Governor appoints Melanie laCour to Berne Town Board, ending crisis 

The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Melanie laCour says she is “going in with an open mind” to her new job as Berne councilwoman.

BERNE — The Berne Town Board can resume its normal duties again, as Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the appointment of Melanie laCour to the board as its third member, ending months of paralysis. 

The board has had only two members ever since three others resigned in August over concerns with Supervisor Dennis Palow’s leadership. 

All five of the board members, including the three who abruptly and simultaneously resigned in August, had been elected on the Republican line. LaCour is a Democrat.

LaCour is an attorney and mother of two “whose professional background includes experience handling issues related to municipal law,” a spokesperson for the governor told The Enterprise on Jan 17. 

“Melanie’s professional background and commitment to the local community make her well suited to take on this appointment and help move Berne forward,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement provided by the spokesperson. 

“My team has worked closely with the local community to appoint someone who will create a positive work environment and regain the public’s trust, and I am confident in Melanie’s ability to do just that.”

A professional biography for laCour by Seton Hall, a Catholic university in New Jersey, said that, before entering private practice, laCour had been assistant counsel to the New York State Gaming Commission and was a criminal prosecutor in North Dakota, among other things. She is currently the legal director of ZwillGen, a firm that focuses on tech and cyber law. 

LaCour, an Ohio native who moved to the Hilltowns six years ago, was one of the people recommended to the governor’s office by the Berne Democratic Committee months ago, though it was only this month that word began to spread that the governor’s office had landed on her as the likely appointee.

She told The Enterprise this week that she knew she was the likely appointee in August or September last year, but could not speak to the reason for the delay.

“I was not privy to the process,” she said.

LaCour said she put herself forward because she is “interested in seeing something good happen for this town,” and wants to bring a “fresh perspective” to the board.

“I am a resident of the town and I’m here, basically, as my civic duty to what the town has to say, and I think they have a lot to say,” she said.

She said she has not yet met either of the existing board members and is “going in with an open mind.”

LaCour is related by marriage to the local veterinarian Anina laCour, and to the late Hilltown doctor Margery Smith.

Berne Democratic Committee Chairman Jeff Marden told The Enterprise, “The committee chose Melanie as one of our three recommendations to Governor Hochul’s office because of her extensive experience in law, solid credibility, and dedication to our town. 

“Following our discussions with her about this position it quickly became clear that Melanie’s strong ethical standards and commitment to following the law would be invaluable to the board,” he said. “We are extremely confident and excited that she will work hard to help bring the necessary quality of professionalism back to our board.”

LaCour will join two Republicans on the town board, raising questions about how the three will cooperate as they move to appoint two more members for a full board.

Already, there appears to be some friction between the governor’s office and the remaining town board over the appointment. 

Deputy Supervisor Thomas Doolin told The Enterprise in an email that, as of the morning of Jan. 19, the town — including its new attorney, George McHugh, the former supervisor of Coeymans who also represents Westerlo and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office — had received no official communication, written or verbal, about the appointment from the governor’s staff. 

“In the news, you are reporting that the governor has appointed an individual whose name we are familiar and mentioned over the last four months but nothing official has been communicated to Supervisor Palow or any other town representative,” he said.

LaCour told The Enterprise that she has not yet taken the oath of office, and it will be “up to the governor’s office when that final step is completed."

The town has been under Republican control since 2020, and political tensions have been sky-high until the party seemingly fractured with the resignation of the three board members — Joe Martin, Leo Vane Jr., and Al Thiem — all of whom had been elected on the Republican ticket. 

For his part, Palow wanted his former deputy supervisor, Anita Clayton, who left office at the end of 2023, to be appointed, but the governor’s office did not take him up on that. Clayton, who is enrolled as a Democrat, was elected to the town board on the GOP line.

Palow also could not immediately be reached for comment. 

News of the appointment comes just two weeks after the town had filed a lawsuit against the governor for failing to make an appointment over a five-month period. The attorneys handling that case for the town could not be reached. 

It is not immediately clear when the board will meet again, as the town’s website has not been updated to reflect news of the appointment.

On Sunday, the Berne Republican Committee — of which Joe Martin is chairman and Al Thiem is vice-chairman — published a flyer on social media soliciting people who are interested in getting involved in local government.

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