MCDONOUGH – Once again, it will be up to voters on Nov. 8 whether to chose Arrington J. Canor or Homer D. Smith to supervise McDonough for the next two years.
Neither candidate is a stranger to town or Chenango County government. They’ve faced off four times before, they represent opposing parties and each has already served in the town’s top job.
The Republican incumbent Canor, who is 73 and a former furniture maker, was elected supervisor for his first term which began in 2000. He lost to Smith, who is 66 and a Democrat, two years later, but then ran against him again in 2008 and won. Smith did not run in 2010.
At the county level, Canor generally votes with the conservative majority, but last year spoke out against wasteful administrative spending within two budgets that a growing number of supervisors believe should be consolidated: traffic and Stop DWI. He has also blasted his fellow lawmakers for waiting until budget time before looking at ways to economize instead of addressing an resolving issues throughout the year.
At the town level, Canor said he always aims to achieve “the biggest bang for the buck.” New York State Consolidated Highway Improvement funds were used to afford a new truck and tanks at the town barn. The McDonough Town Board plans to apply some CHIPs funds again next year to help pay for a new salt shed and repair some significant roadway drainage problems, he said.
“I’m satisfied. We kept paying the bills and kept things going this year. The town’s in good shape financially and the road repairs are taken care of,” said Canor, adding that the town’s highway department struggled with the death of its long-time superintendent last year as well as the untimely resignation of his replacement.
Canor anticipates that McDonough will receive approximately $68,000 from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to help recover overtime, machinery and material costs incurred from cleaning up road, drainage and bridge damage after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. However, the supervisor anticipates fewer sales tax receipts for the municipality going forward, and said he isn’t exactly sure what to anticipate for the economy.
“Things are getting tight. If the state doesn’t stop playing games (with our sales taxes), and we don’t get some of that, it’s going to raise hell with the town’s budget,” he said.
Homer Smith, a Democrat, was supervisor for three consecutive terms from 2002-2007. He has decided to enter the race this time around to right what he considers some wrong financial decisions made for the town. Instead of adding a single axle truck to the highway fleet, for example, he said a 10-wheeler would have been more cost effective. He also disapproved of spending state highway improvement funds on the truck.
“Things in the town are going wrong. We found a long time ago that single axles don’t hold enough materials, so you’re always going back and forth to the barn,” he said, adding that the CHIPs money will be short this year for regular roadwork.
But like Canor, Smith agrees that the cost of living is tough on taxpayers right now.
“With state and federal cut backs, I know it’s going to be a rough year, the next two years, even, for quite a little time,” he said. Coupled with the number of supervisors and department directors retiring this year, he said things in government are “worrisome.”
“There’s going to be quite a change. I hope I can bring experience to the board and make the right decisions for the county,” he said.
Smith said it’ll take a combination of federal, state and local government cuts in order to create more jobs and grow the economy. As a former union ironworker, he said he understands both the union and private sector arguments about wage increases.
“Everybody has to live, but you’ve got to be more concerned about the taxpayer who’s paying the bills. That’s all of us,” he said.
Smith retired as owner and chef of the popular Outpost restaurant in McDonough two years ago after 22 years in business.