RENSSELAERVILLE — In the only Hilltown where Republicans have historically had a significant presence in the town government, a first-time office-seeker is battling a political veteran to replace the current supervisor.

After one term, Republican Supervisor J. Robert Lansing is not running for reelection as supervisor, though he is running to become a councilman. In Lansing’s place, the Republicans have nominated their chairman, Jost Nickelsberg. Nickelsberg will face the Democratic chair, David Bryan, who was supervisor from 1986 to 1992.

With two seats open on the town board, only one incumbent, Democrat Edward Steven Ryder, is seeking reelection. With Republican Kenneth Decker not seeking reelection, the Democrats hope to gain the majority on the five-member town board, which is now held by Republicans, 3 to 2.

The top two vote-getters in the Nov. 8 four-way race will assume office on Jan. 1.

The supervisor in Rensselaerville is paid $10,500 for the part-time position, and the part-time town board members are paid $3,500 each. Both posts carry four-year terms.

The town has a population of about 2,000 and a budget of $2.2 million.

The issues

The Enterprise interviewed the candidates for supervisor and town board, asking questions on four issues:

—Growth: If Tech Valley becomes a reality in the Capital Region, some say it would mean a lot of people would move to the Hilltowns. Candidates were asked how they would balance that with preserving the town’s farms and open space.

—Towers: An application came before the planning board recently to build a new radio and cellular tower in the town. It caused strong reactions on both sides of the issue. Some residents complained it would ruin their view, while others think it’s necessary for the area’s emergency services. Candidates were asked how the town should plan for similar projects in the future.

—The budget: In recent weeks, as the supervisor and town board prepare the budget for 2006, the two Democratic members of the town board have criticized the Republican supervisor and town-board members for not allowing time for discussion on the budget. Candidates were asked if the budget process should be changed, and if so, how.

—Taxes: Candidates were asked how important it is for the town to keep taxes low and how it should do that.

SUPERVISOR

Jost Nickelsberg

Jost (pronounced yoast) Nickelsberg sees the job of supervisor as the chief financial officer of the town. Nickelsberg, a Republican, wants to replace his fellow Republican, Supervisor Lansing, and continue his legacy of wise spending.

That doesn’t mean no spending, Nickelsberg said.
"You don’t just stop spending," he said. "The idea for spending wisely is you make great investments."

Nickelsberg, 63, has lived in Rensselaerville for 10 years. He is the chairman of the Rensselaerville Republican Party, and has worked as a securities and investment banker for 35 years.
Besides smart spending, Nickelsberg wants to make the town government "completely transparent."
"We have to be an open book to draw our fellow citizens into government," he said.

Nickelsberg cited a recent lawsuit, in which a Rensselaerville resident sued the town, claiming that the superintendent of highways, Democrat G. Jon Chase, violated New York’s Freedom of Information Law by withholding requested documents. This is just one example of rising mistrust in the town, Nickelsberg said.
"There is too much fear in this town," he said, "too much fear that standing up and saying what one believes might result in reprisal of some kind."
If FOIL requests are not granted, Nickelsberg said, "Freedom of the press is assaulted."

On growth, Nickelsberg alluded to a survey the town did a few years ago.
"The overwhelming response for priority number-one was keeping our rural characteristics," he said.

So far, he said, the town government has done a good job of preserving these characteristics, and he intends to keep the work going.
"We are about to look at the master plan again, and when we do that, the town will decide what it wants for the future, and, if it’s the same as what we want now, we will make the zoning ever stronger," Nickelsberg said.

On cell towers, Nickelsberg supports using an existing unused tower in the town, owned by the American Tower Company.
"Why would you build a new one if you have a tower in working order"" he asked.

On the budget, Nickelsberg said the process works.
"I think Bob Lansing has done an excellent job on that issue," Nickelsberg said. "It’s worked tremendously well."

Lansing has kept town tax increases to very low in each year of his administration, Nickelsberg said.

On taxes, Nickelsberg has a number of ideas to keep costs low. For example, he wants to heat town buildings by burning green wood cleared from the side of town roads and installing a furnace that burns waste oil.
"In these days of $3 fuel costs, that’s a big deal," Nickelsberg said.

He also suggested sharing equipment in the Hilltowns.
"Do Berne, Knox, Westerlo, and Rennselaerville all need their own steamrollers" Probably not," Nickelsberg said.

Berne has found some creative ways to keep insurance costs down, Nickelsberg said. As supervisor of Rensselaerville, he would copy Berne’s methods.
"Kevin Crosier of Berne has done a terrific job," Nickelsberg said. "We would learn from him."

Nickelsberg is also running on the Independence and Conservative party lines.

David Bryan

Though he hasn’t been supervisor in almost 14 years, David Bryan wants the job back so it’s done right.
"There are a number of things that haven’t gotten done," Bryan said.

Bryan said he reads town board minutes, and it seems like meetings are lasting only 15 minutes, with no time for in-depth discussion or participation by the community.

There is especially no planning for the town’s future, he said, his first priority.
"We are now in a real bind with preserving our rural character," Bryan said.

Bryan, 51, was supervisor from 1986 to 1992. He works as a house principal at Albany High School. He has also been a member of the Rensselaerville library board and the historical society board and on committees of the Greenville School District.
"I really am a concerned town resident that has the best interests of the residents in mind," Bryan said.

Bryan wants to increase communication between the town and the residents. Although the town has a website and a newsletter, there’s nothing of value published there, he said.
For example, he said, "They’ve been talking about a moratorium, but they never discuss it. It never makes it to the agenda."

Also, Bryan said, the town’s computer system is the same one he installed when he was supervisor. The government isn’t accessible by e-mail, he said.
"This is the 21st Century," Bryan said. "We should be able to use e-mail."

Other projects on which Bryan wants to work include bringing senior housing to Rensselaerville and sidewalks to the hamlet of Preston Hollow.

On growth, Bryan said the town needs to prepare a five- and 10-year plan, and completely review its zoning ordinance and master plan.
"We need to sit down with a committee and review what needs to be updated," Bryan said, and he wants to hire a planning consultant.

The key to preserving the town’s rural character, he said, is having strict zoning, and enforcing it.

For example, he said, the recent application to the planning board for a radio tower was for 180 feet, 30 feet over what the zoning calls for, Bryan said.
"It should’ve never went to the planning board," he said.

Bryan agrees cellular and radio towers are needed, but he said they need to be planned for.
"We need to have places for those things," he said. "We need to research."

On the budget, Bryan said the process definitely needs to be changed.
"Saying it’s the supervisor’s budget is absurd. It’s not. It’s the town’s budget. It’s the residents’ budget," Bryan said.

When he was supervisor, Bryan said, the town started the budget process in September and held three budget workshops at which members of the public or town officers could request funds.

On taxes, Bryan said proper planning, a five- and 10-year plan, will help keep costs down.
"You need a process," Bryan said.

Just cutting spending now may mean even more spending in the future, he said.
"Fiscal responsibility is a good estimate of what you need and what you are going to spend," Bryan said.

TOWN BOARD

Edward Steven Ryder
Councilman Edward Steven Ryder, a Democrat, is running for reelection because, he said, "In the past four years, I haven’t seen enough of a change. There needs to be more done for the residents of this town."

The needs of large segments of the town’s population, like the seniors, are not being met, he said.
"A lot of the views of the public have not been heard," Ryder said.

For example, Ryder said, at town board meetings, after residents make comments, the supervisor and other members of the town board rarely respond. Ryder said he tries to respond to comments when he can.
"I get some pretty dirty looks from [the supervisor]," Ryder said.

Ryder, 47, is completing his first term on the town board. He has lived in Rensselaerville, in the hamlet of Medusa, for 18 years, and works as an electrical instrumental engineer. Ryder is a member and past president of the Medusa Fire Department. He currently serves as assistant chief.
On growth, Ryder said part of the Democratic platform for 2006 is "a total and complete review of the master plan."

One of the issues that will be looked at, Ryder said, is the minimum acreage for a lot. If it is 20 acres, he said, growth will stop, but low-income families won’t be able to afford to live in Rensselaerville. If it’s five acres, he said, large landowners could subdivide their land into fifty or sixty lots, allowing growth to continue out of control.
"It’s a big thing that I don’t think anybody can really sit down and give an answer in five minutes," Ryder said. "It needs to be explored from both ends. You have to meet somewhere in the middle."

On towers, Ryder said that, though he understands the people don’t want towers near their property, something needs to be done for cellular and emergency service.
"One has to go up. It has to go up somewhere," Ryder said. "I’ve never seen the Verizon guy in Rensselaerville saying, ‘Can you hear me now""

On the budget, Ryder explained that he was right in the middle of the controversy. At a budget meeting earlier this month, he said, Supervisor Lansing and the two Republican board members voted to approve the budget draft without allowing discussion, against Ryder’s protests.
"This thing was shoved down my throat," Ryder said. "I was not a happy person...The people I represent, they all got slammed."

Ryder wants the budget process to return to the way it was before Lansing’s administration. Then, he said, the board went over the budget line by line and asked every representatives of town groups to come before the board and explain why they were asking for the money.
"This year" Nothing. Last year" Nothing. The year before" Nothing," Ryder said.
On taxes, Ryder said, "I wish I could be a magician."
"It’s going to come down to the whole entire budget," he said. "The board has to sit down and go over that thing line by line by line. What can we do to maybe save a dollar here or a dollar there""

Ryder said he is working on two ideas to save the town money, including one on fuel. He said he couldn’t discuss the ideas yet, because the town attorney is investigating whether they can legally be done by the town.

J. Robert Lansing

J. Robert Lansing, a Republican, has been Rensselaerville’s supervisor in three different decades. He was in office for a two-year term in the sixties, then again between 1971 and 1975, and he is just completing a term that began in 2002.

At 79 years old, he wants to take a break.
"I guess I’d rather spend one day a month at Town Hall than every day," Lansing said.

Lansing lamented how the board has changed since he was first supervisor 40 years ago, when, he said, he was the only Republican on the board.
"Whatever problems we had, we solved it," Lansing said. "Now, it’s us against them."

Lansing has lived in Rensselaerville since 1934. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1942. He was a member of the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, serving as a B-29 tail gunner and achieving the rank of sergeant.

Lansing has worked as a farmer and owned several businesses, including Bell’s Hotel, which he and his wife continue to operate. In 1996, he retired after 22 years as business manager for the Greenville Central School District.

In Rensselaerville, the Republican supervisor and Democratic highway superintendent don’t always see eye to eye. Earlier this year, Lansing said, the town agreed to help build a training center for volunteer firefighters on the empty town property between the town hall and the ambulance garage.
"They’ve been talking about it, but he hasn’t built it yet," Lansing said of Superintendent G. Jon Chase.

On growth, Lansing said talking about preserving agriculture in the town is irrelevant. There is no agriculture anymore, he said.
"There’s one farm left that’s shipping milk," he said. Others, he said, "claim to be farmers, yet they work in the city."
As for a moratorium on building that has been suggested by a few residents, Lansing said, "I’m waiting to see what happens." However, he said, "I don’t know what good a moratorium is going to do."

On towers, Lansing said they’re needed. His daughter bought a cell phone and had to return it because it didn’t work in the Hilltowns, he said.
"She said, ‘It’s no good to me,’" Lansing said. He pointed out that Middleburgh recently got cellular coverage.
On the budget, Lansing said, "When I took office, the superintendent was preparing the budget, so I continued to do that."

Lansing said he would have accepted input from the Democrats if the Democrats would speak to him, which, he said, they don’t.
On taxes, Lansing said, "I’ve kept the taxes down for the past four years," by "cutting the fat."

If elected to the town board, Lansing said, he would advise the new supervisor on his cost-cutting techniques.

Timothy Becker

Timothy Becker, a Republican, was not available for an Enterprise interview.

According to his campaign literature, Becker has lived with his wife in Preston Hollow for two years.

In his literature, Becker writes that he is running because he would like to do something for his community and see that everyone in the town is treated fairly by town board members. Many times, Becker writes, he has seen people mistreated.

Becker also calls for improvements in the look of the town and the effective use of funds.

Sherri Pine

Sherri Pine, a Democrat, wants the voters to know that she knows the Rensselaerville area really, really well.
"I really care about my town," Pine said. "My family’s been here for many, many years."

Her 93-year-old grandmother bought her farm from the Van Rensselaers, the Dutch patroon family that originally controlled Albany County, Pine said. Even earlier than that, she said, her family were tenant farmers.

Pine, 47, works for the Albany County Court Clerk’s Office. Before that, she was a meat wrapper for Bryant’s grocery store. She has two grown children. Her husband, Jeff, is a town assessor and a code enforcement officer in New Scotland.

Sherri Pine ran, and lost, for town board in 2003.

Among her ideas for the town, Pine wants to hire a grant writer. There is a lot of money available, she said, and a grant writer pays her own salary as part of the grants received.
"It’s really no cost to the town," she said.

Pine also wants to provide more senior services in Rensselaerville, possibly by participating in programs sponsored by Albany County or the state.
On growth, Pine said, "That’s why we have a master plan."

She supports reviewing the master plan to ensure that the zoning will protect the character that the town’s residents want.
"They haven’t even looked at it yet," she said of the current, Republican controlled, town board.

On towers, she said the recent application was a violation of the town’s zoning law, but a tower is needed somewhere.
"I have a cellphone. I’d love to use it when I’m home," Pine said. "There are ways of providing that and still not hurting the vistas."

She suggested fixing up the existing towers in town or allowing a few smaller ones rather than one big one.
On the budget, Pine said the current process is, "not right."
"I believe in open government," Pine said.

When making the town budget, she said, the town board needs to allow input from others in the town.

On taxes, Pine suggested saving money by investigating how the town buys materials.
For example, she asked, is it cheaper to buy sand and gravel all at once and store it, or have it delivered each time it is needed"

Also, she said, the cheapest option is not always the best.
"You get what you pay for," Pine said. "If you go dirt cheap, you won’t get the same level of quality you would if you paid more."

HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT

G. Jon Chase

G. Jon Chase, a Democrat, did not return calls from The Enterprise, as he rarely has in recent years.

Chase has been highway superintendent since 1997. His son, Gary Chase, is a Democratic member of the town board.

Stephen Wood

Stephen Wood, a Republican, is running for highway superintendent because he thinks the current superintendent is not doing the job right. He sees a lot of problems with the roads around town, but he doesn’t blame the highway crew.
"You’re only as good as your supervision," Wood said. "If people don’t do proper jobs, you waste man-hours and you waste taxpayer money."

This isn’t Wood’s first race. He ran for superintendent in the nineties, losing in a three-way race to the Democrat, Chase.

Wood, 60, owns his own business, S.W. Wood Construction, which, he said, is doing very well. If he were to become superintendent, his son would manage the business.

Wood, a Vietnam veteran, has also operated cranes and other equipment on various jobs in the area, including at Albany International Airport. He’s lived in Rensselaerville for 13 years.
Among other problems on town roads, Wood said, "There’s no ditching to speak of."

The roads aren’t maintained well and aren’t lasting nearly as long as they should, he said. Also, brush along the roads isn’t being cleared, he said, impairing visibility at corners.
"There are just a number of things that provoked me to run," Wood said.

Part of the problem, he said, is Chase doesn’t use the equipment correctly.
"You use the proper equipment in the proper context," Wood said.

Recently, a lawsuit has been brought against the town, alleging that Chase is violating New York’s Freedom of Information Law by not providing requested records of highway work. The suing resident, Vernon Husek, also claims that Chase is using town funds and equipment for projects that benefit family members.

Wood claims that some of Chase’s election signs are too large for the town’s zoning.
"It shows that he’s got no regard for the laws," Wood said. "He’s basically snubbing his nose to what the town laws are."

Wood said he will run the highway department differently.
"I’ll have an open-door policy," he said. And, he said, he’ll be honest. "I’m not going to tell someone I’ll be there next week and then not get there," Wood said.

TOWN CLERK

Kathleen Hallenbeck

Kathleen Hallenbeck, a Democrat, is running unopposed for town clerk. She has held the position since 1974.

Hallenbeck is a lifetime resident of Rensselaerville. She is a member of the County Clerk’s Association, the American Legion, and the Rensselaerville Volunteer Fire Company.

She has three children and two grandchildren.

The town clerk is paid $28,975.

ASSESSORS

There are two seats available on the three-member board of assessors.

In May, Republican Eric Sutton was appointed by the Rensselaerville Town Board to replace Democrat Sean McCormick, who was unable to complete the required training courses for the job. The vote was split 3 to 2 along party lines.

In November, Sutton will seek a full term, while McCormick will try to get his post back.

Also running are incumbent Democrat Peter Hotaling and Republican Donna Kropp.