns of German, Lincklaen, Otselic, Pharsalia and Pitcher. Many Independent Party petitions have been picked up, according to Commissioner Franklin.