BERNE ¾ As his first order of business, George Gebe, Berne’s new supervisor, wished a happy New Year to those who watched him take the oath of office at the town board’s 2010 re-organizational meeting on Jan. 1.

Kenneth Weaver has begun his first term as highway superintendent. Councilmen Joseph Golden and Wayne Emory will carry on their tenure, as will Assessor Robert Motschmann, Clerk Patricia Favreau, Tax Receiver Gerald O’Malley, and judges Kenneth Bunzey and Albert Raymond.

Attorney William Conboy led the nine elected officials through their oaths of office.

First was Gebe, a Democrat who was elected to his first four-year term as supervisor by a landslide in November, defeating Carl Baranishyn, who was backed by the town’s fledgling GOP. The incumbent supervisor, Kevin Crosier, did not seek re-election after serving two four-year terms.

Gebe, a retired educator at 65, said after the election that he will focus his supervisory efforts on completing the sewer district for the hamlet, required by the state because the Foxenkill is polluted from old septic systems, and the plan to move the library from the crowded town hall to the senior center.

Councilmen Golden and Emory were next to be sworn in.

Clerk Favreau, following her swearing in, made an announcement to the audience: “This is not the only exciting thing that’s happened to me today. I’d like to announce that I became a great-grandmother — at age 39 — this morning,” said Favreau, who has joked about her age at past meetings, and has been Berne’s town clerk for 30 years.

Amid her excitement, and the audience’s applause, Favreau forgot to sign the her name, and her zeal turned briefly to embarrassment, but the joy from her announcement remained evident.

Conboy then swore in: Bunzey, a town justice for 17 years; Raymond, a judge since last January; Motschmann, beginning his fourth term as one of three part-time assessors; and Gerald O’Malley, Berne’s receiver of taxes for nearly 20 years — all of whom ran unopposed.

Weaver, the new highway superintendent, arrived late to the meeting, and was the last to be inked in.

Other business

In other business at its 2010 re-organizational meeting, the town board:

— Designated Citizens Bank in Guilderland as the town’s official bank;

— Designated The Altamont Enterprise as the town’s official newspaper;

— Agreed to a $70,000 contract with the Albany County Advanced Life Support Program;

— Agreed to a $55,000 contract with Helderberg Ambulance;

— Authorized Highway Superintendent Weaver to spend up to $2,500 to purchase tools, tires, and equipment without town-board approval;

— Authorized Gebe to pay all of the town’s utility bills and salaries without town-board approval; and

— Set salaries for town employees.

Appointments

The town’s elected and appointed officials and boards are as follows:

Town Board: George Gebe Jr. (supervisor), Joseph Golden (deputy supervisor), Wayne Emory, James Hamilton, and Peter Vance (councilmen);

Planning Board: Gerard Chartier (chair, term expires Dec. 31, 2010), Katherine Hill Brown (Dec. 31, 2011), Timothy Lippert (Dec. 31, 2012), Alan Rockmore (Dec. 31, 2013), and Michael Vincent (Dec. 31, 2014);

Zoning Board of Appeals: James Fallon (chair, term expires Dec. 31, 2012), John Carsten (Dec. 31, 2013), Terry Adams (Dec. 31, 2011), and Werner Knopp (Dec. 31, 2014). There is one vacant seat on the zoning board of appeals;

Assessment Review Board: David Smith (term expires Sept. 30, 2010), Emily Wright (Sept. 30, 2011), George Christian (Sept. 30, 2012), Debra Flagler-Williams (Sept. 30, 2013), and Robert Conklin (Sept. 30, 2014);

Conservation Board: Terry Schwendeman (chair, term expires Dec. 31, 2010), Tom Conklin (Dec. 31, 2010), Kathy Moore (Dec. 31, 2011), Patricia Rexinger (Dec. 31, 2011), and Randy Grippen (Dec. 31, 2011);

Youth Council: Amy Tubbs (term expires Dec. 31, 2010), Susan Larrabee (Dec. 31, 2010), and Christine Kanawada (Dec. 31, 2010). There are two vacant seats on the youth council;

Library Board of Trustees: Marion Burkhardt (chair, term expires Dec. 31, 2012), Joel Willsey (Dec. 31, 2013), Joan Mullen (Dec. 31, 2013), Helen Lounsbury (Dec. 31, 2014), Marsha Descartes (Dec. 31, 2010), Mary Kinnaird (Dec. 31, 2011), Carolyn Anderson (Dec. 31, 2012), Alberta Wright (emeritus);

Highway superintendent: Kenneth Weaver;

Liaison to the Highway Department: Joseph Golden;

Liaison to the Berne Library: Joseph Golden;

Liaison to the Planning Board: Wayne Emory;

Liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals: Wayne Emory;

Liaison to the Conservation Board: James Hamilton;

Liaison to the Senior and Youth Programs: James Hamilton;

Liaison to the Sewer District: Peter Vance;

Liaison to the Town Properties: Peter Vance;

Director of Emergency Management: George Gebe Jr.;

Marriage Officer, Registrar, Deputy Tax Collector: Patricia Favreau;

Town Attorney: William Conboy II;

Building Administrator and Code Enforcement Officer: Peter Schaming;

Zoning Administrator and Code Enforcement Officer: Joseph Whipple;

Dog Control Officer: Cheryl Tefts-Baitsholts;

Chairman of Assessors: Brian Crawford;

Deputy Town Clerk and Deputy Registrar: Anita Clayton;

Bookkeeper: Andrea Cornwell;

Court Clerk and Highway Clerk: Patricia Boice;

Secretary to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals: Anita Clayton;

Secretary to the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee: Lorraine Donovan;

Secretary to the Sewer District Committee: Lorraine Donovan;

Town Historian: Ralph Miller;

Assistant Town Historian: Erin Bradt; and

Custodian: Kathy Stempel.