NORWICH – Family, friends and colleagues honored Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman and North Norwich Supervisor Richard B. Decker – the county’s longest serving board chairman – at a gathering in the supervisors’ chambers on Dec. 29.
Current and past members of several departments, including Chenango County Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dowd, former Treasurer William E. Evans and Public Health Department Director Marcas Flindt stopped by to help celebrate the occasion and to wish Decker good luck. A large number of supervisors turned out for the send off, including Lawrence Wilcox of Oxford, Jack Cook of Greene, Wayne Outwater of Lincklaen, George Seneck of Guilford, Dennis Brown of Pharsalia and David C. Law of Norwich.
Decker was board chairman for 14 years, a record for Chenango County. He was elected Town of North supervisor in 1994. Previously, Decker served with the United States Marine Corp. and was subsequently employed by the Norwich Police Department as a police officer in 1963. He became assistant police chief and, later, chief of police, before retiring in 1988.
Decker said his last year had been “a good one for the county” despite state and federal government takebacks and more individuals relying on social services.
During his tenure, the county fought unprecedented challenges from companies wanting to sight a low-level radioactive facility and a high voltage electrical tower system here. In addition, Decker’s administration weathered skyrocketing hikes in Medicaid costs and employee pension, health care and social security benefits and withstood the restrains of more recent state-imposed Medicaid and property tax caps.
With departmental cost cutting and the application of surplus, tax levy increases have remained at less than 1 percent over the past five years. And after borrowing for large capital projects through the years, such as the Chenango County Public Safety Facility and the Pharsalia Landfill, the county is on track to be debt free in 2012.
Through it all, Decker said he could count on the county’s standing committee system, fellow supervisors and department directors to make the right decisions for taxpayers. He said he never accomplished anything alone.
“I’ve always said, there isn’t any one person that can make anything happen. It takes a board to cooperatively act,” he said.
“I’m still naive enough to believe that an individual can set direction, yes, but I truly believe in a board of supervisors is the right way for county governments to operate.”