KNOX— The town board seat soon to be left vacant by the impending resignation of Eric Kuck will be contested in the November general election by Dan Hanley, the Democratic nominee, and Ken Saddlemire, the Republican choice and an enrolled Democrat.

Asked how he felt about running on the Republican line,  Saddlemire said if “you are really committed to running, why not? I knew I wasn’t going to be their [the Democrats’] choice.”

Saddlemire  was the runner-up at the well-attended Democratic caucus Monday in the town hall. Hanley received 84 votes to Saddlemire’s 52, in paper balloting.  But his name will appear on the Republican line as the result of his nomination at the Republican caucus held Sunday and attended, he estimates, by about 15 people.

Democrats have an edge in Knox with more enrolled voters. According to figures from the Albany County Board of Elections, 39 percent (700) of registered voters are Democrats, 22 percent (421) are Republican. 27 percent (515) are not affiliated with a party, and the rest belong to small parties.

At the Democratic caucus, Alexander “Sandy” Gordon placed Hanley’s name in nomination  and Town Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis did the same for Saddlemire.  At the Republican caucus, Bob Stevens put his name in nomination, according to Saddlemire.

(Read the issues-based questions for Knox candidates).

Dan Hanley

Hanley, an enrolled Democrat, is a teacher of special education at Schalmont High School. He and his wife have four children.  

His bid to be a town board member is his first run for public office.

He says he knows what he’s getting into and is well aware of the current divisiveness in town government. “It’s going to be tricky,” he acknowledges. “Can I jump in and be a referee? I don’t think so….I am someone who votes their conscience.”

“I think  Lefkaditis has some good ideas...I don’t know where the rift started or why, but I think compromise is the way to go forward,” Hanley said.

About the town’s comprehensive plan which is at the first stage of being revised, Hanley  said, “I am not sure about the specifics.” But he said he and his family value the rural character of Knox and he thinks it ought to be preserved.

On a related issue of whether the town ought to have more than one district for business, he said, “I  don’t want to see sprawl in Knox, I grew up in Colonie.”

“If we create new business districts,” he said, “I think  we can specify what  type of business would be allowed in each district.”

On the subject of codes and code enforcement, he said, “It’s our job to enforce the codes” but he recognizes that “the problem with the zoning codes is there is no code on the books to cover some situations.”

“Guns clubs are moving up to the Hilltowns from more populated areas, “ Hanley said. Of a long-established club in Knox that is causing neighbors to complain about noise and other problems, he said he thinks it can be worked out.

“Codes have to be somewhat flexible,” he said. He’s hopeful that  the gun club can meet the town halfway and perhaps adjust its hours of operation.

He likes the idea of shared services, especially with Berne. “We partner with them for hazardous waste disposal and youth programs. The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District is the primary example of shared services among the Hilltowns.”

He would like to see more shared services. “Sharing services is smart business,” he said. Though Knox has no ambulance service of its own, “I’ve heard no complaints about the quality of ambulance service here.”

He said.  if Knox is not contributing enough toward the operation of the Altamont and Berne  libraries used by many Knox residents,  “That should be addressed. We should look at paying our fair share.”

Ken Saddlemire

A fourth-generation dairy farmer, Ken Saddlemire thinks he can bring a small-business and agricultural perspective to the town board. He says that unlike “part-time” farmers, his whole income comes from farming.

His farm of 320 acres with  74 cows is one of only three dairy farms remaining in Knox, he said. When he was growing up in Knox, there were perhaps a dozen. “I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” he says.

Saddlemire is a 31-year member of the Knox Volunteer Fire Company , has served as a line officer several times, and headed a truck committee that purchased new equipment in 2000. He also served for 10 years on the Knox Board of Assessment Review.

He thinks the town is going through change as an old guard leaves the scene, and praises Lefkaditis for saving the taxpayers money by “reviewing previous agreements.”

As for change needed, he cites infrastructure improvements to the highway department garage and the town park, and praises Maryellen Gillis, the town’s coordinator for youth activities and her three-phase Knox Town Park Improvement Plan.

Asked if,  when a revised comprehensive plan is adopted,  the town board should follow up with laws to put teeth into it, he said “that shouldn’t have to happen if the zoning  and planning boards do their job.”

He says he likes the idea of satellite business districts outside the hamlet. “The hamlet has no open space so these other locations are better for new businesses. And why increase traffic in the hamlet?”

Zoning ordinances are a “gray area,” he said, “always open to interpretation.” He thinks too much regulation opens the door to “neighbor-on-neighbor complaints.” He likes that the town board, for example, is taking a cautious approach to the complaints about the gun club.

Like Hanley, he is a proponent of shared services and likes especially the senior and youth programs that Knox and Berne offer together.  He says Knox should be “contributing our fair share to the operation of the Berne and Altamont libraries. I’m all in favor of libraries,” he said.

He is maintaining a Facebook page for his campaign for town board seat.

Saddlemire and his wife, Margery, have been married 35 years and have two adult children who live in Knox.

The issues in Knox

KNOX — Ken Saddlemire, running on the Republican line for a Knox Town Board seat, and Dan Hanley, running on the Democratic line, were asked to comment on these issues:

— Divisiveness: Although the Knox Town Board is made up entirely of Democrats, Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis ran and won on the Conservative Party line last fall after failing to get the Democratic nod, which went to the longtime incumbent. Since Lefkaditis took office, the other four board members and he have often been at odds. At one point, the four councilmembers held their own meeting without letting the supervisor or public know; once The Enterprise pointed out such a gathering violates the state’s Open Meetings Law, the practice stopped.

If elected, how would you deal with this schism?

— Newsletter: The town has launched its first newsletter, an idea first broached by Councilman Dennis Barber. The four board members argued that the newsletter opening comments should come from the board as a whole; Supervisor Lefkaditis said that he is the town’s chief executive officer and should write the letter. He did so in the first issue.

What are your thoughts on this?

— Comprehensive plan: Knox first drafted a comprehensive plan a quarter of a century ago and is currently in the process of updating it, having surveyed residents and businesses. A revised plan would have no teeth unless its tenets were adopted into law.

What changes, if any, should be made in the comprehensive plan and why, and what laws should follow?

— Business district: Until last year, Knox had no officially defined business district. Many of the businesses on Route 156 in the hamlet had closed; this included a service station, a general store, and a post office. The town board has now defined a large part of the hamlet as a business district. A second business district is being considered on Township Road and Supervisor Lefkaditis has pushed for another business district on Route 156 below the hamlet.

Should Knox have more than one business district and why or why not and where? And what can be or should be done to encourage businesses in the hamlet’s district?

— Enforcing codes: The murder of a 5-year-old boy in December 2014 focused attention on the Knox trailer where he lived, which did not meet code. Also a towing business had been operating in an area zoned residential; some residents complained enforcement against the business was selective. This year, a resident near a rod and gun club, which is in an area zoned residential, has complained about the large and frequent gatherings there, producing much noise.

How should zoning and building codes be enforced?

— Budget: Since the tax-levy cap was adopted by the state, Knox has stayed under the limit. At the same time, though, Knox does not offer some of the amenities of similar nearby towns, like a library, senior center, or ambulance squad.

This year, the librarians from Altamont and Knox came before the board with figures showing that Knox does not pay its fair share to those libraries, based on use by Knox residents. One out of 10 Altamont library items goes to a Knox patron yet Knox pays for just 5 percent of the library’s income. Similarly, 16 percent of the items lent by the Berne library were borrowed by Knox residents but Knox contributes just 7 percent of the Berne library’s budget.

Is staying under the tax cap sustainable and should more services be offered? Should Knox contribute more to the Berne and Altamont libraries? Why or why not?

— Melissa Hale-Spencer