Unopposed in Berne

Motschmann for assessor

 BERNE — Robert Motschmann, a Democrat, is unopposed for assessor.

Berne has three part-time assessors, and Motschmann has held the job for 12 years, three four-year terms.

A Berne resident since 1970, Motschmann has worked as a salesman for Hannay Reels in Westerlo. He has one year of college and a high-school education.

He could not be reached for comment this week, but told The Enterprise during his last run, “I enjoy doing this job. I feel we’ve done a good job so far and we can continue on.”

Motschmann said, to help with his post, he tries to keep up on building projects in the area and the costs involved.

One of the hardest parts of his job, he said in 2005, is explaining the technicalities of assessment to residents. The three assessors try to help people find exemptions, he said.

“We kind of pride ourselves in helping the seniors in the town,” he said.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer

More Hilltowns News

  • Within the first two weeks of President Donald Trump’s term, the United States Department of Agriculture ordered its staff to remove webpages related to climate change, prompting a lawsuit that was filed this week by various advocacy organizations. The Enterprise spoke with local experts about the impact the USDA’s new stance on climate change might have on the region’s farmers. 

  • According to the Rural Housing Coalition of New York, rural areas of the state are getting disproportionately less affordable-housing tax credits for the development of larger low-income housing facilities. 

  • The highway superintendent of the town of Charleston, in Montgomery County, claims that Berne Highway Superintendent Randy Bashwinger told him his friend would challenge him for that position unless he was hired as an employee. Bashwinger denies this. 

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