By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
Four Delaware County towns have supervisor
races this year, with incumbents
facing challenges in Kortright, Tompkins
and Hancock, and two newcomers facing
off in Sidney.
The only countywide race in Delaware
County is for the position of
treasurer. Incumbent Republican
Treasurer Beverly Shields is running
unopposed for re-election.
Sidney Supervisor Joseph Maddalone,
73, lost the Republican primary
and withdrew from the race
even though he had an independent
line on the ballot. Republican Bob
McCarthy, 69, of Wood Road and
Democrat Dawn Rivers Baker, 50, of Weir
St. are vying for the position.
Rivers Baker, 50, is the Sidney Democratic
Committee chairwoman. She said
when she was trying to recruit candidates,
she realized that she needed someone to
run for supervisor who had an idea of what
to do in the position, so she took on the
challenge.
McCarthy is an industrial engineer who
recently retired from his bindery business
in Unadilla. He said the supervisor’s position
is a full-time job with a minimal salary
that pays less than Social Security. He said
he decided to run because “somebody has
to step up and show people how local government
works.”
“If we want to get things back under control,
we have to get back to the local
level ,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he believes
that if you make people aware
of what is going on, they
will be more apt to demand
changes and improvements.
He maintains a website, www.
sidneytax.com, where he is
posting information such as
assessments and tax rates.
McCarthy said he is planning
a town hall meeting to inform people
about the proposed 12-percent budget increase
for 2010, and to distribute information
about proposed zoning regulations before
the board.
Rivers Baker said the economy is the
No. 1 issue. Her focus is on economic development,
she said, and supporting existing
and startup small businesses. She owns
and operates a small publishing business.
Rivers Baker also said Sidney needs affordable,
clean energy, and she said plans
to look at a variety of solutions.
“The things I want to do involve investments
in the community without raising local
taxes,” she said.
Rivers Baker said she has enjoyed
knocking on doors and meeting people and
she has found that they all lament the decline
of Main Street, so she hopes
to make micro-loans available for
startup businesses.
Rivers Baker said she will hold
a meet-the-Democratic-candidates
gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday
at the Sidney library.
In Kortright, Republican Supervisor
George Haynes Jr. is being
challenged by Steven C. Bower, 49,
of Kelso Road.
Tompkins Supervisor William Layton,
who is running on the Republican and
Democratic lines, is being challenged by
Democrat Amy Glerum of county Highway
26 in Trout Creek.
A race for Hancock town supervisor position
developed in August when Salvatore
Rubera filed an independent petition to
run against incumbent Republican Hancock
Supervisor Sam Rowe.
