Hartwick Town Council Candidates: In Their Words

With the General Election fast upon us, and early voting set to begin on Saturday, October 25, AllOtsego continues its pre-election coverage with questions and answers to the four candidates competing for two Town of Hartwick Town Council seats being vacated by Chris Briggs and Bruce Markusen. Below, in alphabetical order, are the questions and corresponding responses from JoAnn Gardner (REP, HUN), Kimberly Henderson (CON), Caren G. Kelsey (HUN), and Sarah McGuire (CSE).

1. Please describe your previous work in the community and how these experiences qualify you for a position on the town council.

GARDNER: Being a member of the Town Board requires fiscal responsibility, a willingness to work together and respecting the concerns of all residents. Prior to having children, I was a location scout/production manager in the film and television industry. This job requires teamwork, problem solving and the ability to work closely with all stakeholders, while also staying within a set budget. It demands clear communication between departments and the willingness to put the final project ahead of ego. When the assistant director yells, “Action,” everyone on that set has a sole purpose—get the shot! This kind of collaboration is crucial for a town board to be successful. When I moved to Otsego County and began working in the public school system, I brought with me that love of collaboration. I volunteered on the committee that created a school garden at the Laurens Central School. I worked with students at both LCS and Cooperstown Central School to create an award-winning dis-tracted driving PSA for NYCM and an award-winning documentary. I also serve on the steering committee for the Glimmerglass Film Days. Most recently I have joined both the Hartwick Conservation Committee and the Youth Advisory Committee, where we have been working with current town board members on a plan to fix up our town playground and offer community events throughout the summer. I continue to hone my negotiating and problem-solving skills as co-president of the UCCS Service Unit.

HENDERSON: I’ve held numerous positions in fields of work which required high “customer satisfaction” results. Work which required me to be organized and which has allowed me to grow my listening and communication skills. I believe one of our biggest assets as a person is the ability to adapt. If not for the better then what for? My work now is finance. Not just running numbers, but helping our community members with household budgets, with loan payments, planning for their futures, and offering advice along the way. I grew up in Hartwick, and I intend to retire here. My goal is to allow our children to feel the same secure feeling within the community to hopefully return home after college endeavors to grow the community and enrich it even more.

KELSEY: I lived in Hartwick most of my life. I have been a member of the Hartwick Fire Department and EMS for 48 years. During this time I have served in every officer position. I understand the ins and outs of running these departments and have written budgets and grants for both departments, including a recent grant for a heart monitor that is currently in our town ambulance. I have worked closely with town government to ensure that the people of Hartwick are safe and that their first responders have all necessary resources to respond to any emergency. I worked in Career Pathways and the Health Occupation class at OAOC BOCES for 37 years. Students who graduated from Health Occupations graduated with five licenses allowing them to find well-paying jobs in the community right out of high school. My many years of service and vast knowledge of how different departments function within the town government have prepared me well to step into the role of council member on the Hartwick Town Board.

McGUIRE: My career began in local government approximately 20 years ago at the Village of Milford, where I served for five years as village clerk/treasurer (chief financial officer). Simultaneously, I finished my associate’s degree gaining my paralegal and later my bachelor’s degree with a concentration in finance. Around 2006, I accepted the position of asset manager at the Baseball Hall of Fame, enhancing my experience with not-for-profit accounting. In 2010, I returned to local government as the Hartwick town clerk/collector. I proudly served the people of Hartwick for approximately eight years. I possess years of experience, a strong understanding and deep respect for local government, its many facets, roles, and responsibilities and, more specifically, governmental accounting/budgeting.

2. What do you consider to be the town’s biggest strengths currently? Biggest weaknesses?

GARDNER: I have been told by members of other town boards that they wish they had the finances of Hartwick. The 28 corridor is a true economic blessing. Do I think Hartwick should have a bigger piece of that pie? Of course! I look forward to working with town and county boards to make sure everyone is paying their fair share of taxes and that money spent in Hartwick is easing the burden of, and opening up opportunity for, Hartwick residents. Hartwick’s weakness seems to be a perceived political divide amplified by a few. Personally, I see a diverse population with a lot more unity, kindness and pride in this wonderful town.

HENDERSON: Hartwick is a town which prides itself on community. Over the years, the “one for all” mentality has seemed to fade, unfortunately. I think there are people who have been pushing forward for the greater good to regain that. Andrea Vazquez has done a fantastic job with the Halloween Hartwick Husky Trail planning, the holiday tree lighting and other various events. That being said, Hartwick’s strengths? I’d have to say resilience. The weakness? Communication/collaboration. It seems to be a table divided. The ultimate goal is not to debate, but collaborate and discuss. If we can agree on our common goals, the rest is just common sense and teamwork.

KELSEY: The town’s biggest strength is that it is a well-developed community that is welcoming and supportive to all ages. Taxes are low enough to allow people of all economic levels to live comfortably. The weakness is that the Hartwick Town Board does not do enough to keep the residents informed of what is going on. There are plenty of Hartwick residents who are not on social media and do not subscribe to a local paper. We need to take the needs of this demographic into account when we are posting vital town information. The town should be posting information on signs in front of town hall and in the post office.

McGUIRE: There are far too many current strengths to list. I believe the town’s most significant strength and/or asset is found in the deep-rooted identity, talents, and resilience of the people who live here, the residents. At 2 a.m., when an emergency call goes out, Hartwick’s team responds. During harsh winters, Hartwick’s highway crew are out at 4 a.m. maintaining roads for everyone’s safety. When one of our friends/neighbors are in need, this community pulls together. Hartwick possesses geographic and economic strengths, too. Hartwick is at the “Heart of Otsego County,” advantageous for growth if managed properly/tastefully. From Toddsville, to “The Hamlet”, to Arnold’s Lake, to the 28 Corridor, Hartwick’s unique characteristics/diversity is found in the small communities nestled within its 40-square-mile boundary. Hartwick, albeit beautiful now, abounds with untapped potential! Biggest weaknesses? I will cite two noticeable and powerfully unproductive weaknesses, which I believe are the root cause of many of the other issues currently at hand. Lack of true leadership and respect for chain of command. The town supervisor is an honorable role; the chief executive officer, responsible for day-to-day business, budget preparation, presiding at board meetings, chief fiscal officer, manager of departments, and the primary representative of the town. This person must possess integrity and strong leadership skills. Board members are the town’s legislative and executive body and have a responsibility to understand their positions, their roles, and behave accordingly. The term “lead by example” comes to mind, as well as the fact, elected officials are held to ethically higher standards. There should be a consistent goal by all at the table to reach this standard and/or exceed it. Lack of shared understanding in both the purpose and mission of local government or, more specifically, Hartwick’s government. I believe it is time to set clear expectations, a professional tone, and a determination in working together to create a mission and purpose concentrating on, for example, being the best with essential services, accountable governance, and tasteful economic growth. Without this type of direction, there are no true goals to aim for.

3. A number of town meetings over the past year have been quite contentious and the current council members have clearly been at odds. If elected, how will you help to lower the temperature in these meetings if this trend were to continue? How would you prevent this from happening in future?

GARDNER: Civility, fiscal responsibility and transparency are all non-negotiables in my opinion. Board members are elected to manage the town’s budget and services. Name calling and finger pointing are not only unseemly; the dysfunction can lead to expensive economic implications for taxpayers. At Cooperstown Elemen-tary, students use poster board and markers to create a classroom contract that they all sign and hang in their classrooms. When a student strays from the class rules, classmates calmly and kindly “check” their friend to get back on track. In addition to overseeing finances and preparing budgets, the town supervisor is tasked with running orderly meetings. The untimely resignation of our former supervisor left the board rudderless and meetings often devolved into chaos. Recently, I have seen a shift to a more respectful tone. I am hoping whoever is elected town supervisor will continue this trend, but I have my poster board and markers ready if needed.

HENDERSON: It has been overbearing at times, I have to agree. Unfortunately, we cannot control the actions of others but we do have the ability to control ourselves. The bar for the standard of communication for these meetings has been pretty low and a house divided, but if we can get the right people around the table to compromise rather than debate and argue, things should move a lot smoother in the future.

KELSEY: It is up to the town supervisor to maintain a calm and orderly meeting. Whoever is elected to the supervisor position should be able to control her own feelings and must set standards of decency and behavior at the very first meeting of her term. This goes for those attending the meetings as well. The supervisor should be able to ask anyone to leave who does not follow the rules.

McGUIRE: Board meetings have been unnecessarily contentious. This contention is seen from not only the board but also the attendees. If elected, I would suggest the Rules of Procedure adopted by Resolution at the Annual Organizational Meeting be strengthened by adding verbiage addressing a non-tolerance policy for lack of decorum/discourse in public meetings, defining lack of decorum/dis-course, outlining the consequences, and adherence to the policy. The people and board have roles, and the solution could be as simple as ensuring these roles are understood/adhered to by all in attendance.

4. If given the option, what is the first issue in the town that you would like to see addressed?

GARDNER: Abso-lutely the first issue that needs to be addressed is reconciling the 2025 budget and correcting errors. If we do not have a handle on actual spending, subsequent budgets will be out of whack, and we may miss out on grant money owed to the town. This is crucial, as federal funding cuts will put more financial strain on the county and subsequently our town.

HENDERSON: Working through the budget. With working in finance, it’s a bit tough to try and figure out what the town has going on. One melting pot for all of our finances and departments seems muddled. It seems to be the biggest issue at our table within all topics discussed. I’m hoping more clarity and transparency can help future discussions about projects within the town and also help bring a better sense of comradery within the board and our community.

KELSEY: I would like to see more communication between the board and the public. That is really lacking right now. The town website should be updated. It is impossible to find anything in there. There should also be a return address on anything that is being mailed out. None of the water bills had a return address and some people threw them away thinking they were trash. There was also no explanation as to why the bill went up. There needs to be an explanation.

McGUIRE: Given the option, the first issue I would like to see addressed would be the lack of civil discourse/decorum. Without this first, nothing will be accomplished for four more years; and the people who matter most, the residents, will suffer further as any progress will be again stalled.