NEW SCOTLAND — After eight years as supervisor, Democrat Thomas Dolin announced last week that he will not seek re-election in the fall. Unlike two years ago, the Republicans say they will back a candidate.

The New Scotland Democratic Party committee voted last week to back a member of the Independence Party, Douglas LaGrange, according to Democratic Party Chairman L. Michael Mackey. LaGrange currently serves as deputy supervisor on the town board. LaGrange switched from the Republican Party to the Independence Party during the townwide political upheaval that occurred when a large “big-box” development was proposed for the rural hamlet of New Scotland in 2009.

Town Republicans also plan to make a run for the seat this fall, according to new party Chairman Timothy Stanton.

“We have people interested, and we will have a candidate, as far as I know,” Stanton told The Enterprise. During the last election cycle two years ago, Republicans had no slate; Dolin kept his seat by default, with no race.

Republicans at the time said they would use the next two years to regroup. Stanton became Republican party chairman five months ago, he said. Stanton said that the election is months away, but that the party intends to discuss its plans this week.

“We were going to have a candidate whether Tom Dolin ran or not,” he said.

Stanton had not heard of Dolin’s announcement when The Enterprise called on Monday.

“Everybody’s heard the rumors. It isn’t that much of a surprise,” he said. “It’s a small town.”

Recent numbers in New Scotland show that 37 percent of voters are enrolled Democrats, 25 percent are Republicans, 27 percent are unaffiliated. The rest belong to other parties.

Dolin

“Tom has done such a tremendous job as supervisor,” Mackey told The Enterprise. In addition to serving as the town’s Democratic Party chairman, Mackey also serves as a county legislator.

Dolin took office during difficult times, Mackey said, including during the recession of 2008, and during the “significant development concerns of the big-box” proposal.

“We’re lucky we had him in charge of the town these past few years,” he said.

Mackey spoke of losing an incumbent like Dolin in power.

“It always presents challenges, but also opportunity for the party,” Mackey said.

Dolin, 76, was an attorney in private practice until 2000, Dolin said. He then served as a law clerk for Albany County Surrogate Court until 2004, when he retired, he said. Dolin was a part-time New Scotland town judge from 1993 to 2008.

“I always had a small private law practice,” he said. Dolin resigned as judge to run for supervisor.

“The town supervisor is very much a full-time job,” he said. In a smaller town like New Scotland, he said, the supervisor acts as chief financial officer, or like a comptroller. New Scotland’s population was 8,648, according to the 2010 federal census.

“Larger towns like Bethlehem or Guilderland have a separate person to do that,” he said. With New Scotland being a “mix between suburban and rural,” he said, “I underestimated how much time I had to devote to these responsibilities.”

The supervisor’s position has a salary of $57,830.55. Board members in New Scotland earn $8,093.44.

Dolin wrote a letter to the Enterprise editor, describing all his accomplishments as supervisor the last eight years, including working to cap the maximum size of a retail store at 50,000 square feet, increasing the town’s reserves during the “worst economic collapse since the Great Depression,” and water supply in the hamlet of New Salem. (See letters to the editor.)

“Having secured a $2,898,000 interest-free loan from the Environmental Facilities Corporation and after negotiating a favorable water supply agreement with the town of Bethlehem, a full-scale new water supply system is currently under construction for the residents of New Salem and is expected to deliver water starting this fall,” Dolin wrote in his letter.

“I was able to obtain $1,000,000 in federal highway funds and $355,000 in New York State Marchiselli funds to rebuild and realign a portion of Krumkill Road that had collapsed in 2011 with tropical storms Irene and Lee. The reconstruction of Krumkill Road is scheduled to begin late this summer,” he wrote.

Dolin also noted in his letter improvements in the town’s senior programs, which now provide transportation for seniors to medical appointments and social activities.

Dolin said that he and his wife, Nancy, hope to travel once he completes his term. The couple has three children: Matthew, in Rhode Island; Thomas Jr., of Voorheesville; and Heather, of New Scotland.

Dolin told The Enterprise, “I’m supporting Douglas LaGrange for my successor to run for the vacancy. He’ll do a great job. He’s been deputy supervisor for four years.”

Dolin said that the title of deputy supervisor is not ceremonial — LaGrange has been involved daily by phone with Dolin, and the two meet once or twice per week, Dolin said.

“The board is a very active and strong board,” he said. “They participate heavily in all decisions concerning the town.”

_{Deputy Supervisor Douglas LaGrange, center, seen here with Supervisor Thomas Dolin, left, and Councilman Daniel Mackay, celebrated a win to office as Team New Scotland in 2009. LaGrange now has the Democratic nod for supervisor. Enterprise file photo — Saranac Hale Spencer}

LaGrange

While still a Republican, LaGrange, a farmer, ran against Dolin eight years ago in Dolin’s first bid for supervisor.

Dolin got 1,394 votes, and LaGrange received 1,368; the final outcome was determined when absentee votes were included, giving Dolin the supervisor’s seat.

Mackey told The Enterprise that the Democratic committee agreed to support LaGrange, and that, during the town’s caucus this summer, the whole party will officially back the chosen candidate for supervisor.

“Any enrolled Democrat in the town can appear at the caucus and vote for a candidate,” Mackey said. “We have had years where we’ve had hundreds of people come. Normally, it’s more like 20.”

Another candidate may come forward before the caucus to challenge LaGrange, he said, but added, “I don’t think it’s likely.”

LaGrange “wants to do it. He’s been deputy supervisor for many years under Tom and has worked well,” Mackey said. “We’ve nominated independents before,” he said, like current town justice David Wukitsch.

“We’re not limiting our nominations,” Mackey said. “The public has been well served.”

LaGrange, 56, said that, during his 15 years on the board, he has been deputy supervisor under two supervisors; Thomas Dolin, and Edward Clark.

“Both had different ways of doing thing,” LaGrange said. “They both cared about the town.”

Through Dolin’s leadership, LaGrange said, “We’ve done a tremendous number of things for the town…It’s been a pleasure working with him.”

About his nomination, LaGrange said, “It’s always humbling that people would think enough of me to do this. It’s reassuring to know that the job I’m helping to do is in the right direction.

I hate to say the issues remain the same, but, in a sense, they do,” LaGrange continued. He said that residents expect highway services, senior programs, and taxes “in check.”

He said that the board was never “anti-development,” as it may have appeared in 2009 when town residents were sharply divided about commercial development.

“Nobody’s been against development,” he said. “I’ve had so many developers tell me, ‘We just want to know what’s expected of us.’ ” He said that rules seemed to be changed mid-development.

“You don’t want that,” he said. “You draw more people in if they know. We just want to do it right. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. In the town of New Scotland, we’re about keeping the roads clear in the winter, keeping the town clean, and planning for the development of the town.”

He said that he has “tremendous” support in the Democratic Party, and that his change from Republican to the Independence Party was because “the political dynamics in New Scotland have changed.”

LaGrange’s family owns a dairy farm, at which he works part time, he said. He also works part time at the local Cornell Cooperative Extension office as an agriculture educator.

“I’d have to sort out jobs,” he said, if he wins his bid for supervisor.

In previous years, he said, the supervisor’s position was part time.

“Now, it’s really a full-time position,” he said. “It will be a full-time commitment.”

LaGrange and his wife, Anita, have two grown children nearby; Kristy and her husband; and Amy, her husband, and her son, Cameron, 4, and his infant sister, Reagan.