COLUMBUS – The Town of Columbus’ decision back in 2009 to build a courtroom onto the town hall not only provoked its supervisor at the time to resign, but has now become one of several campaign issues for candidates running for supervisor this year.
Both former supervisor George C. Coates and political newcomer Tom Grace say overspending on the structure and other expensive decisions made by the council have pressed taxpayers’ backs to the wall. (A third candidate for office, Brandon Loomis, an independent, could not be contacted for this article.)
“The town board has made spending decisions that were obviously very costly, including the court room on the town hall,” said Grace, who is the Democratic Party’s candidate and a longtime Otsego County journalist.
Leading up to his decision to resign, which Coates now says was “a mistake,” the 2007-2010 supervisor said he encouraged his council to merge the town’s court with the Village of New Berlin’s on a temporary if not permanent basis. But, they ignored his consolidation idea.
Instead of the courtroom, Coates said the town hall could use a new roof, window casings and other structural repairs.
The candidates agree that spending is going to be an issue for taxpayers in this very small (pop. 975) Chenango County municipality. According to unconfirmed data that Grace said he collected from the county treasurer’s office, Columbus has the highest-rising taxes of any town. Its levy has risen more than 130 percent in the past five years, or 26 percent a year, he said.
In contrast, Chenango County’s levy increased 1.96 percent; New Berlin’s 15.17 percent; and Sherburne’s, 25.63 percent.
Grace complained that a paid bookkeeper has been handling the town’s fiscal duties, a job, he said, that belongs to the supervisor. He also questioned the need to keep a second attorney on retainer instead using the town’s attorney for all legal matters.
Grace, who is 62, moved to Chenango County in the 1970s after graduating from Hartwick University. He has lived in Columbus since 2003. For the past 25 years, he has reported on county and occasionally town board government proceedings and issues for The Daily Star in Oneonta. He retired in August as Cooperstown bureau chief.
He said he has been going door-to-door introducing himself and collecting e-mail addresses.
“My biggest thing is to improve communications,” he said, adding that he planned to push Frontier Communications to expand DSL service in Columbus.
Both candidates aim to take control of the town’s finances and better communicate budgetary details to residents via the town’s website, via Facebook and also by having hard copy reports on hand at the town hall. Opening up regular talks with the town’s newest large employer, Agro Farma, as well as with another successful business in town, Golden Artist Colors, would be an added plus for the town, they add.
Coates, who is 69, said he would take measures to preserve the town’s rural, agricultural environment and support farmers. However, he said some in the town complain about the large number and the noise from Agro Farma’s delivery trucks that regularly pass through Columbus Center.
“People have never been accustomed to this much traffic before, and feel the intrusion ... but they also accept the fact that this is jobs,” he said. Agro Farma currently delivers 17 million pounds of milk a week, or just shy of 2 million gallons.
A member of the Independence Party, Coates voted alternatively with Republicans and Democrats on specific issues. He never took a salary while in office, regularly mowed the town hall lawn and the park with no pay and often checked in on senior citizens during power outages.
“As supervisor, you need to be available 24/7,” he said.
Current Supervisor Pamela Weidman, who completed Coates’ remaining term, is running for council in the Nov. 8 elections.