To the Editor:

It’s time. After living in Berne since 2013, I have watched — often with heartbreak — our small town of just under 2,700 souls struggle under a cloud of acrimony, mismanagement, and distrust. (The 2020 census puts our population at 2,689.)

I am a sheep farmer and the owner of Two Rock Ranch, and I had the honor of serving on the Berne Planning Board for three years. During that time, I helped draft the laws regulating both small- and large-scale solar projects, worked on the battery-storage law, and secured a solar moratorium to preserve our farmland and scenic beauty. I loved that work, because it was about protecting Berne’s rural character while planning for a sustainable future.

Then, while recovering from brain surgery, I was unlawfully removed from the board. With the support of neighbors, I launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $13,000 for legal costs. On March 13, 2020, Acting Supreme Court Justice Denise A. Hartman ruled in my favor, finding that I had been illegally removed and ordering me reinstated.

At that hearing, key figures including Randy Bashwinger, Thomas Spargo, Chance Townsend, and others appeared to aggressively advocate for my dismissal. It bears noting that Thomas “Tom” Spargo had previously been convicted of attempted extortion and bribery solicitation as a sitting New York State Supreme Court Justice and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. His later appointment as the Berne Planning Board chairman was a blow to public trust.

When my term eventually expired, I reapplied for the position because I truly loved the work and believed in preserving Berne as a farming community. But during my interview, I was met with hostility and disrespect by Dennis Palow — so much so that people came up afterward to apologize to me. That experience made clear how far basic respect for residents and volunteers had eroded in our town government.

Later, I was honored to be nominated by both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party to run against Mr. Palow. But, given the level of animosity that had overtaken Berne politics, I chose to decline those nominations, realizing that my personal life and happiness were better without being pulled deeper into political conflict.

We all want Berne to be the kind of place we’re proud to call home. It’s beautiful — rolling hills, farmland, forests, open space — but in recent years our town has been left in financial ruin and administrative limbo. The town once had about $1,000,000 in reserves and owned a vibrant event space, Switzkill Farm. Since then, our funds have dwindled, bills go unpaid, questions are ignored, and the farm was sold off in a “fire sale” to Albany County.

The New York State Comptroller’s office flagged our local government for financial mismanagement in a 2021 audit. In 2023, Berne’s fiscal stress score more than quadrupled. And in August 2024, three town board members resigned due to a hostile working environment, leaving us without a quorum to conduct business.

This is not about national politics. It is about everyday people’s lives, the respect or disrespect shown to citizens and volunteers, and whether our taxes will be used responsibly. It’s about ensuring our children and grandchildren can envision a future here. 

What we need now is unity, accountability, and fresh vision. Republicans, Democrats, Greens, independents, newcomers — we must come together to rebuild trust. We need:

— 1. A full and independent audit, publicly disclosed and acted upon;

— 2. Leadership grounded in transparency, humility, and respect — not hostility;

— 3. A plan to revitalize infrastructure, attract younger families, and support our aging population; and

—4. Opportunities for community engagement — listening sessions, public forums, shared decision-making — so people feel heard, not shut out.

When the GOP dropped Randy Bashwinger and others from their ticket this year, it gave me a glimmer of hope — but the nomination of Chance Townsend is still worrisome. We must elect leaders on character, competence, and vision — not old grudges or party loyalty.

Berne has real promise — if only we set aside factional rancor and remember that this land and community belong to all of us. Let’s write a new chapter where “red, blue, green” work side by side, because our town’s well-being is too precious to waste.

Emily Vincent, RN
Berne

Editor’s note: Emily Vincent, a sheep farmer, owns Two Rock Ranch in Berne.