Baron supports seniors



NEW SCOTLAND – Democrat Deborah Baron says that she respects the strength of the volunteer corps in the town. She is running for a second four-year term on the town board.

When Baron and her husband, Robert Baron, moved to New Scotland about 20 years ago, she said, they were drawn to the community.
If re-elected, Baron said she wants to help "draw in volunteer resources to make a better connection between the town, village, school, and public library."

Baron, 56, has four children — Robert, Matthew, Julianna, and Brittany. She works for the Voorheesville School District as a tax collector and keyboard specialist.
During her tenure on the board, "We’ve accomplished the Clarksville Water District Extension #7," she said, adding that it was an "impetus of why I got involved."
A huge accomplishment of the board during the past four years, she said, was the appointment of Susan Kidder as the senior liaison to the town. "Susan has brought dedication and caring, and more of the intangible qualities that serve the program well," said Baron. Kidder’s efforts have been diligent and conscientious, she added. Baron serves as the town board’s liaison to the seniors.

Baron said that she hopes that the program itself can continue to grow.
The board has also worked to strengthen "intermunicipal cooperation" between the village of Voorheesville and the town, Baron said.
"We’re going in the right direction," she said.
As a town board member, it is important to bring in communication from different residents," she said.
If she is re-elected, Baron said, she would like to bring in volunteers to strengthen the town’s senior program. "I’d like to see us have our own van," she said.
The town’s senior population has increased in recent years, Baron said. Senior citizens make up a "good portion of the public that needs to be heard and watched out for," she said.

Issues
Water, said Baron, "is more of a case-by-case issue" dependent upon the topography and zoning of the area. The town board must be guided by the planning and zoning boards on a case-by-case basis, she said.
She again referred to the Clarksville Water District Extension #7. "It’s a very difficult area," she said, adding, "It’s an important leap in that area."
Regarding zoning, Baron said, "I personally think we need zoning to allow for some senior housing somewhere." She added that she thinks that Reilly, who drafted a proposal for a townwide senior-housing floating zone, has done a "great job."
"It is overdue for the town to at least have some mechanism to address the need," said Baron. Baron has said she will abstain from voting on the senior overlay district since her husband would be the contractor for a planned senior-housing complex if the overlay is approved.
The town also needs to encourage the development of affordable housing, Baron said. "I’d like to see us be an open door to any projects that might mix it in," she said.
Baron’s goal is to reach out to agencies in Albany County to see if New Scotland is a good area to develop affordable housing, she said. "It’s something we should investigate with some due diligence," said Baron, adding that the need for public transportation should also be examined.

With respect to the recommendations of the Residents’ Planning Advisory Committee, Baron said the town is waiting on some final information from a committee established in January of 2006 to make suggestions about possible revisions to the comprehensive land-use plan. The committee was chaired by Douglas LaGrange, a town councilman who is running against Democrat Thomas Dolin for town supervisor.

The updates being made to the data and mapping of the comprehensive plan were part of the recommendations in the RPAC report, Baron said.

The town appreciates the work done by committees, she said.
As far as increased public involvement, Baron says, "That’s what public hearings are all about. Any comments from the public are greatly appreciated by all boards in the town."

If one person speaks at a public meeting, said Baron, that individual may be speaking for 10 other people who may not have been available or as forthcoming.
"We earnestly try to take all comments we get seriously," she said. The public hearing process works "very well" for all of the town’s boards, she said.
Baron said that implementing public committees to aid in the planning process works if there is a specific topic. "I don’t know how well it would work to have a committee just to have a committee," she said.
"I think the process works," Baron said of the town’s planning process and its allowance for public involvement.
"I’d love to see more people involved, but I also know that people only have so much time they can dole out," Baron said. "I encourage more involvement, but can’t criticize anyone if they can’t get involved."

For a small rural town, Baron said, New Scotland has a high level of community involvement.

Baron says that she doesn’t know whether the topography and road structure in New Scotland are conducive to encouraging commercial development. She added that she doesn’t know if that kind of development is something that town residents would be in favor of.
"I don’t see New Scotland as a commercial hub or a commercial suburb," she said. "I don’t see us as being a real attractive spot." The town is not void of commercial business, she said, pointing out Olsens’ Nursery, the Stonewell Plaza, and Nichols’ Market, which will soon be converted to a Hannaford.
Baron’s "big push," she said, is for the town’s elderly population. The town needs to focus on making it feasible for seniors to stay in the town and enjoy their neighborhoods, she concluded.