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Board Meeting Ends with Uproar, Call to Sheriff's Department

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
HARTWICK

The Hartwick Town Board meeting on Monday, January 13 began well enough, but ended on a sour note. The public comment period at the close of the 3-1/2 hour session degraded to such a point that town officials felt it necessary to call in local law enforcement.

There continued to be a clear divide between councilmembers Chris Briggs, Bryan LoRusso, Bruce Markusen and Tom Murphy as they bickered frequently across the table, but despite this they were able to come to a consensus regarding the hiring of a town attorney.

Former town attorney William C. Green resigned from his position in November, and members of the board had been at loggerheads since as to a replacement. Following much discussion and positive feedback from Town of Hartwick Planning Board Chair Greg Horth, the vote to contract with Syracuse-based Hancock Estabrook LLP was unanimous. The Planning Board works with Hancock Estabrook on a regular basis with good results, according to Horth.

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