WESTERLO — The Republicans in this rural Hilltown, dominated by Democrats for decades, have put up a slate of candidates for the Nov. 3 election.

Longtime Democratic Supervisor Richard Rapp is being challenged by Republican George Langdon III.

The two Democratic incumbent councilmen, Alfred Field and Anthony Sherman, will face Amie Burnside and Kevin Flensted. The Republican candidacies are fueled by a recent bond defeat.

“This is the first time for all three of us,” said Langdon of the Republicans seeking public office. “This is a bold undertaking; we’re outnumbered, 4 to 1.”

In the last town election, two years ago, the Republicans had no one running.

Clinton “Jack” Milner was elected to fill out a term on the town board in 2009, but was defeated in his re-election bid in 2011.

That election, the last of the Republicans’ brief foray into backing alternative candidates, saw both council seats go to Democrats, as well as the uncontested posts for supervisor and town clerk.

On Nov. 3, Westerlo voters may also cast ballots for two Democratic incumbents who are facing no challengers, Clerk Kathleen Spinnato and Highway Superintendent Keith Wright, who also has the Independence Party line.. A four-year post for town judge is also open; Democratic incumbent Robert Carl  is being challenged by Republican Richard Bontempo.

Democrats make up about half of Westerlo’s registered voters (1,014 out of a total of 2,218, according to 2015 figures from the Albany County Board of Elections). About a fifth (440) are Republicans, and almost a quarter (540) are unaffiliated. The rest belong to small parties: 141 are enrolled in the Independence Party; 67 in the Conservative Party, and eight each in the Working Families Party and the Green Party.

According to the current Westerlo budget, the councilmen earn less than $4,000 each.

The issues

The Enterprise asked the town board candidates about these issues:

— Town buildings: Westerlo citizens this year petitioned to force a public vote on a $2.75 million bond that would have upgraded the town hall, formerly the Westerlo School, and built a new highway garage at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $99 annually for the life of the bond. In September, the measure was soundly defeated, 341 to 162.

What, if anything, should be done about the highway department building and the town hall?

— Transparency: Some Westerlo citizens complained that the town board had met illegally — not in an advertised open meeting — with engineers developing the plans for renovating town hall and replacing the highway garage and also felt that the public was shut out of the planning process.

How should meetings, if a new project is undertaken, be conducted?

— Revaluation: Long-time Supervisor Richard Rapp estimated the town last underwent a property revaluation in the 1950s. This leaves the tax rolls skewed, causing newcomers to pay an unfair share, in violation of state standards.

“Because Westerlo has not conducted a reassessment in decades, it continues to exceed the assessment equity standard,” said Geoff Gloak, spokesman for the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance. “This means that many of the town’s property owners are paying either more or less than their fair share of taxes. The best way to ensure that all taxpayers pay only their fair share is to conduct frequent reassessments. The state makes aid available for municipalities that commit to conducting reassessments at least once every four years.”

Should Westerlo undergo a townwide property revaluation and why or why not?

— Comprehensive plan and zoning: In January, Westerlo became the last town in Albany County to adopt a written comprehensive plan, a broad outline for its future, which needs to be codified into law if it is to have any effect. A Zoning Review Committee produced a report in April that said the statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing doesn’t protect Westerlo from the risks of waste management, compressor stations, pipelines, and storage facilities.

The report said a stronger and more diverse economy would provide better immunity to oil and gas and other heavy industry projects and offered two sample resolutions — forming an Economic Development Team and seeking expert legal review of the town’s comprehensive plan and zoning laws.

Should either of these paths be followed, and how should the comprehensive plan be implemented?

— Budget: A state comptroller’s audit released last year described the poor financial health of Westerlo’s water district and weak record-keeping in the town’s court. The comptroller’s office recommended developing “realistic and accurate estimates” in creating the town’s budget. It also recommended the town monitor the budget during the year, developing a comprehensive plan to ensure balances are paid within a fiscal year, and establish a multi-year plan to fund the long-term needs of the water district.

Additionally, year after year, Westerlo has not followed state requirements in preparing its annual budget drafts by the deadlines that would allow for public input.

What changes have been or should be made to Westerlo’s budgeting process and why?

— Emergency services: Westerlo ambulance squad volunteers felt pushed out with a proposed county plan that relied on three Hilltowns to agree to paid help from the sheriff’s office; the plan was meant to relieve local volunteers who are aging and fewer in number. When the Westerlo squad objected, the plan was scrapped for this budget year.

Another problem arose when the service contract with Westerlo’s volunteer fire company was approved months after schedule as the town board required a new format and more detailed information for its budget allocation.

How should the town board proceed with reviewing emergency services contracts and budget reports each year? And should Westerlo join Berne and Rensselaerville squads in using paid EMTs from the county?

SUPERVISOR CANDIDATES

Richard Rapp

At 78, Democrat Richard Rapp is making another run for Westerlo supervisor because he wants to hit the half-century mark in service to the town.  Combining his years as tax assessor with his years at the helm, he’s now at 49 years of service.

In September, Rapp was the grand marshal of a parade marking Westerlo’s bicentennial, a role he relished.

He has retired from his career as head of the Albany County Department of Public Works.

Asked what he was proudest of accomplishing in his decades as supervisor, Rapp said, “Our parks and our roads. Our parks are A Number One, and our roads are good.”

He added, “There’s always more to be done.”

It’s rare for Rapp to face a challenge in this Democrat-dominated town. Asked if having a Republican, George Langdon III, running against him would make a difference in his campaigning, Rapp said, “I don’t know the fellow. But I won’t say a bad thing about him. I won’t say a bad thing about anybody.”

Asked what should be done with the town buildings after the $2.75 million bond defeat, Rapp said, “We’ve got to do something about the highway garage. The roof is in bad shape....They have pails catching water during court when it rains.”

He said that, as a temporary stopgap measure, the roof of the highway garage could be patched with tar but that, ultimately, “We need to knock that one down and build a new one.”

Work on the town hall, formerly the Westerlo School, could proceed gradually, he said, with upgrades being made piecemeal.

“We have to move the court,” he said. Court is currently held in the highway building; the plan was to move it to the town hall.

Rapp went on, referring to the Office of Court Administration, “We have to have metal detection and escape routes; the OCA takes that seriously.”

He said he’d “never thought of” moving the court to the county sheriff’s building in Clarksville as the town of New Scotland has done.

About transparency and complaints that the board had met illegally with engineers, Rapp said, “We’re not doing anything underhanded. Delaware Engineering is a good company,” he said of the firm that designed the defeated building project.

Rapp said of public involvement, “They wish we included them more...We’re not trying to hide anything.”

Rapp said he opposes town-wide property revaluation. “I’ve never been for 100-percent equalization,” he said. “Revaluation would hurt the landowners.”

On how to implement the comprehensive plan and how to encourage economic development, Rapp said, “There are only certain areas you can have industry, on the Route 85 corridor and the Route 32 corridor.”

He went on, “Right now, with the economy, I can’t picture any big corporations coming out here.”

He lauded the biggest business in Westerlo. “Hannay Reels is very town-minded,” he said.

Asked about the Zoning Review Committee’s recommendations, Rapp said, “It will work out in the long run.”

Asked about problems revealed in the state comptroller’s audit, Rapp said, “What we’re doing right now is fine.”

He also said, “With the water district, electric rates were high. And people moved out” of the district, he said, “because of the economy,” making it more costly for those who remained.

Further, he stated, “The auditor said that many water districts have problems and aren’t solvent.

“We’re working on it,” he said, concluding, “In another couple of years, we’ll have it worked out.”

On the budget process and meeting state-set deadlines, Rapp said, “Everybody knows what the budget is...On Budget Night, people come to complain.”

Rapp opposes being part of a county system for emergency services. “Our squad here is happy the way it is and they do an excellent job.”

Asked how the board should proceed in reviewing emergency service contracts and budget reports each year, Rapp said, “We’ll probably change some things.”

George Langdon III

Republican George Langdon III, who is running for supervisor, said, “I’m not here to beat up on a past administration...I want to see a movement versus a monument.”

Langdon, 74, is a school bus driver for Greenville Central. He drove school buses on Long Island in the 1960s and in between owned a trucking company and became a non-denominational minister.

In the four decades he has lived in Westerlo, he said, “I’ve seen a continual decline in movement.”

Describing his wife as “the farmer’s daughter,” Langdon said, “We live on the upper end of the land her father farmed for 60 years.”

Their oldest son had to make changes — moving from dairy cows to beef — so the farm “wouldn’t go down the tubes,” said Langdon. He defined that as “positive movement.”

The town of Westerlo, Langdon said, is “not moving. He concluded, “The quality of maturity is defined by accepting responsibility for your actions.”

On town buildings, Langdon said, “Presently, they’re refiguring the data and finances on it through the same engineering firm. They should get a different firm.”

He went on, “There’s a saying: If you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results, you’re a fool.’

In the 40 years he’s lived in Westerlo, Langdon said, “I’ve seen deterioration in the community, not just in the highway garage.” He likened the lack of maintenance at the garage to what a homeowner might face if he neglected his house.

“We can’t blame the roof,” he said. “If we let the lawn grow a foot deep and then can’t mow it, you can’t blame the lawnmower.”

Langdon said, when he owned trucks, they would be on the road five days a week. “I spent Saturdays doing maintenance,” he said, like changing the oil. “We have to do maintenance on a regular basis...A roof was needed, so everything else is being destroyed. It should have been dealt with all along.”

On transparency, Langdon said, “Everything should be in an open forum at the meetings...You should allow the people to give their input.”

Years ago, as a youth pastor, Langdon said, he learned the importance of listening.

“I asked the teenagers their definition of a communicator. Every one gave me the same answer: Someone who listens.”

He asked of the Westerlo Town Board, “Is anybody listening?”

On town-wide property revaluation, Langdon said, “If that is the norm and that’s what’s being done for other townships, then why should Westerlo be excluded from that?”

He also said, “There needs to be a transparency in people handling people’s money. There hasn’t been.”

On the comprehensive plan and zoning, Langdon said, “I’m a pro-fracker person...I base that on listening and visiting communities” where hydraulic fracturing is underway. He described those communities as “booming,” and said, “The landscapes haven’t been destroyed; they’re still farming.”

Langdon said of Andrew Cuomo, “The governor’s views are biased. As long as he’s governor, there’s no way we’re fracking.”

On the town’s budget, Langdon said, “There hasn’t been a lot of transparency with this board...I don’t know whether there’s some corruption in there...I can’t point a finger because I don’t really know.”

He also said, “I’m dumbfounded in a day and age when most everything is done with computers, I was told they’re still keeping ledgers in Westerlo. If that’s true, there’s something wrong.”

Langdon went on, “Everything should be transparent. Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is spent. Any business that can’t function under budget goes belly up.”

On emergency services, Langdon said, “Without looking at a budget, I couldn’t make a confirmed opinion on that.”

He went on to talk about the importance of a rescue squad in a rural town. “The closest hospital we have is 23 miles away,” he said of the Veterans Affairs Hospital, which, as a veteran, he uses. “And they don’t supply all services,” he said.

Langdon went on, “About 16 to 17 percent of Westerlo’s population are elderly. We have no streetlights. And we have deer, lots of them. We have no sidewalks. So there’s even a possibility of a child getting hit.”

Langdon concluded, “If we can’t budget services, we’ll have to pay out of pocket or joining with other municipalities. I’m not opposed to cooperative services. I just joined the fire department.”

TOWN BOARD CANDIDATES

Anthony Sherman

Democrat Anthony Sherman is running for a second four-year term on the Westerlo Town Board. He originally ran, he said, because he thought he could make a difference.

“I think we’ve made good strides toward making government efficient,” he said this week. “We still have more to do.”

Sherman, 35, has worked for 10 years in the manufacturing facility at Hannay Reels in Westerlo.

Some of the things he is most pleased with in his first term, he said, are setting up the water district committee and putting a hydraulic fracturing committee together to study the effects on the town.

“And we have a zoning recommendation committee in place,” he said.

On the town buildings, Sherman said, “We need to listen to the taxpayers. They felt $99 on average was too much.”

He went on, “I’m in favor of replacing the highway garage...We have to figure out what the voters are willing to spend and what they can afford.”

Sherman also said of pairing the town hall upgrade with the new highway garage, “It was not fiscally responsible to do as a two-part project.” Putting them together, he said, would have saved money.

“Some renovations have to take place at the current town hall,” he said, citing the need for a new heating system.

On transparency, Sherman said board discussions on a building project “should always be conducted in an open meeting.”

Sherman said he, along with other board members, was called to a meeting with Delaware Engineering. “The moment I realized it wasn’t advertised, I refused to attend and consulted with the town attorney,” he said. “I did not understand it would be the entire town board.”

He had first assumed it would just be one or two board members, getting measurements, rather than a full board meeting with engineers going over plans, he said.

On whether he supported town-wide revaluation, Sherman said, “I’m not willing to give you an answer. I’m not familiar with it. If I’m re-elected, I will look into it.”

On the comprehensive plan, Sherman said, “I think the comprehensive plan is a good guiding outline for our town. More work needs to be done. We need to review all of our zoning in workshops.”

He said Westerlo’s zoning laws were written in 1987 and, “We need to take a hard look at them.”

Sherman went on, “We have to make sure it’s to standards. Times have changed; the world has changed. We need to make sure our zoning will comply with the plan for the town.”

On the town budget, Sherman said, “We’ve established deadlines to receive budgets from other entities such as the fire company and rescue squad. They’re submitted earlier so we can get them out to the public sooner to make sure the budget is done on time.”

He also said, “We’ve hired a new accountant; I believe they’re doing a phenomenal job.”

Finally, Sherman said, “We’re holding workshops now in the middle of the month instead of just once a month. We’re being more proactive in attempts to get things done quicker.”

On emergency services, Sherman said, “I support the Westerlo Rescue Squad 110 percent. They do a phenomenal job for our town. When they said they did not need a paid EMT, I said I’d support them,” he stated, adding, “I don’t think we should spend the extra money.”

On the fire-service budgeting, Sherman said, “We set an earlier deadline to review contracts.”

He concluded, “In the four years I’ve been on the board, we never gave emergency services less than they asked for.”

Amie Burnside

Republican Amie Burnside is running for the Westerlo Town Board, she said, because “they need some new eyes to move forward.”

Burnside, 44, had worked for 13 years as an insurance agent and is now a systems configuration analyst for FedelisCare. She has served for two years on the Westerlo Zoning Board of Appeals.

“When the referendum came up,” she said of the recent $2.75 million bond defeat, “there was a lot of controversy. I kept hearing around town that people weren’t so much against the referendum as against the [lack of] communication. There was no breakdown of dollar amounts. Having done insurance for so long,” she said, she felt like her expertise could have helped in parsing information.

“I like to think of myself as the kind of person who can listen,” said Burnside. “I have no personal agenda.”

Rather, she said, “I have a 14-year-old son and I’d like to see him grow up in a town he can be proud of.”

Speaking of her goals, if elected, Burnside said, “Communication is important. You don’t want to seem like you’re hiding anything or are lax in the people you’re working for.” She stressed, “You’re working for the people, not for the supervisor.”

She also said, “I’ve taken phone calls from community members. I will talk to anybody.

“I don’t think anybody will fix things in one term. We need to gain the trust of the town again....I love this town. We need to go back to our roots.”

On the town buildings, Burnside said, “Something has to be done. There’s no doubt about it. Even routine maintenance,” she said, has been neglected.

If she is elected, Burnside said, “I would love to sit down together and weigh the options...not so secretively, with input from the community.”

She also suggested that some of the needed repair work could be done through community donations of time, product, and talent. She suggested a “town of Westerlo clean-up day” when painters could paint the town hall and a mason could repair its steps.

“It would save on cost and bring us together,” she said.

On transparency, Burnside said, “I love the way they did the workshop after the referendum was shot down. It was open to the public. Everything needs to be out in the open. A town board is a town’s board.”

On revaluation, Burnside said, “I don’t know enough about it to say “yes” or “no.” I know other towns around us do it much differently than we do.”

In 2006, Burnside and her husband bought property from his family’s farm so, although she grew up, in East Berne, she is a relatively new property owner in Westerlo. When she and her husband put an addition on their house for his mother and sister, she said, the assessment doubled.

“As much as I think it would help,” she said of town-wide revaluation reducing her taxes, “it’s not about me. There are people on low incomes that may not be able to afford it.”

On the comprehensive plan and zoning, Burnside said, “I don’t feel like fracking would be good for the area. I believe there are other non-industrial ways to increase the tax base. People moved here for the quiet.”

On Westerlo’s budget process, Burnside said, “first of all, they need to go electronic. Ledgers and papers leave a lot of room for error and things to get lost. If we went electronic, our process would be easier,” she said, and more efficient.

“We need to get with the times,” Burnside concluded. “We need to bring in people who are younger and have skills with electronics.”

On emergency services, Burnside said, “A number of things need to be looked at. Westerlo can’t afford additional increases as far as paid EMTs.”

Burnside noted that her father was a volunteer fireman and said, “Emergency services are very near and dear to my heart....I feel they definitely need to be supported. As far as how that happens, I’m not sure.

“We as a community could come together and raise more money. It goes back to that community feeling, of being a closer community.”

Alfred Field

Alfred Field, a Democrat seeking his second term on the town board, was asked what he was proudest of accomplishing in the last four years.

 “I was wishing I could say we’d remodel the town hall and build a new highway garage, which we desperately need. But the voters turned it down,” he answered.

At 71, Field is retired from his career as a construction engineer. “I’m embarrassed by our highway department and court,” he said. “I’ve lived in this town all my life and I’m proud of Westerlo.” But it rankles him that the judges — both “professional,” he said — have to put pails in their courtroom to collect water from the leaking roof.

The bond issue, he said, was “for the good of the people and the good of the township.”

Field said the biggest challenge for the next four years will be “to keep the budget within the tax cap.” He went on, “We’ll try to get a new highway garage.” Referring to the defeated plan, continued, “We’ll have to change things and cut the price.”

About the town hall, Field said, “We still have to have the State Police office and the court there.” Describing the current quarters, he said, “A dungeon would look good compared to their office.”

A police presence is needed at the town hall, Field said. “The town clerk is all alone, taking taxes with no one to protect her but the mouse in the corner.”

The defeated $2.75 million project, he said, would have increased energy efficiency, saving money in the long run. “We need to insulate Town Hall and it needs a new heating system,” he said. “People didn’t understand the cost savings in energy. The old highway garage has no insulation. The furnace runs 24/7 in winters. It’s a 1950s building.”

On transparency, Field said, “The town board did not meet with engineers without the public.” He said of fellow board member William Bichteman, “Bill and myself met with the engineers to get physical measurements,” to record, for example, the size of a truck bay.

“Everything else was discussed at town board meetings and workshops,” said Field. He said of the plans for the project, “It’s been right there on the table every month….The ones complaining about transparency not once went up to look at them. They laid on the stage,” he said of the plans.

He went on, “We had a public hearing…The one screaming the loudest never looked at the drawings or talked to Delaware Engineering.”

He concluded, “We haven’t broken any laws.”

On revaluation, Field said, “The last time we did have people in was probably 20 years ago.”

At the time, Westerlo along with other Hilltowns hired he firm Cole Layer Trumble to do the revaluation; Westerlo, however backed off in the face of objections.

“They came to my house and didn’t even get out of the car,” he said of the Cole Layer Trumble agents. “Their findings were so inaccurate.”

Field went on, “I don’t feel there’s a need to re-evaluate the town. We have Pete Hotaling for assessor…I had an outside appraisal on my house and they came up with the exact same number I’m assessed for.”

He also said, “Maybe one or two people go to Grievance Day,” when residents can protest their assessments. “People never complain about unfair taxes in Westerlo…Everybody’s happy.”

On implementing the comprehensive plan, Field said, “We are considering developing a committee for economic review to encourage business in town….We need town growth.

“When I look at townships adjoining ours, especially Greenville, they’re doing things to promote business in town. We need to do things like that.”

He did not value the report produced by the Zoning Review Committee. “The review committee was totally slanted,” he said.

On the town’s budget, Field said, “Since I’ve been in office, I’m not aware of any lack of budgets. We follow the state schedule.”

Since the comptroller’s audit, Field said, the town has hired a certified public accountant. “The accountants give us monthly reports we didn’t have before of where we stand,” he said. “I think we’re in compliance.”

Also, he said, “The water district is going for a grant.” Field said of Bichteman, “Bill has done a good job making the water district more effective, cutting the electric expenses.”

Field has been a member of Westerlo’s volunteer fire company since 1967, he said. “When the squad separated from the fire company, I stayed with the fire company. I’m familiar with everyone,” he said of emergency volunteers.

On the county’s plan for paid emergency workers, Field said, “I was invited to a meeting with the rescue squad and Mr. Wood,” he said of Brian Wood, emergency medical services coordinator for the county. “Our squad had logistic questions. The membership wasn’t mean to Mr. Wood; they were just asking questions.

“Mr. Wood has to work out questions: who covers what and so on. Once our squad is comfortable, then we’ll move forward.

“I can’t insult the people who dedicated their lives to providing ambulance service,” said Field.

He stressed, “They were simple things the squad wanted to know…The county walked away from us.”

Field concluded, “Right now, our squad is responding to all the calls, doing a good job.” He didn’t rule out future help “down the road.”

On the fire service, Field said, “They just gave us their budget on Sept. 1.” He said of Supervisor Richard Rapp, “Dick’s prepared the preliminary budget to give the board at our October meeting..”

Field concluded of his job as a councilman and the abuse he endures, “Because I was elected to an office doesn’t mean I lost my self respect. I treat everyone with respect. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but treat me with respect.”

Kevin Flensted

Kevin Flensted says the biggest issue facing Westerlo government is lack of transparency. “I want to make sure people are aware of what’s going on,” he said of his motivation for making a first run for the town board.

Flensted, 43, works as manager of quality compliance for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. He is the chief for Westerlo’s volunteer fire company.

He decided to run for the board, Flensted said, because “Dick Rapp was going to retire. I was approached by the Democratic Party to run for town supervisor. He decided to run, so I’m running for town council.”

Flensted is a Republican and is running on the Republican Party line.

His number-one issue, he said, “is transparency and getting more people involved.”

Flensted said, “Unless there’s a problem, we don’t really address it.” He noted there was regularly a low turnout of 15 or so at town board meetings unless there is an issue.

On the defeated bond project for town buildings, he said, “I’m not opposed and never was to replacing the highway garage building. The issue is how you get to replacement.

“The problem is, the current town board said, how much can I afford, not asking first what the needs are. It was a backward way.”

As for the defeated plans to upgrade town hall, Flensted said, it didn’t make sense to “spend $800,000 on a building you paid $200,000 for. You could build a new stand-alone building for less than refurbishing the one they purchased.”

He continued, “It goes back to, what do they really need?”

He also said, “They have an entire basement they’re doing nothing with” in the town hall.

Leading up to the bond vote, Flensted said, “The board even admitted and their lawyer said they met illegally when three or more board members met with the engineers.”

To design a successful plan, he said, “You need to come to the townspeople with several options. You need to get input. The vote was to spend $2.75 million or not versus saying what options are available.”

On revaluation, Flensted said, “I think they should make sure exemptions are still current and accurate.”

He went on, “It’s difficult for people to understand their tax bills because they are not at full value.”

He gave the example of his own home, which is assessed at $2,200. When he built a garage, his property’s assessment went up by $500. He said he couldn’t tell if that was a fair increase.

“How do I argue because the assessed value isn’t on real, tangible numbers?”

He concluded, “To go to full value would make it easier for everyone to understand or dispute by looking at other properties.

Asked about the comprehensive plan and zoning, Flensted said, “I’d like to read the full board report.”

On the town budget, Flensted used the fire department as an example of a good budgeting process. “We have a good idea of expenses,” he said. “We have a multi-year capital plan.” This, he said, allows the fire company to stagger its purchase of big equipment so it isn’t too burdensome.

He contrasted this with the town. “Last year, they purchased two highway trucks. It was bonded for an incredible amount of money. Since they bought two trucks at the same time, whatever the life of the truck is, they’ll both wear out at the same time.”

He concluded, “The budget process needs to be looked at again.”

On whether the ambulance squad should use county EMTs, Flensted said, “You can get data from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and see how many calls were turned over” because the local squad couldn’t cover them. “Everyone has a lack of volunteers,’ said Flensted.

He went on, “I would have to see how many service calls were missed before going and spending a significant amount of money.”

He said about the fire department, “Westerlo fire taxes haven’t had a significant increase in over seven years. We have some of the lowest tax rates in the county.”

A recent audit, he said, made note of two minor problems, having to do with the timing of checks.

The reason the town’s payment to the fire department was held up last year, Flensted said, was “because town board members elected to delay.”

He concluded, “It was more about personal differences than the budget process.”